By Joanna Passalaris This past year has been an unfortunately historic year for American politics. Every week there seems to be a new breaking story about yet another executive order, increased international conflicts, or cultural tensions approaching a breaking point. With all of this going on, people should be interested in the news. In the…
Tag: Denison
Do Denisonians Have Informed Opinions about Foreign Aid?
Miles D. Williams, Visiting Assistant Professor of Data for Political Research [Note: This is a version of a post Dr. Williams did for Foreign Figures] Survey experiments are a technique that social scientists use when they want to measure something hard to ask people directly about or when they want to identify causal effects. I…
The Gender Gap on The Hill
By Paul A. Djupe, Data for Political Research A recent report by Pew Research shows a remarkable thing – the gender gap in religious affiliation has closed among Gen Z in the US. That women are more religious than men has been almost a universal constant, holding across time and the world, so to see…
Swear Words and Social Circles: How Family and Friends Influence Our Political Confidence
By Emma Miller I grew up in a household where my political views closely aligned with both of my parents. When we watched the news together, we’d usually mutter a few swear words and insults whenever certain people appeared on the TV. But when I got to Denison, I became part of a friend group…
A Green Campus or Just Green Talk? Denison’s Climate Awareness and Sustainability Efforts
By Emma Miller A few weeks ago, I walked out of my class in Knapp Hall in a pair of jeans and said out loud “wow I wish I wore shorts!” Not even our sheltered bubble on the hill can blind us to the paralyzing reality of global warming. Surely our liberal arts education has…
Breaking the Silence: Why Denisonians Hesitate to Debate
By Maya Schaefer [Photo courtesy of Chambered Nautilus, 2016] One of the first things I remember hearing as a freshman in the fall of 2021 was President Weinberg’s advice to students. One part stood out to me and arguably most of the people I’ve interacted with since then: he encouraged students to get coffee or…
Fraternities, Sororities, and the Liberal Arts Experience: What Denison Greeks Think
By Maya Schaefer A liberal arts education is arguably Denison’s most central component. As a small school in Granville, Ohio that offers 65 different majors, minors, and concentrations, its 2,400 students not only have the opportunity to explore different courses, but also broaden their perspectives, build their leadership skills, and connect with students of diverse…
From Campus Clubs to the Voting Booth: Does Involvement Spark Political Action?
By Maya Schaefer With nearly 30% of Denisonians being varsity athletes, 35% affiliated with a Greek-lettered organization, and 160 campus organizations available to students, it seems that the trademark of Denisonians is being involved. Whether that takes its form in a double major, triple minor, or being a part of 6 different clubs, I always…
Information or Experiences? Twitter and the 2024 Election
By Miles Williams, Data for Political Research I keep seeing a debate making the rounds among academics about whether the Democratic Party’s electoral failure in the recent election was the result of people’s lived experiences with inflation and other related economic hardships, or if people instead based their vote on their information environment. Those who…
A Look at How Students Across Disciplines are Embracing AI
By Maya Schaefer It’s no question that AI has grown in popularity in the past few years. I remember when I first heard a friend mention how he used ChatGPT during our sophomore year to help him write a paper. I figured it was probably a one-time thing to help him out during a busy…
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Republicans?
By Anna Ragazzoni Xavier Batista As I filled out this Fall’s 127 survey, I asked my friends, “Are any of us Republicans?” I was almost 100% sure we weren’t. I even started filling out the survey with the selection “0 friends out of 5”, without even considering the possibility of that number being bigger than…
Breathtaking Trump Reelection
By Paul A. Djupe, Data for Political Research Shellshocked. Stunned. Trump swept to power with an astonishing victory that picked up support across the board. Former Democratic strongholds – the Blue Wall of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania – crumbled, though the margins were still tight (about 1%). Trump picked up Georgia and he’s poised to…