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Political science undergraduate students and faculty from the University of Arkansas at Monticello participated in the 2022 Arkansas Political Science Association Conference on March 3, 2022. This virtual conference brought together faculty and students interested in the study of political science from across the state of Arkansas. UAM seniors Chase Marra of Branson, Missouri, Vanessa Rangel of Dayton, Texas, and Angela Smith of Monticello, Arkansas, and junior Bailey Groom of Texarkana, Texas, made up the four-person student delegation from UAM.

Additionally, Dr. John Davis, associate professor of political science in the UAM School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, who served as discussant for one of the undergraduate student panels, was a participant in a roundtable panel discussion titled, “The Politics of Continuity and Change in Arkansas.” Dr. Carol Strong, professor of political science in the UAM School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, participated in a political theory roundtable panel discussion that considered Wendy Brown’s 2019 book, “In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West.”

Each UAM student participated in one of a series of undergraduate panels that brought together student scholars from UAM, Lyon College, John Brown University, Quincy University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Each student gave a 15-minute conference presentation of their individual, original political science research paper followed by a question-and-answer session.

Marra, a senior with a political science major, presented a paper titled, “Political Violence in America.” In this paper, he considered the increased use of political violence by Americans when making political points.

Rangel, a senior with a political science major and a communications minor, presented a paper titled, “Human Nature, the State and Power: Assessing the Critiques of Modernity by Rousseau, Marx and Havel.” In this paper, she considered the interaction between human nature and power in modern society through the lens of political theory.

Smith, a senior with a political science and business finance double major, presented a paper titled, “The Impact of the 14th Amendment and Lingering Injustice.” In this paper, she considered whether the 14th Amendment applies equally to all American citizens in practice.

Groom, a junior with a political science major, presented a paper titled, “Political Protest and the Law.” In this paper, she considered the complicated nature of applying legal precepts to protest events.

Dr. Strong commented, “I am very proud and excited to have these students presenting papers at a conference. They are all excellent students who are passionate about their work. Their involvement in undergraduate research, which brought them to this event, speaks to the competitiveness of UAM students, the strength of UAM programs and the marketability of UAM graduates.”

For more information, please contact Dr. Carol Strong at strong@uamont.edu or Dr. John Davis at davisjc@uamont.edu.