Penn State Expert Database
Politics/History, Law & Public Policy
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Campaigns
Citizenship/Civic Engagement
City and Local Government
Civil Liberties/Human Rights
Civil War Era
Constitution, U.S.
Crime
Criminal Law/Trials
Drug Law Enforcement/Issues
East European History/Politics
European History/Politics
Family Law
First Amendment
First Ladies
Foreign Policy
Immigration
Latin American/Caribbean History/Politics
Law Enforcement
Middle East History/Politics
Military
National Security/Defense
Native American Issues
Pennsylvania History
Pennsylvania Politics
Prisons
State Legislatures
Terrorism
U.S. History -- American West/Indians
U.S. History/Politics: Civil War
U.S. History/Politics: Contemporary
U.S. History/Politics: Pre 1865
U.S. History/Politics: World War II
U.S. Supreme Court
Voting/Elections
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Campaigns

Eric Plutzer Ph.D.

Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Voter turnout, especially among young citizens; women as candidates for House, Senate or Governor.

Contact Information

Email: exp12@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-6576

Website: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/facultybios/plutzer.shtm

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Citizenship/Civic Engagement

Rosa A. Eberly Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Communications Arts & Sciences, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Rhetoric and democracy, rhetoric and public memory, citizen criticism and public action

Contact Information

Email: rhosa@psu.edu

Phone:

Website: http://cas.la.psu.edu/faculty/eberly.htm

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City and Local Government

Beverly Cigler Ph.D.

Professor of Public Policy and Administration, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

State and local government issues i.e. alternative service delivery, public finance, government restructuring, state-local relations, disaster emergency management, homeland security and county government

Contact Information

Email: cigler@psu.edu

Phone: 717-948-6060

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/bac8/

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Civil Liberties/Human Rights

L. Edward Day Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice & Sociology, Education, Human Development , & Social Sciences, Penn State Altoona

Expertise

Genocide; war crimes; victimization; crimes against humanity

Contact Information

Email: led7@psu.edu

Phone: 814 949 5780

Gary Gildin J.D.

Hon. G. Thomas and Anne G. Miller Chair in Advocacy, Trial advocacy and dispute resolution, The Dickinson School of Law

Expertise

Civil liberties, civil rights law and litigation and individual rights

Contact Information

Email: gsg2@psu.edu

Phone: 717-240-5238

Website: http://www.dsl.psu.edu/faculty/gildin.cfm

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Civil War Era

William A. Blair Ph.D.

Associate Professor, History, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Civil War and Reconstruction, especially the home front, U.S. South, and commemorations of war

Contact Information

Email: wab120@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-0151

Website: http://php.scripts.psu.edu/dept/history/faculty/blai...

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Constitution, U.S.

Matthew Woessner Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Public Policy, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

Voter political behavior and elections;polls and public opinion;constitutional law and history; Supreme Court issues; politics and college classrooms

Contact Information

Email: mcw10@psu.edu

Phone: 717-948-6489

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/mcw10/

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Crime

L. Edward Day Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice & Sociology, Education, Human Development , & Social Sciences, Penn State Altoona

Expertise

Genocide; war crimes; victimization; crimes against humanity

Contact Information

Email: led7@psu.edu

Phone: 814 949 5780

Donald Hummer Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

Public and private law enforcement, crime prevention, policing, higher education in criminal justice

Contact Information

Email: deh18@psu.edu

Phone: 717-948-6615

Darrell Steffensmeier Ph.D.

Professor, Sociology, Crime, Law & Justice, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Crime and law; courts and sentencing; societal influences upon crime rates; relationship between gender, ethnicity, age and crime rates

Contact Information

Email: d4s@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-1690

Website: http://www.sociology.psu.edu/faculty/DSteffensmeier.htm

James Ruiz Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

Police administration and supervision, ethics in policing, police interaction with persons with mental illness, use of force, canine deployment, and the Ku Klux Klan.

