The research philosophy of the Doane political science department may be summed up in three short sentences: 1) Teaching is our most important mission. 2) A vibrant research agenda is vital to keeping our classes relevant. 3) When pursuing research, students should be involved whenever feasible.
Doane is a teaching college, and the political science department is no exception. We put teaching first in everything we do. However, politics is a rapidly changing discipline. Without exposure to the latest concepts and theories, our teaching will quickly become outdated, and the best way to stay up on the ongoing conversation within the scholarly community is to contribute to it ourselves. We see research, then, not just as an outlet for exploring our own interests, but as a means of informing our teaching about the latest developments in the field.
Research is not just an opportunity for faculty, however; it also provides a prime opportunity for students to explore the political world from a perspective most have never experienced. Political science students at Doane have worked on data files, helped run laboratory experiments, and even co-authored papers presented at professional conferences. This kind of training provides valuable experience for students considering graduate school, as well as anyone curious about the work of a political scientist.
Our research interests are varied and diverse. Tim Hill's primary research is on the political effects of prime-time television and other popular media sources. (For a copy of his latest conference paper, please click the link below.) He has also explored the political identity of Jewish Americans and the sources of framing in prospect theory (an economic theory which won its surviving originator a Nobel Prize in 2002). Nick Vaccaro is interested in the issues of democratization and political representation in developing countries (and in Latin America in particular). He has done research on democratic politics following market reform in Argentina, Peru, and Mexico.
Terror, Torture and 24: Does Jack Bauer Raise Your Personal Threat Level? by Professor Hill