Lunch will be provided
This panel will bring together social scientists working both in and out of academe on issues of high public salience. Dr. Kevin Morris, Senior Research Fellow and Voting Policy Scholar at the Brennan Center for Justice, is visiting campus for the SBS Democracy in Troubled Times Series. He will join UMass faculty join Paul Collins and Tatishe Nteta for a panel discussion moderated by ISSR Director of Faculty Research, Libby Sharrow.
Panelists will reflect on their career paths and evolving orientations to the role of social science in public life. This panel will appeal to graduate students considering future career paths both within and beyond the academy, and faculty contemplating their roles in public-facing social science in 2025.
This event is co-sponsored by the UMass Public Engagement Project.
Dr. Morris will give a talk on April 22nd in the Democracy in Troubled Times series at 11:30am in the ILC Communications Hub.
Panelists and Moderator Bios
Kevin Morris is a Senior Research Fellow and Voting Policy Scholar at the Brennan Center, where his work focuses on voting rights, election administration, and the effects of the criminal legal system on political participation. His scholarly work has been published in journals like the American Political Science Review and the Journal of Politics, and his public-facing writing and Congressional testimony has received a wide audience outside the academy. His work has been cited by state and federal courts, including the US Supreme Court. He holds a BA in Economics from Boston College, a Master's of Urban Planning from NYU, and a PhD in Sociology from the CUNY Graduate Center.
Paul Collins is a Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Collins is the author of four books and dozens of journal articles on American law and politics, and his research has been funded by the Dirksen Congressional Center and the National Science Foundation. His research and commentary have appeared in a host of popular media outlets, including CNN, the New York Times, National Public Radio, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. Collins has consulted with members of the United States Senate on Supreme Court nominations and legislation, as well as interest groups on their litigation strategies. His research focuses on understanding bias and inequality in the legal system, the selection and work of judges, social movement litigation, and how people experience the law.
Tatishe M. Nteta is Provost Professor in the Department of Political Science and Director of the UMass Poll at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research is situated within the subfield of American politics and examines the impact that the sociopolitical incorporation of the nation's minority population has on public opinion, political behavior, and political campaigns. His work has appeared in the Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Political Psychology, Political Communication, Political Behavior, and Public Opinion Quarterly and featured in the Boston Globe, Washington Post, New York Times, MSNBC, and National Public Radio.
Moderator bio:
Libby Sharrow is Associate Professor of Public Policy and History, and Director of Faculty Research at ISSR at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Sharrow is co-author of the award-winning book, Equality Unfulfilled, and multiple journal articles and book chapters on the politics and history of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the politics of gender equality policies in the US. Their research and commentary has been featured in many national outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, The Conversation, NPR, Sports Illustrated, in the award-winning ESPN docuseries, “37 Words,” and a documentary about the history of women’s football, “The Herricanes.” They have collaborated extensively with non-profits to conduct research on the long-term impacts of girls’ athletic participation on leadership and policy advocacy in adulthood. Their research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the American Association of University Women, and others.