Political Science and Public Policy

Virginia high school students studying American Sign Language can now take comfort in knowing their work will be counted as a foreign language by in-state public colleges and universities – and Elon University freshman Hollis Erickson played a critical role in making that happen.

Four out of five North Carolina residents support the construction of wind energy facilities in both the mountains and along the coast of the Tar Heel State, according to the latest Elon University Poll, though half the state opposes the government promoting the increased use of nuclear power to address America’s energy supply.

North Carolina residents are divided on the way President Barack Obama is handling his job as president, but more than half the state disapproves of how Bev Perdue is fulfilling her duties governor, according to the latest Elon University Poll.

A national expert on the politics of health and social policy visits Elon University on Thursday evening for the James P. Elder Lecture in Whitley Auditorium. Jacob S. Hacker of Yale University delivers remarks at 6:30 p.m. in his address, "Reform 2.0: The Battle over the Future of American Health Care," where he will examine what's ahead in the ongoing debate over national health care reform.

Elon University is hosting a March 29-30 conference on media and politics in which the public is invited to attend workshops with influential public policy makers, journalists and academic researchers. Media and Politics: Openness, Accuracy, and Honesty in the 21st Century Media Landscape is made possible by Elon University’s Turnage Family Faculty Innovation and Creativity Fund for the Study of Political Communication.

The wide variety of information sources in the 21st century – coupled with a news media industry weakened by budget cuts – requires citizens to more closely evaluate the motives of governments and businesses that are today in a better position to push their own agendas, according to a panel of researchers who spoke Tuesday for an inaugural conference on politics and the media hosted by Elon University.

Jacy Lance, an Elon College Social Sciences Fellow, presented her research at the annual conference of the Southeast Council for Latin American Studies (SECOLAS), which took place March 16-19 at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Sharon Spray, associate professor of political science, and Laura Roselle, professor of political science, presented a paper, “Strategic Narratives, Human Security, and Climate Change,” at the International Studies Association Annual Conference held from March 16-19, 2011, in Montreal, Canada.