WUSTL Political Science Message Board

In the fall of 2011, the Political Science Department at Stony Brook University  will admit the first cohort of students to an M.A. degree program with an emphasis on the psychology of public opinion, attitude change, and propaganda. This M.A. program will build on our successful PhD program in Political Psychology. The program will offer courses designed to help students understand stability and change in public attitudes and opinion, the processes and factors that influence attitude formation and change, and the common research approaches employed to understand opinion dynamics. The M.A. program is designed to benefit students with diverse interests and career goals. It will be useful to students who wish to enter a PhD program in political science, communications, or social psychology. It will also benefit students interested in the fields of political campaigns, public relations, media, polling, or who work for federal or local legislators or not-for-profit organizations. Overall, the program will shed light on how the public reacts to events, media campaigns, and public relations efforts. For example, the courses will illuminate the techniques that could be used to mobilize support for a specific political candidate, build support for a particular issue position, or alter public behavior such as electricity usage or the purchase of more energy efficient appliances. The Political Science M.A. program will introduce students to theories that help to make sense of public attitudes and behavior, familiarize them with core research on the dynamics of attitudes and opinions, and provide them with fist-hand experience on the major research methods used to study the dynamics of public opinion. Students will work closely with the core faculty in political psychology.

For more information contact the Graduate Coordinator, Alethia Stanley at: Alethia.Stanley@stonybrook.edu or see our web page at: http://www.stonybrook.edu/polsci/

Apply to the Civic Engagement Fund (CEF)! The CEF provides support for graduate, professional and undergraduate students for civic engagement and community service projects in the U.S. and abroad. Funding amounts vary up to $500. Grants are available for both individuals and groups.  The deadline is December 3, 2010 by 5pm. Office hours to discuss proposals are Tuesdays/Fridays, 1-3pm in the Community Service Office (Danforth University Center, room 250) or Mondays, 12-5pm in the Gephardt Institute (Umrath 268).  The Student United Way is partnering with the Institute during the December CEF cycle to offer financial support for undergraduate service in St. Louis. For the application or further information, please visit www.gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu, e-mail gephardtinstitute@wustl.edu, or call 314.935.9104.

Interested in Working for Social and Economic Justice in the South?  
Apply Now for the 2011-12 Autry Fellowship!

Millions of Americans are isolated by circumstances often beyond 
their control. In every community, there are individuals who lack 
the skills, resources, or opportunities to attain a modest standard 
of living; instead, these individuals are trapped in a perpetual state of
dependency and need.  Millions of other Americans are precariously 
close to similar circumstances, with neither the assets nor the 
education to ensure stability in an ever-changing economy.  Such 
Americans are especially vulnerable in the current economic crisis.  
The persistent but addressable conditions of poverty, isolation, and 
vulnerability are particularly acute in the American South.  To address 
the situation of those in poverty, MDC, Inc., has worked for more than 
40 years to connect people and places in the South to opportunities 
for success.   Through research, demonstration projects, foundation 
guidance, and community organizing centered on assisting 
impoverished individuals and places to increase their assets and 
enhance their skills, MDC works to expand opportunity and advance 
equity for those left behind.

For the last eleven years, MDC has offered a talented and ambitious 
young person the opportunity to work at MDC for one year as a 
full-time, paid staff member through the Autry Fellowship.  At this 
time, the Board of Directors of MDC is pleased to announce that 
applications are now being accepted for the 2011-2012 Autry 
Fellowship.
  
The Autry Fellowship supports the mission of MDC, increasing 
economic opportunity for impoverished people and places, by 
developing a cadre of young leaders who have experience 
promoting economic development, increasing equity and excellence
in education, and building inclusive civic cultures, and who are 
poised and ready to apply their new learning to benefit this region.

The Fellow's time will center on learning MDC's strategies for 
change byparticipating in a variety of project teams; the Fellow will
 have the option of devoting a portion of time to a project-specific 
assignment that will blend the interests of the Fellow with the 
specific needs of MDC during that year.
 
Applicants must either be in their final year of undergraduate or 
graduate study at or have graduated within two years from any 
accredited four-year college or university.  The 2011-2012 Fellowship 
will begin in the summer of 2011, with the exact starting date to be 
negotiated by the Fellow and MDC staff.  The application process is 
competitive; a selection panel of MDC board and staff members and 
Autry family members will review applications and interview 
candidates.  Applications must be received by February 7, 2011.  
For an application, see MDC's web site, www.mdcinc.org.
  
~ FOR MORE INFORMATION ~
  
For more information, please visit
http://www.mdcinc.org/docs/2011-Autry-Fellowship-Flyer.pdf or 
contact Breanna Detwiler, MDC's 2010-2011 Autry Fellow, at 
(919)968-4531 ext. 371 or bdetwiler@mdcinc.org. 
  

The Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies (IPS) is a multidisciplinary Masters program dedicated to the study and analysis of the international system.

Its goal is to provide students with in-depth exposure to a range of issues that they will face in the 21st century, and to develop a foundation of skills and knowledge to address those issues.

IPS allows students to focus on: the international economic system, developing and transition societies, security issues, or the world environment.

For more information, go to http://ips.stanford.edu/