American Politics Research Articles

Gauging growth in undergraduate information literacy: A case study in library-faculty collaboration

How do academic librarians and teaching faculty assess the impact we exert on students' capabilities as researchers? This paper describes the authors' unique six-week approach to incorporating library instruction into a research assignment for students in introductory Teacher Education and American Politics classes. We constructed a pre- and post- instruction survey that measured change in students' attitudes toward 1) their own level of information literacy, 2) their skills as researchers, and 3) the usefulness of the library's resources. The survey consisted of statements regarding students' attitudes toward the aforementioned categories, measuring agreement on a 6-point scale. We conducted this survey over three consecutive semesters (N = 208). We find that students began the project with high degrees of confidence in their own knowledge and abilities, but also increased their confidence in all categories. Moreover, the change between the pre- and post-project survey was statistically significant on all questions, as assessed by a difference of means test.

The Point of No Return: A Review Essay

Abstract Thomas Byrne Edsall is one of America's finest political journalists and a foremost amplifier of the work of political scientists and other scholars. Academic research bolsters his argument in virtually every chapter of The Point of No Return. The book is a collection of his New York Times columns, bookended by a new introduction and conclusion, spanning the period from Donald Trump's rise in the 2016 election to his attempt to overturn the presidential election four years later. A remarkable feature of Edsall's columns is how quickly he diagnosed emerging developments that would come to define our politics, including the Republican Establishment's rapid descent, Trump's unwavering and cult-like following, the pernicious effects of disinformation, the Democratic Party's inept response to social and cultural change, and the likelihood that Trump would not surrender power peacefully if he lost the 2020 election. A running theme throughout the book is the danger that Trump poses to the nation's democracy. The Point of No Return is the latest book in the four-decade career of a journalist who regularly has enlarged our understanding of American politics.

Exploring the evolution of the concept of liberty in the U.S. presidential inaugurals

Abstract As daily news unveils, fundamental human values such as equality and liberty can be expressed through various terms influenced by multiple factors, reaching significant levels of disparity, ambiguity and controversy, particularly in specific socio-political contexts. This article employs advanced corpus analysis tools to examine the lexical and semantic configuration of the “right to liberty” as expressed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and as North American presidents have transmitted it throughout their presidential inaugural addresses. The corpus of speeches is analyzed diachronically to identify the prevalent terms, connotations, and associated semantic categories and observe their differences and evolution. This research provides a comprehensive understanding of the concept of liberty in this context and highlights its startling malleability in American politics.

Native American and Indigenous Language Practices and Politics

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the years between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages in an attempt to promote language “preservation, revitalization and promotion.” Such statements convey more than advocacy; they also convey complex politics and histories surrounding settler-colonial and Indigenous encounters through, with, and for Indigenous languages and community practices. What will those encounters look and sound like at the end of the decade? This review traces trajectories toward possible outcomes and political configurations.

Legacy of the Religious Right and the U.S. Presidential Election of 1980

Political parties have evolved throughout the history of the United States, yet we have never seen such a polarizing state of politics as we see in 2024. Through the use of academic journals and speeches, this paper explains the turbulent state of U.S. politics by exploring the increased involvement of the Religious Right in politics. Starting with the history of the Religious Right and focusing on the U.S. presidential election in 1980, this paper outlines how the increased activity of the Religious Right has caused a divide in American politics. It will discuss how the presidential election of 1980 solidified a religious voting bloc. The paper also reviews the increased use of religious rhetoric especially during George W. Bush’s presidency (2001-2009). This paper finds that the inclusion of religion in secular matters has proven to be provocative. Yet, the Religious Right strives to protect the “traditional family” by encouraging participation in politics, especially on topics such as abortion, women’s rights, and gay rights.

When Gestures also Argue: Multimodal Viewpoint Shift as a Rhetorical Strategy in American Political Talk Shows

Drawing on Mental Spaces Theory and Conceptual Blending Theory in Cognitive Linguistics, we examine the interaction between speech and co-speech gestures in The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Statistical analysis shows that viewpoint shift in the self-built multimodal corpus, generally following the pattern: Base Space->News Narrative Space(->Base space)->Source Viewpoint Space(+)(->Base space), is significantly related to the use of verbal markers and gestural types. Moreover, multimodal viewpoint shift in political talk shows can achieve such rhetorical functions as enhancing ironic effects, solidifying and highlighting opposing positions, and simplifying political issues. Since verbal markers and gestures can mobilize the audience’s embodied experience by primarily activating mental images and motor programs, we claim that mental simulation and perspective taking play a pivotal role in the cognitive processing of multimodal viewpoint shifts by promoting viewpoint alignment between the audience and the host.

Senior Discount? Gender, Age, and Small Donor Fundraising

Recent discussions surrounding candidate age and its impact on small donor fundraising have raised questions about ageism in American politics. However, existing studies of age in politics largely neglect the specific obstacles encountered by older female candidates. This paper, which examines the impact of age and gender on small contribution receipts in U.S. House of Representatives campaigns from 2006-2010, aims to address the following questions: How do age and gender interact to predict small contribution receipts? What are the implications for fundraising of older women candidates compared to their male counterparts? The findings reveal a significant negative interaction between age and gender, indicating that older female candidates experience a pronounced reduction in small contribution receipts compared to older male candidates. This suggests that age-related biases intersect with gender, posing unique challenges for older women candidates in fundraising efforts.

