The state of Israel surrounds some of the world’s holiest sites. It is also the location of one of the world’s most complex international diplomatic puzzles. The ever-changing geopolitical landscape hinders the development of permanent peace policy. Policymakers struggle to find international policy formulas that will provide an end to the ongoing conflicts between Israel…
Category: graduate students
Ph.D. Spotlight: Elyse Claxton on Feminine Body Ideals in Teen Girl and Women Fashion Magazines and Instagram
Dr. Claxton’s dissertation analyzes whether (and how) Internet Communication Technologies (ICTs) diversify the kinds of images of women in fashion magazines. Media are important agents of socialization. Accordingly, media images reflect as well as inform what characteristics symbolize feminine beauty. In the field of female beauty and fashion magazines in the U.S., visual portrayals of…
COSSPP Faculty Impact on Scholarship: Influence at a Glance
As the spring semester comes to an end, we want to take a moment to celebrate the accomplishments and influence of faculty in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. This series of graphs produced by Dr. Jim Elsner offers a glimpse of the amazing work taking place in the College of Social Science…
From the Dean’s Desk: What a Remarkable 2019!
It’s important to note just how fundamental COSSPP is to FSU’s success. As the third largest college on campus (by number of students), displaying the demographic and intellectual diversity that is a signature of the FSU experience, the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy is a key element of this rise up the rankings. Over the course of the calendar year, COSSPP will graduate another 1,700+ students, producing 1 in every 6 degrees granted by FSU. Unlike many programs that cap their enrollments or limit their majors, COSSPP’s programs serve all students, and we are a key part of the parity in university graduation rates regardless of race, gender, and background.
Graduate Student Summer Experience: The City of Minneapolis and Vision Zero
Over the past six years, both as an undergraduate and graduate student at Florida State University, summer experiences have become a pivotal component of my academics. Leaving the classroom and immersing myself in a variety of projects showcase the importance of hands-on learning, and I could not stress how important it is to leave one’s…
Research: Trump, Masculinity and the Presidency
Pierce Dignam uses interview data to reveal how masculinity mattered in the 2016 election, and how it may matter again in future contests.
From the Classroom: Engaging Statistics Students Who (Think They) Hate Math
Frankly speaking, most students don’t want to take math classes. I’m sure most of my students can recall vowing to never take another math class again after their Algebra 2 finals in high school. Imagine their disappointment when they learned that my Social Statistics course was a requirement needed to earn their undergraduate sociology degree….
How Labor Unions Increase Political Knowledge: Evidence from the United States
This work has important implications. Organized labor has declined dramatically over the past several decades, due in part to economic globalization, but also by the policy decisions made by the federal and state governments. Of all the factors that are correlated with political knowledge, such as: age, education, gender, race, income, and interest in politics, union membership is the only one that can feasibly be influenced by politicians. Policies that weaken labor unions may end up depriving people, particularly those with less formal education, not only of a source of political mobilization, but also an important source of political information.
Unexpected Impacts and Data Collection after Hurricane Michael
As much as we push to maintain objectivity and distance, we study what we do because it matters and we hope to have an impact through our research.
Lessons from the Classroom (Student Edition): Learning About the Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative
For our final project in our Policy Development and Administration class, we were tasked with analyzing a policy. Having recently learned about Florida’s Amendment 4, Voting Rights Restoration for Felons from a different group’s presentation, we both decided this could be an interesting and suitable topic for our final project. Neither of us expected what…
