D. Sunshine Hillygus is a professor of political science at Duke and director of the Duke Initiative on Survey Methodology. Through her research studying voter surveys, Hillygus investigates voter perspectives to determine why people vote the way they do. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has supported Hillygus’s ongoing research throughout her career, including the research that culminated in her 2020 book, Making Young Voters: Converting Civic Attitudes into Civic Action,… read more about Federal Funding in Action: Sunshine Hillygus and National Voting Studies »
The recent death of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, while in the custody of Iranian authorities has sparked a massive wave of protests – both online and in the streets. There are echoes of the past in this new wave of protests along with a very clear demand for freedom and bodily autonomy, three Duke scholars said Thursday in a virtual media briefing. (Watch the briefing on YouTube.) Here are excerpts: ON IMPETUS FOR IRAN PROTESTS Negar Mottahedeh, Middle Eastern Studies scholar “There’s 40… read more about Protests Grow More Frequent As Young Iranians Demand More Freedoms, Experts Say »
Every hour of his morning was planned out for him, it was all but scripted. Jesse Lopez just needed to show up. He was a junior from UC Berkeley and visiting Duke as part of the Ralph Bunch Summer Institute program in June 2015. This day was orchestrated to bring together traveling recruiters from prestigious graduate programs alongside students, like Jesse, who were exploring their suitability for graduate level work in political science. The atmosphere of an… read more about Jesse Lopez is set up for more than survival: from grad student to game show contestant »
There’s a lot of talk throughout higher education about how to attract students of color and students without a legacy background into graduate studies and academic careers, particularly in fields such as the social sciences, arts and humanities. While other programs have been seeking solutions, the Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship has been doing this work successfully for several decades, benefiting both Duke faculty and students. Candis Watts Smith Now, Duke is looking to grow… read more about Mellon-Mays Fellows: Building Opportunities for Students, Diversity in the Academy »
Until late June, the midterm election process was chugging along predictably, with voters expected to lean Republican in the course-corrective way voters do between presidential voting cycles. Pundits were forecasting a red wave in federal legislative races to blunt any momentum President Joe Biden, a Democrat elected in 2020, was enjoying. But then came the U.S. Supreme Court’s seismic ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson case that criminalized abortion in many states and turned the entire election cycle on its head. “Before… read more about Three Duke Faculty Discuss Unexpected Turns in the Mid-term Elections »
Geoffrey Brennan (9/15/44-7/28/22) at Duke in the Philosophy, Politics & Economics conference, 2019 Long-time Duke faculty member and friend Geoffrey Brennan died in Canberra, Australia of complications from acute leukemia. “Geoff” joined the Duke Department of Political Science in January 2005 as the Nan Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor, and has served as a Research Professor since. He helped co-found, and staff, the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics program, a… read more about In Memory of Geoffrey Brennan »
For 14 eager undergraduates who arrived at Duke from across the U.S. this summer, emotions were running high – but so were their expectations. Everyone gathered in Gross Hall on May 29 was feeling the pressure to make the most of a unique experience: participation in the Ralph Bunch Summer Institute. “I was extremely nervous, especially when you start to compare yourself to others. You start to think, ‘well they go to a quote-unquote better school than me, or that they were the… read more about For Ralph Bunche scholars, nerves give way to an intense and rewarding experience »
Set deep within the Blue Ridge mountains, far from Duke’s campus, a group of almost 40 campers huddled around the campfire ready to discuss the day’s activities. Archery, board games and hiking had kept them busy. But now it was evening, and they were tired and ready to eat s’mores and share typical campfire stories — like dealing with academic stress and deciding on a career path.Well, maybe not so typical, as these weren’t just any campers, but Duke sophomores on a meditative retreat.Soon, they would go back to their… read more about Students Explore Life’s Most Important Questions Through New Program for Sophomores »
Our department chair, Kerry Haynie, welcomed everyone to our department commencement and highlighted the resilience of our graduating class. We could not be more proud. Governor JB Pritzker, Class of 1987, received our Distinguished Alumni Award and offered valuable lessons for graduating students. "Don't be afraid to take risks," Pritzker said, "and the corollary: take advantage of lucky breaks, especially when unusual opportunities come… read more about JB Pritzker is our 2022 Distinguished Alumni »