From a ‘Peaceful and Prosperous China’ to ‘the China Virus’: Examining the Framing of China Through American Political Rhetoric

Abstract The period comprising the past thirty-two years since the collapse of the Soviet Union has seen a range of approaches taken by the United States in handling its relationship with China. Launched in November 2011, the ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy approach entailed new levels of engagement with ‘a peaceful and prosperous China’, but on the most challenging issues this approach also brought increasing confrontation. The West (in this case the United States) has a history of utilising Orientalist-style, ‘us vs them’ dichotomies to manipulate unequal relations of power with the East (known as the ‘Orient’) throughout history (originally with middle-eastern nations). By using tenets from Edward Said’s Orientalism and critical discourse analysis adapted from Normal Fairclough’s 3-dimensional model, this article seeks to establish whether the foreign policy rhetoric of the United States has shifted to frame China through an Orientalist worldview since the Obama Administration’s “Pivot to Asia” strategy in late 2011. The article analyses 52 speeches from the Obama and Trump Administrations, finding evidence of pro-orientalist themes and language being adopted for both. Whilst utilised to a lower degree, these ‘us vs them’ dichotomies do exist under President Obama’s more accommodating and calmer linguistic-style, being intertwined with language designed to project an image of welcoming cooperation (albeit in a condescending, back-handed way). The use of orientalist themes is more prominently provable under President Trump, with almost all major speeches pertaining to China containing high usage of orientalist tropes in a more openly xenophobic, racist fashion.

The Impact of Discourse-Based Learning on Student Civic Engagement, Polarization, and Topic Comprehension

School often serves as the first opportunity for students to learn about civics. However, current systems of civics education may not be adequately preparing students to become actively engaged citizens. Given the growing discontent and polarization in American politics, there is a need for educational solutions to stimulate civic engagement and unity. While previous studies have shown that “interactive civic activities” can increase students’ interest in American civics, less is known about the efficacy of non-partisan, discourse-based learning techniques in fostering open-mindedness and a comprehensive understanding of political issues. These prompted researchers at the Institute for Youth in Policy (YIP) to study this topic. Researchers analyzed pre- and post-workshop data from a virtual workshop (n=36) and found that discourse-based civics programs are effective in decreasing polarization levels, increasing topic comprehension, and promoting civic engagement among youth.

Rural residency, rural resentment, and attitudes toward public land management in the United States

ABSTRACT Disparate urban and rural lived experiences contribute to the geographic divide in American politics. We expect this to be especially true for environmental politics because of urban-rural differences in exposure to natural resources. We demonstrate that Americans are broadly supportive of public lands and that ruralites are slightly more supportive of public land management compared to the non-rural. However, a crucial exception to general rural attitudes is highly resentful ruralites are uniquely and dramatically unsupportive of public lands and direct their resentment at the federal government especially. This research clarifies the nationalized nature of the urban-rural divide by highlighting that the preferences of resentful rural Americans are in stark contrast to the rest of society, even the rest of rural America. Nevertheless, when a minority’s unpopular opinions on the management of America’s natural resources overshadow more moderate and modal positions it fuels fringe movements like the Sagebrush Rebellion.

Is the U.S. Supreme Court Facing a Crisis of Democratic Legitimacy? A Review Article

Abstract Kevin McMahon's A Supreme Court Unlike Any Other examines the extent to which the current Supreme Court—and its conservative supermajority—departs from earlier courts in the extent to which it suffers from a “democracy gap.” McMahon persuasively argues that the current Court is different for two reasons. First, most of the justices in the conservative majority were appointed by presidents who did not win the popular vote and/or were confirmed by senators who represented fewer voters than the senators who opposed them. Second, the homogenization of nominee experience and background has created a “judicial aristocracy” in which the justices are experientially far removed from the elected branches. One puzzle this account raises is why this democracy gap took so long to emerge, given the institutional design of the Court. But given the current polarized state of American politics, the same forces that brought us to the reality of the conservative supermajority are unlikely to abate for quite some time.

The neural mechanisms of race priming in American politics

Abstract What are the psychological mechanisms of racial “dog whistles” in American politics? Literature on race priming in American politics argues when race is primed implicitly, racial biases influence political evaluations, but when race is made salient, individuals can use controlled processing to inhibit automatic biases and abide by egalitarian norms. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these processes have yet to be examined directly. In a 2 × 2 within-groups experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examine these neural mechanisms. We find brain areas associated with conflict detection, evaluative processing, and controlled processing are more active when race is primed explicitly rather than implicitly, as expected, although we do not find substantial brain activation associated with automatic responses to be more active during implicit than explicit primes. Results are discussed in terms of understanding how racial cues influence political evaluations while considering America’s ever-changing racial norms.