Contact Information

Email: jmr33@psu.edu

Phone: 717.948.6292

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/jmr33/

Amir Marvasti Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Education, Human Development , & Social Sciences, Penn State Altoona

Expertise

Homelessness in America, immigration experiences of Middle Eastern Americans and their treatment in the criminal justice system

Contact Information

Email: abm11@psu.edu

Phone: 814 949 5000

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Criminal Law/Trials

Gregory S. McNeal

Visiting Assistant Professor, Ethics and Civil Procedure, The Dickinson School of Law

Expertise

National security law and international criminal law i.e. counterterrorism policy and law and tribunals

Contact Information

Email: gsmcneal@psu.edu

Phone: 814-867-0399

Website: http://law.psu.edu/faculty/visiting_faculty/mcneal

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Drug Law Enforcement/Issues

John McWilliams Ph.D.

Associate Professor, History,

Expertise

History of U.S. protest movements and counterculture during 1960s; also history of U.S. drug legislation

Contact Information

Email: jcm6@psu.edu

Phone: 814-375 4819

Michael Kenney Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Public Policy, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

Terrorism, counterterrorism and homeland security; the Colombian drug trade, U.S. and Colombian counter-narcotics law enforcement

Contact Information

Email: mck14@psu.edu

Phone:

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East European History/Politics

Zachary T. Irwin Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Political Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Penn State Erie

Expertise

Politics of the Balkan nations, international politics of Southeastern Europe

Contact Information

Email: zti1@psu.edu

Phone: 814-898-6290

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European History/Politics

Paul B. Harvey, Jr. Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Roman law and legal institutions; Roman society and literature (especially late republic); urbanism in ancient Italy

Contact Information

Email: pbh1@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-0061

Website: http://php.scripts.psu.edu/dept/history/faculty/harv...

Terrence Guay Ph.D.

Clinical Assistant Professor of International Business, Insurance & Real Estate, Smeal College of Business

Expertise

International Business, Trade, European Politics and Economics, Business-Government Relations, Defense Industry

Contact Information

Email: trguay@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-8490

Website: http://php2.smeal.psu.edu/smeal/dirbio/displayBio.ph...

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Family Law

Lita L. Schwartz Ph.D., ABPP (Forensic)

Distinguished Professor Emerita, Humanities/Social Sciences,

Expertise

Adoption, surrogacy, infanticide, cults, divorce, child custody, plus gifted and talented children, and creativity

Contact Information

Email: lls2@psu.edu (preferred)

Phone: 215-886-2524

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First Amendment

Clay Calvert Ph.D., J.D.

Associate Professor of Communications and Law, Journalism, College of Communications

Expertise

Freedoms of speech and press; also reality TV and impact on society

Contact Information

Email: cxc45@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-5654

Website: http://www.comm.psu.edu/faculty/calvert.html

Robert Richards J.D.

Professor of Journalism and Law, Journalism, College of Communications

Expertise

First Amendment law and issues i.e. free press, free speech; cameras in the courtroom, media law, citizens and public speech

Contact Information

Email: rdr2@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-1900

Website: http://www.psu.edu/dept/comm/faculty/richards.html

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First Ladies

Molly Meijer Wertheimer Ph.D.

Professor, Communications Arts and Sciences,

Expertise

Political rhetoric, particularly that of female candidates; First Ladies and their role in political discourse and governmental policymaking, as well as the imaging of their husbands.

Contact Information

Email: mmw9@psu.edu

Phone: 570-450-3051

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Foreign Policy

Scott Bennett Ph.D.

Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

International conflict and wars, Conflict Resolution

Contact Information

Email: sbennett@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-6566

Website: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/facultybios/bennett.shtm

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Immigration

Victor Romero J.D.

