Graduate News

Political Science Alumni Accepted into Cambridge University Graduate Program

Avery Lord — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 17:38:36 +0000

Political Science Alumni Accepted into Cambridge University Graduate Program Avery Lord Thu, 07/10/2025 - 11:38

Recent 猫咪社区 graduate Kavya is heading to the University of Cambridge to pursue a Master of Philosophy in Criminology! Drawn to the field for its focus on the deeper principles of justice and the criminal justice system, Kavya hopes that this advanced education will strengthen her future career as an attorney. She explains 鈥渉aving that deeper understanding is so important to make appropriate decisions when advocating for clients.鈥�.

During her time at 猫咪社区, several key experiences shaped her academic path. Early on, Professor Sarah Sokhey鈥檚 Russian Politics class sparked Kavya鈥檚 interest in research and introduced her to experience in rigorous research methods. This opportunity led to summer research on higher education policy in authoritarian countries and an honors thesis focused on sex trafficking- experiences that developed her skills in data analysis, policy evaluation, and international perspectives on justice.

Kavya also credits Political Science courses like Sex, Power, and Politics that have a focus in political science research methods with deepening her understanding of how policies impact diverse populations. 鈥淲e can write code all day long, but ultimately, we need to translate that data into something accessible to the general population,鈥� she notes.

Reflecting on her journey to grad school, Kavya emphasizes that students should never count themselves out. While 猫咪社区 may not have the Ivy League label, its resources and faculty provide the foundation for students to compete at the highest levels. Kavya stresses that if applicants are specific about their interests and clearly demonstrate how a graduate program aligns with those interests, prestigious schools will seriously consider them, regardless of background or institutional prestige.

She also encourages students to take their time when considering graduate school. After graduating, Kavya worked for two and a half years, using that period to hone her research interests and carefully target programs that were the right fit. She believes that stepping back and allowing oneself the flexibility to grow, explore, and refine interests can ultimately lead to stronger, more focused applications. There is no set timeline, and students should feel empowered to move at their own pace.

Lastly, Kavya advises students to explore broadly during their undergraduate years. Taking a variety of courses both inside and outside of the political science department can open new areas of interest and introduce students to influential mentors. Kavya鈥檚 own academic journey was shaped by courses in Russian politics, sex trafficking, Supreme Court decisions, and international relations 鈥� all of which deepened her understanding of criminology and shaped her future goals. She emphasizes that 猫咪社区鈥檚 political science department offers a wealth of opportunities, and that students who remain open and curious will find supportive mentors who can guide them along the way!

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Rachel O鈥橬eal Receives the 2023 Kenneth Sherrill Prize

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 20:09:14 +0000

Rachel O鈥橬eal Receives the 2023 Kenneth Sherrill Prize Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/11/2023 - 14:09

Congrats to 猫咪社区 political science Ph.D. candidate Rachel O'Neal, who has been awarded the 2023 Kenneth Sherrill Prize! This prize "honors the best doctoral dissertation proposal for an empirical study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) topics in political science." Rachel's dissertation offers a novel cyclical interpretation of queer rights movements within the context of LGBTQ+ legal challenges and victories. Please, show Rachel some support and learn more about their dissertation and award here: https://politicalsciencenow.com/rachel-oneal-receives-the-2023-kenneth-sherrill-prize/

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The 10th Annual First-Year Graduate Student Poster Session

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 21:30:39 +0000

The 10th Annual First-Year Graduate Student Poster Session Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 12/18/2019 - 14:30

The 10th Annual First-Year Graduate Student Poster Session was held on Tuesday, December 10^th, 2019 on the second floor of the Ketchum Hall West Wing.

Based on faculty voting, this year鈥檚 award winners are:

1^st place: Sarah Brown

Project Abstract: In The Punitive Society, Foucault argues that in the late 18th century, capitalist society became concerned with property-based crimes and attempted to discipline individuals into workers through imprisonment. Feminist scholars contend that Foucault鈥檚 theory of punishment fails to account for women鈥檚 experiences in the criminal justice system during this period. Furthermore, feminist researchers suggest there is likely variation among women based on how they perform their proscribed gender roles. In order to investigate the feminist critique of Foucault, I conducted two ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions with interactive terms to discover whether imprisonment for property crimes in England from 1791-1805 was conditional on gender and, for women, marital status. Results indicate that the likelihood of being sentenced to prison for a property crime is conditional on the gender of the defendant. Women who commit property crimes are more likely to receive a prison sentence. However, there is no statistically significant difference in prison sentences between married and unmarried women.

2^nd place: Jack Nickelson

Project Abstract: Are there state-level attributes that impact a legislature鈥檚 decision to be an early adopter across the population of state policies? I argue that the strictness of norm enforcement is a state-level characteristic that causes a legislature to take an early adopter or 鈥渨ait-and-see鈥� approach during policy adoption. The results indicate that the strength of norm enforcement within a state, indeed, influences legislature decision-making, with strict norm enforcing states choosing a 鈥渨ait-and-see鈥� approach and more permissive states engaging in the early adoption of policy innovations.

3^rd place: Tyler Garrett

Project Abstract: How does a former career as a prosecutor influence a federal appellate judge鈥檚 vote on a death penalty appeals case? Contrary to the first hypothesis, judges on the United States Court of Appeals that were former prosecutors vote to reverse death penalty cases at a higher rate. Interestingly, when former career as a prosecutor is measured conditional on party, Democrats and Republicans have an inverse reaction. This study utilized data from the Federal Judicial Center and replication data from a study conducted by Deborah Beim and Jonathan P. Kastellec. These findings should be worthwhile for parties involved in death penalty appeals cases and those involved in the nomination and confirmation processes of judges to the United States Court of Appeals.

Thanks and congratulations to all of our first-years for putting together some wonderful posters this year!

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