Political Science Faculty & Student Research

Butler Political Science faculty follow research interests in a number of areas, from medieval political philosophy and feminist thought, American racial and ethnic politics, and Russian and East European politics to environmental politics and justice to conflict and peacebuilding. Here are just a few examples of recent research:

Political Science students and Assistant Professor Su-Mei Ooi have co-authored articles for The Diplomat, a premier international current-affairs magazine. The articles explore political power rivalries in Central Asia, the decline of democratic activism in Hong Kong, and the President of China’s conflicting stances on social media use.

Political Science Professor Siobhan McEvoy-Levy, along with Associate Professor of Dance Derek Reid served as advisors to Alex Zaslav on her honors thesis, “The Political Dimensions of Dance. The Viability of Dance as a Tool for Generating Conflict- Awareness and Peacebuilding in the Context of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.” A Dance major minoring in Political Science, Zaslav spent a semester studying abroad in Israel where she conducted research for her thesis with participants in a school-based program called Minds in Motion.

McEvoy-Levy has served as a Fellow of the Desmond Tutu Center (DTC) for Peace, Reconciliation and Global Justice. At the core of DTC programming is an objective to initiate and encourage vigorous scholarly engagement through research and exchange with individuals, institutions and networks. The Tutu Fellows program supports the training of both faculty and students researchers at Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary, many of whom are uniquely poised to make discoveries in global justice issues.

Student DTC fellow and Political Science major Hadeel Said ’17 attended the 2016 Progressive Congress Strategy Summit held in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the few student delegates, Said was surrounded by prominent politicians, activists, scholars, community leaders, religious leaders, economists, and journalists, and heard presentations on “Democracy and Civic Engagement,” “Investing in Public Education,” “Progressive Foreign Policy,” and “Building Social Justice and Global Economy Equity Through Faith.” She had the opportunity to sit next to Commissioner Jesus “Chuey” Garcia, the face of Chicago’s Progressive movement, and met Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson, California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, and Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison.

One of Associate Professor Terri Jett’s classes has been helping produce the Tutu Center’s Books and Breakfast series on Michelle Alexander’s challenging book, The New Jim Crow. Books and Breakfast has proven to be an invaluable platform for community discussion, knowledge, and accountability.