The Maureen Cavanaugh Research Professor, Public interest, The Dickinson School of Law

Expertise

Immigrant and minority rights; immigration issues i.e. tighter monitoring of foreign students; airport security; racial profiling; treatment of noncitizen detainees; expanded powers of the Attorney General to investigate terrorism

Contact Information

Email: vcr1@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-8989

Website: http://www.dsl.psu.edu/faculty/romero.cfm

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Latin American/Caribbean History/Politics

John S. Nichols Ph.D.

Professor of Communications, Journalism, College of Communications

Expertise

U.S.-Cuban telecommunications disputes, Television Marti (the U.S. government propaganda station directed at Cuba), and the right to international travel, including to embargoed countries like Cuba.

Contact Information

Email: jsn2@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-3065

Website: http://www.comm.psu.edu/faculty/nichols.html

Charles Ameringer Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, History, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Latin American history, especially the history of Cuba, Central America and the Caribbean. Also the history of U.S. intelligence, especially in Cuba and Central America

Contact Information

Email: cda1@psu.edu

Phone: 814-238-4196

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Law Enforcement

Don Zettlemoyer MPA

Director of the Justice and Safety Institute, Office of Outreach, Administration

Expertise

Continuing education and training for law enforcement personnel, and community justice and safety programs

Contact Information

Email: dkz1@outreach.psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-0277

Darrell Steffensmeier Ph.D.

Professor, Sociology, Crime, Law & Justice, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Crime and law; courts and sentencing; societal influences upon crime rates; relationship between gender, ethnicity, age and crime rates

Contact Information

Email: d4s@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-1690

Website: http://www.sociology.psu.edu/faculty/DSteffensmeier.htm

James Ruiz Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

Police administration and supervision, ethics in policing, police interaction with persons with mental illness, use of force, canine deployment, and the Ku Klux Klan.

Contact Information

Email: jmr33@psu.edu

Phone: 717.948.6292

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/jmr33/

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Middle East History/Politics

Arthur Goldschmidt Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Middle East History, History, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Modern history of Egypt and general Middle East history and politics; Islam

Contact Information

Email: axg2@psu.edu

Phone: 814-237-3517

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Military

Stephen Cimbala Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

U.S. defense, national and international security, terrorism policy; military strategy and warfare; U.S. intelligence; U.S./Soviet nuclear strategy

Contact Information

Email: sjc2@psu.edu

Phone: 610-892-1467

Website: http://www.de.psu.edu/Information/detail.aspx?cn55=&...

Scott Bennett Ph.D.

Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

International conflict and wars, Conflict Resolution

Contact Information

Email: sbennett@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-6566

Website: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/facultybios/bennett.shtm

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National Security/Defense

Stephen Cimbala Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

U.S. defense, national and international security, terrorism policy; military strategy and warfare; U.S. intelligence; U.S./Soviet nuclear strategy

Contact Information

Email: sjc2@psu.edu

Phone: 610-892-1467

Website: http://www.de.psu.edu/Information/detail.aspx?cn55=&...

Scott Bennett Ph.D.

Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

International conflict and wars, Conflict Resolution

Contact Information

Email: sbennett@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-6566

Website: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/facultybios/bennett.shtm

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Native American Issues

John Sanchez Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Journalism, College of Communications

Expertise

News media ethics; women, minorities and the media; American Indian cultures and the American news media; pop culture and American Indian culture

Contact Information

Email: apache@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-7994

Website: http://www.psu.edu/dept/comm/faculty/sanchez.html

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Pennsylvania History

William A. Blair Ph.D.

Associate Professor, History, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Civil War and Reconstruction, especially the home front, U.S. South, and commemorations of war

Contact Information

Email: wab120@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-0151

Website: http://php.scripts.psu.edu/dept/history/faculty/blai...

Brian Black Ph.D.

Associate Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Arts & Humanities, Penn State Altoona

Expertise

Environmental and planning topics and issues; history of environmentalism; Pennsylvania historical oil exploration; preservation of Gettysburg Battlefield

Contact Information

Email: bcb4@psu.edu

Phone: 814 949 5000

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/bcb4/

William Pencak Ph.D.

