Political Science and Public Policy

Less than two years after President Barack Obama won office with a tidal wave of voter support for the Democratic Party, Republicans are on the verge of their own historic movement and will likely reclaim majority status in at least one chamber of Congress, according to a national political analyst who visited campus this week for a series of classroom and public events.

Laura Roselle, professor of political science, attended the American Political Science Association annual meeting in Washington, D.C., from Sept. 2-5 and presented a paper, "Strategic Narratives of War: Media Stories about Partners During Protracted Conflicts," on a panel titled The New Fourth Estate: A Comparative Panel on the Shifting Relationship between Media and Government.

Upon learning how boredom plagues troops in the Middle East, incoming Elon freshman Peter Gallagher and a friend started Games for Heroes, an organization that to date has collected more than $100,000 in hand held video games and cash that today keep hundreds of off-duty soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan entertained.

Hollywood doesn’t really like government, judging by the movies it produces, but when you look at the way film directors portray individual employees, new research co-authored by an Elon University professor and alumna reveals a lot of on-screen respect for civil servants.

Mileah Kromer, an assistant professor of political science and assistant director of the Elon University Poll, spoke at length with the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire this month on the role of social media in American elections.

Elon University Poll director Hunter Bacot spoke with News 14 Carolina on July 9 on recent controversies in the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and how Gov. Bev Perdue has handled the public relations fallout.

Assistant professor Dion Farganis spoke with News 14 Carolina for a "TalkBack" segment on the Elena Kagan hearings that took place in Washington this summer as lawmakers prepare to vote on her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

If you think U.S. Supreme Court nominees have become much more evasive in recent years during their confirmation hearings, Dion Farganis, an Elon University assistant professor of political science, offers a bit of advice: Think again. Work by Farganis received national attention this week as the Senate Judiciary Committee opened hearings into Elena Kagan’s nomination to the highest court in the land.

Assistant professor Jason Kirk was a featured guest June 30 on "The State of Things" program hosted by WUNC, a North Carolina affiliate of National Public Radio.