Our program places a strong emphasis on graduate student research. Students work closely with advisors, regularly participate at major conferences, and publish in leading journals. Each spring graduate students present at the state's flagship conference, the Kentucky Political Science Association, and take part in a poster session in the department.  Below are two recent examples of excellence in graduate student research.

EmiLee Smart

EmiLee Smart is a PhD candidate whose work focuses on American politics.  Her research examines the U.S. Supreme Court and specifically the cutting-edge topic of the “shadow docket,” which are rulings made that skirt the Court’s traditional procedures and processes.

In just a few years at UK, EmiLee has emerged as a leading scholar, having already published manuscripts in two leading PS journals, Political Research Quarterly and American Politics Research.  In the first, she employs text analysis to examine the relationships between attorney gender, oral argument, and outcomes in major Supreme Court cases.  Specifically, she finds that the use of gender schemas during oral argument predict the ability of attorneys to secure justice-votes.  In the latter paper, which is a solo-authored portion of her dissertation, deploys an original survey experiment to examine how the use of the shadow docket influences public opinion about the Court.  EmiLee finds that, as the justices stray from accepted procedures, public support for court curbing increases.

EmiLee’s dissertation focuses on the shadow docket, an area which few scholars have examined.  She collects new data to better understand the docket and combines her skills in advanced text analysis, survey research, and quantitative analysis to explore this new frontier in judicial politics.

EmiLee has received considerable recognition and funding for her research.  At UK, this includes the Royster Graduate Excellence Award, a Graduate Student Congress Research Award, Women’s Club Fellowship, and Association of Emeriti Faculty Endowed Doctoral Fellowship.  She has also received department support from the Coleman-Miller-Gorman Award and an Emerging Scholar Research Award.  In 2023, EmiLee was named a winner of the Malcolm E. Jewell Outstanding Graduate Student Award, the department’s highest honor.

Jingwen Wu

Jingwen Wu is a PhD candidate with a focus on comparative politics.  Her research examines how modern communication technology shapes important political outcomes including government practices when it comes to human rights and women’s rights. 

She has developed an accomplished research record during her time in the program.  This includes two major peer-reviewed publications.  In a manuscript published in Asian Survey, she examines environmental policy in China, using a sophisticated research design to explore the effects of the Ecological Environmental Protection Play.  In another manuscript, recently published in Government Response to Innovative Technology, she studies how the rising social media platform TikTok has implications for politics and society in China.

Jingwen’s dissertation examines how the adoption of technologies including mobile devices, and 3G, 4G, and 5G networks shape fundamental rights and the extent to which governments may protect – or infringe – upon them.  She also examines thew conditions under which authoritarian governments adopt modern communication technology.

Jingwen’s research has been widely recognized.  In 2023, she received the Ashley T. Judd Distinguished Fellowships from the Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women.  She has also received grants from the Empirical Implications of Theoretical Models (EITM) Summer Institute, the Southern Political Science Association, and the Center for Graduate and Professional Diversity Initiatives.  Jingwen was recently recognized by the department as the Crum Emerging Scholar in Comparative Politics and won the Outstanding Graduate Student Paper award.

The PS department has a strong culture of teaching and is continually recognized for its teaching excellence. Since 2022, five graduate students have received the College's Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, tied for the highest number among all departments.  In addition, three graduate students have received the Provost's Award for Outstanding Teaching, an extremely selective university-level distinction, since the award's inception. Below, we feature two of our excellent teachers.

Abbie Wood

Abbie Wood is a PhD candidate focusing in American politics. An excellent scholar whose work focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court, Abbie has also developed an outstanding record of teaching.

Abbie's teaching approach begins with a goal of activating interest in Political Science, which she accomplishes with a focus on demonstrating why the field matters to the lives of students.  Abbie uses a multiple method approach in the classroom, including simulations, games, multi-media, and collaboration exercises alongside more traditional lecture and discussion based approaches.  Her multiple method approach extends to assessment, aiming to reach learners of all types and take fear out of the assessment process.  Her experience includes courses in American politics, law and courts, the American presidency, and research methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Abbie is also engaged in teaching mentorship and the continued development of teaching in PS. For the 2023-2024 academic year, Abbie is the Head Teaching Assistant for the Department of Political Science, a distinction given to individuals with records of outstanding pedagogy, mentorship, and leadership.  Abbie mentors PS teaching assistants and also engages in ongoing training, organizing workshops on topics such as how to integrate research into teaching.

In 2023, Abbie was recognized with an Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from the College of Arts & Sciences.  Recognition for this highly competitive and prestigious award is indicative of the deep impact that Abbie makes on undergraduates and the educational experience at UK.

Ben Leo

Ben Leo is a PhD student majoring in international relations.  His dissertation work examines Pro-Government Militias and their relationship with various forms of conflict. Ben is also an accomplished teacher, excelling in almost any classroom environment.

At UK, Ben has been a primary instructor or teaching assistant for courses that include American politics, comparative politics, international relations, research methods, the European Union, and political institutions.  He has also supported the PS internship program, Wildcats at the Capitol. In the fall of 2023, Ben led the Model United Nations class, taking students to the Southern Regional Model UN competition in Atlanta, where they were honored with best delegate and honorable delegation awards.

Ben impacts students by providing them with the theoretical and empirical tools required to understand complex political phenomena, along with the ability to apply and share the information gained from their use. He sees maintaining and encouraging student enthusiasm as a vital aspect for instructors, which he achieves by encouraging active learning, continually demonstrating the applicability of knowledge, and structuring student evaluations to ensure every student can display their strengths.

Like many PS graduate students, Ben is pursuing a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching and Learning in order to develop tools for shaping student success throughout his career.

Perhaps the strongest area of growth in our graduate program involves the success our students have on the job market.  Our students have been very successful at obtaining both academic and non-academic forms of employment upon graduation, which can be seen from our recent placement record.