Professor of American History, History, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Colonial and revolutionary American history, Pennsylvania history, history and semiotics

Contact Information

Email: wap1@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-8949

Website: http://php.scripts.psu.edu/dept/history/faculty/penc...

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Pennsylvania Politics

Beverly Cigler Ph.D.

Professor of Public Policy and Administration, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

State and local government issues i.e. alternative service delivery, public finance, government restructuring, state-local relations, disaster emergency management, homeland security and county government

Contact Information

Email: cigler@psu.edu

Phone: 717-948-6060

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/bac8/

Timothy Kelsey Ph.D.

Professor, Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology, College of Agricultural Sciences

Expertise

Pennsylvania municipal government and planning issues i.e. local taxes and tax reform, land use particularly rural land, impact of population growth/decline on commnunities and local government finances, farmland preservation issues

Contact Information

Email: tkelsey@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-9542

Website: http://www.aers.psu.edu/faculty/TKelsey/default.asp

Daniel DiLeo Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Political Science, Arts & Humanities, Penn State Altoona

Expertise

U.S. education and health policies; economic development policy; state politics and government including agendas of the state governors.

Contact Information

Email: dxd22@psu.edu

Phone: 814 949 5284

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/dxd22/

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Prisons

Cynthia Massie Mara Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Health Care Administration & Policy, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

Long-term health care planning and policy issues affecting older and disabled prison inmates in state correctional institutions

Contact Information

Email: czm10@email.psu.edu

Phone: 717-948-6226

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/c/z/czm10/

Susan Loeb PhD, RN

Assistant Professor, Public Policy, Nursing, College of Health & Human Development

Expertise

Health attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of community-dwelling and older male prisoners. Coping skills, healthy behaviors and health management.

Contact Information

Email: SVL100@psu.edu

Phone: 814 863-2236

Website: http://www.hhdev.psu.edu/nurs/research/loeb.html

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State Legislatures

Michael Berkman Ph.D.

Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

American state legislatures, state and local politics, policy formation, and education policy and politics

Contact Information

Email: mberkman@la.psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-6120

Website: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/facultybios/berkman.html

Beverly Cigler Ph.D.

Professor of Public Policy and Administration, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

State and local government issues i.e. alternative service delivery, public finance, government restructuring, state-local relations, disaster emergency management, homeland security and county government

Contact Information

Email: cigler@psu.edu

Phone: 717-948-6060

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/bac8/

Daniel DiLeo Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Political Science, Arts & Humanities, Penn State Altoona

Expertise

U.S. education and health policies; economic development policy; state politics and government including agendas of the state governors.

Contact Information

Email: dxd22@psu.edu

Phone: 814 949 5284

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/dxd22/

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Terrorism

Stephen Cimbala Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

U.S. defense, national and international security, terrorism policy; military strategy and warfare; U.S. intelligence; U.S./Soviet nuclear strategy

Contact Information

Email: sjc2@psu.edu

Phone: 610-892-1467

Website: http://www.de.psu.edu/Information/detail.aspx?cn55=&...

Michael Kenney Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Public Policy, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

Terrorism, counterterrorism and homeland security; the Colombian drug trade, U.S. and Colombian counter-narcotics law enforcement

Contact Information

Email: mck14@psu.edu

Phone:

Gregory S. McNeal

Visiting Assistant Professor, Ethics and Civil Procedure, The Dickinson School of Law

Expertise

National security law and international criminal law i.e. counterterrorism policy and law and tribunals

Contact Information

Email: gsmcneal@psu.edu

Phone: 814-867-0399

Website: http://law.psu.edu/faculty/visiting_faculty/mcneal

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U.S. History -- American West/Indians

Richard Aquila Ph.D.

Professor, History, Humanities and Social Sciences, Penn State Erie

Expertise

U.S. social and cultural history, with emphasis on recent pop culture/music i.e. rock and roll; American West and Native American ethnohistory

Contact Information

Email: raquila@psu.edu

Phone: 814-898-6152

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U.S. History/Politics: Civil War

William A. Blair Ph.D.