Trends and topics: Characterizing echo chambers’ topological stability and in-group attitudes

Nowadays, online debates focusing on a wide spectrum of topics are often characterized by clashes of polarized communities, each fiercely supporting a specific stance. Such debates are sometimes fueled by the presence of echo chambers, insulated systems whose users’ opinions are exacerbated due to the effect of repetition and by the active exclusion of opposite views. This paper offers a framework to explore how echo chambers evolve through time, considering their users’ interaction patterns and the content/attitude they convey while addressing specific controversial issues. The framework is then tested on three Reddit case studies focused on sociopolitical issues (gun control, American politics, and minority discrimination) during the first two years and a half of Donald Trump’s presidency and on an X/Twitter dataset involving BLM discussion tied to the EURO 2020 football championship. Analytical results unveil that polarized users will likely keep their affiliation to echo chambers in time. Moreover, we observed that the attitudes conveyed by Reddit users who joined risky epistemic enclaves are characterized by a slight inclination toward a more negative or neutral attitude when discussing particularly sensitive issues (e.g., fascism, school shootings, or police violence) while X/Twitter ones often tend to express more positive feelings w.r.t. those involved into less polarized communities.

Division on the Christian right: Republican pastors and the use of force

Abstract Polarization in American politics has not produced unity among conservative Christians. Drawing from original survey and interview data on Republican pastors in North Carolina, this paper seeks to understand why these pastors are divided on the legitimacy of force defending the “traditional American way of life.” We find (1) that theological fundamentalism has a positive, though weak, influence; (2) Christian nationalism and White grievance are powerful in increasing support for the use of force; and (3) distrust of elections intensifies the effect of these attitudes.

The Bible in Christian Nationalist Rhetoric

Christian nationalism is not a new phenomenon in American political and cultural life, nor is the invocation of the Bible in pursuit of power. This essay surveys the use of the Bible in Christian nationalist rhetoric in the United States, particularly in the context of American populism. The manner in which Donald Trump and his enablers employ the Bible as a political tool is a primary focus, particularly the comparisons to King David and Cyrus the Great. Both analogies reflect a concern with propagating a highly militant, masculine Bible in the service of White, Christian nationalism.

Politique de l’Amérique latine [Latin American Politics], directed by Frédéric Louault and Kevin Parthenay

Politique de l’Amérique latine [Latin American Politics], directed by Frédéric Louault and Kevin Parthenay

“I’m Going to Vote for the First Time in My Life this Year”: Native American Political Engagement in the Trump Era

During the 2020 election, Arizona voted Democratic for the first time in decades and contributed to Joe Biden’s presidential win. Native Americans, predominantly young adults, turned out in record numbers and were credited as one of the key demographic groups that “flipped” Arizona blue. What drove young Native voters to engage during this election cycle? Using data from the Arizona Youth Identity Project, a multi-wave mixed-methods study, we analyzed interviews with 38 self-identified Native American participants ages 18–29 to understand the factors motivating their political engagement in the 2020 Presidential election. Findings reveal that young Native adults in Arizona were motivated by (1) targeted political organizing, outreach, and advocacy efforts, (2) increased positive attitudes toward voting, and (3) a desire for political and social change. These findings enhance our collective understanding of the motivations behind Native American voter engagement.

A Comparative Approach to Explaining Gender Disparities in Asian American and Asian Canadian Politics

In 2020, Asian Americans were the least descriptively represented at all levels of elected office compared to whites, Blacks, and Latinos (Sedique, Bhojwani, and Lee 2020). In this context, Asian women lagged behind Asian men in holding local-level positions, yet they surpassed Asian men in holding federal and statewide offices, and they led 81% of state- and local-level Asian civil rights organizations (AAPI Power Fund 2020; Reflective Democracy Campaign 2021). Do gender disparities in Asian American political representation arise because Asian women are less likely to run for office than Asian men, or because they are less likely to win elections? Do these disparities vary across levels of office? And are they unique to Asian Americans?

Chinese American College Students’ Self-Meaning Making Through the Lens of Critical Whiteness Studies

Chinese Americans are historically perceived as perpetual foreigners and honorary whites in American political, cultural, and racial discourses. Utilizing Critical Whiteness Studies as a theoretical framework and Critical Race Hermeneutics as an analytic tool, this article examines how Chinese American young adults construct who they are against whiteness as the norm, the epistemology of ignorance, and white emotionality. Instead of passive victims, Chinese American college students actively challenge this hegemony, privilege, and oppression in unique ways.

Systematic Literature on the Reform Efforts in Education in the United States

Education reform aims to create equitable learning environments for all students, fostering their contributions to American society. This study explores public concerns and strategies in education reform, utilizing ethnomethodology as its theoretical framework to examine practical reasoning methods. Reform efforts emphasize social collaboration and state directives, rooted in citizens' lived experiences. Key components include high standards and accountability, authentic assessment, active learning, community building, lifelong learning, and character education. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) are pivotal in American politics, driving educational and social progress. NCLB emphasizes academic growth for disadvantaged students, while ESSA aims for equitable, high-quality education for all, preparing them for higher education and careers. Future research recommendations focus on individual instruction and strategies for active student engagement.