By the time this year's Presidential election rolls around, many voters will be as turned off as they are excited. Why? The constant presence of political ads that saturate almost every nook and cranny of the media market. But what makes these ads possible? The answer is the incredible influx of money into modern politics that is used to bludgeon as often as it is to persuade and inform voters.

The Department of Political Science is excited to welcome professor Tiffany Barnes to its faculty!

The Department of Political Science is excited to welcome professor Abby Córdova to its faculty!

Professor Córdova joins us this fall to continue her research on comparitive politics. She studies the effects of crime, poverty, and economic inequality on the democratic process in Latin America. Her field research has taken her to Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, and Guyana.

Arts & Sciences Dean Mark Kornbluh and history professor Kathi Kern are teaching a class 'inside out' - by taking an issue (in this case, the 2012 presidential election) and building a course around it.

Justin Wedeking studies dynamics within the courtroom - from how Supreme Court decisions are made to how useful confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominess are. Wedeking is a professor in the Department of Political Science, and is currently involved in research to determine whether or not televising court proceedings will affect the legitimacy of court decisions.

At the end of each academic year, the Society for the Promotion of Undergraduate Research hosts the Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars. Cristina Alcalde, one of three faculty co-directors at A&S Wired and a professor in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, mentored three Wired students during the past academic year.