Associate Professor, History, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Civil War and Reconstruction, especially the home front, U.S. South, and commemorations of war

Contact Information

Email: wab120@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-0151

Website: http://php.scripts.psu.edu/dept/history/faculty/blai...

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U.S. History/Politics: Contemporary

John McWilliams Ph.D.

Associate Professor, History,

Expertise

History of U.S. protest movements and counterculture during 1960s; also history of U.S. drug legislation

Contact Information

Email: jcm6@psu.edu

Phone: 814-375 4819

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U.S. History/Politics: Pre 1865

William Pencak Ph.D.

Professor of American History, History, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Colonial and revolutionary American history, Pennsylvania history, history and semiotics

Contact Information

Email: wap1@psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-8949

Website: http://php.scripts.psu.edu/dept/history/faculty/penc...

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U.S. History/Politics: World War II

Robert J. Maddox Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, History, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

World War II history, Cold War and U.S. foreign policy pertaining to the Soviet Union and Communist China during the late 1940s and 1950s

Contact Information

Email: rjm5@psu.edu

Phone: 814-237-9597

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U.S. Supreme Court

Michael Comiskey Ph.D., ABPP (Forensic)

Associate Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

U.S. Supreme Court and the confirmation process of its judges

Contact Information

Email: cmc2@psu.edu

Phone: 724-430-4264

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Voting/Elections

Robert Speel Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Political Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Penn State Erie

Expertise

Voters and elections, Democratic and Republican parties and regional politics; Canadian politics

Contact Information

Email: rws15@psu.edu

Phone: 814-898-6206

Website: http://pserie.psu.edu/academic/hss/HSSFaculty/Speel/...

Steven Peterson Ph.D.

Professor, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

Pennsylvania politics and primaries and its role in national elections; public opinion and voting behavior, biology and politics and public policy, i.e. AIDS policy

Contact Information

Email: sap12@psu.edu

Phone: 717-948-6154

Colleen E. Kelley Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Speech Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences, Penn State Erie

Expertise

Political rhetoric, especially in regards to religion; the Christian Right as a political force in the U.S.; political rhetoric in post-911 counter-terrorism

Contact Information

Email: cek2@psu.edu

Phone: 814-898-6392

Matthew Woessner Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Public Policy, SPA, Penn State Harrisburg

Expertise

Voter political behavior and elections;polls and public opinion;constitutional law and history; Supreme Court issues; politics and college classrooms

Contact Information

Email: mcw10@psu.edu

Phone: 717-948-6489

Website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/mcw10/

Michael Berkman Ph.D.

Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

American state legislatures, state and local politics, policy formation, and education policy and politics

Contact Information

Email: mberkman@la.psu.edu

Phone: 814-863-6120

Website: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/facultybios/berkman.html

Eric Plutzer Ph.D.

Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Voter turnout, especially among young citizens; women as candidates for House, Senate or Governor.

Contact Information

Email: exp12@psu.edu

Phone: 814-865-6576

Website: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/facultybios/plutzer.shtm

J. Michael Hogan Ph.D.

Professor of Communications, Communications Arts & Sciences, College of Liberal Arts

Expertise

Polling, political campaign rhetoric and speeches, political campaign advertising, presidential debates; media coverage of campaign; social movements; foreign policy debates

Contact Information

Email: jmh32@psu.edu

Phone: 814- 865-3461

Website: http://cas.la.psu.edu/faculty/hogan.htm

Nichola D Gutgold Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Communications Arts and Sciences, Humanities/Social Sciences,

Expertise

Women presidential candidates i.e. Hillary Clinton; campaign speeches; women TV broadcasters

Contact Information

Email: dgn2@psu.edu

Phone: 610-285-5101

Website: http://www.lv.psu.edu/dgn2/

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