Election experts at Knox College

Knox College faculty are available for expert commentary on issues relating to politics, campaigns and the upcoming presidential election. Topics are shown below. The list will be updated throughout the fall.

The faculty experts listed also are teaching a special course this year, offered every four years to coincide with U.S. presidential elections. The fall term course, "Election 2008" features a different faculty member each week, lecturing and leading discussions in their areas of expertise. More information about the course is at the bottom of this page.

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact the Knox College Public Relations Office, 309-341-7337 or news@knox.edu

• Elections, campaign strategies and voting patterns
  Andrew Civettini, assistant professor of political science
  Comment: "Voters are more likely to remember information that generates an emotional reaction. But for those who hope to exploit voters' fears over security, for example, we find little evidence that trying to evoke anxiety is a very successful campaign communication strategy."
  
  Background: Andrew Civettini has researched and written extensively about the role of emotions in voting, including a chapter in a book on emotion and politics. He has made presentations to regional and national meetings of the American Political Science Association. A graduate of Grinnell College, he has a PHD from the University of Iowa and came to Knox in 2007. Faculty Profile...

• Elections and construction of race and gender
  Emily Anderson, assistant professor of English
  Comment: "I'm interested in the way media have constructed or failed to construct this race and the primaries as being about race and gender, and in the way these constructions reveal our attitudes about sexism and racism."
  
  Background: Emily Anderson's research has included study of Jane Austen, Emily Bronte and gothic novels. Her current academic interests include film adaptations of novels and the ways that novels and film reflect a community's larger cultural concerns. She received her bachelor's degree at Willamette University, master's at Mills College, and doctorate at the University of California-Berkeley. She has taught at Knox since 2003. Faculty Profile...

• The "Christian Right"
  Duane Oldfield, associate professor of political science
  Comment: "For the last quarter century, the Christian right has been a key player regarding domestic social issues such as abortion, gay rights, and prayer in schools. On international issues, the Christian right has inherited the unilateralism of the anticommunist right and opposition to the UN's perceived social agenda, and combined those views with biblical prophecy to create a movement resolutely opposed to multilateralism."
  
  Background: Duane Oldfield's publications include the book "The Right and The Righteous: The Christian Right Confronts the Republican Party," and a chapter in a book about the presidential nominating process. He is currently working on a book, "Confronting the New World Order: Labor, the Christian Right, and the Politics of Globalization," A graduate of Reed College, he has master's and doctoral degrees from the University of California - Berkeley. Chair of the political science department, he has taught at Knox since 1995. Faculty Profile...

• Elections as portrayed in films and documentaries
  Paul Marasa, educational development program
  Comment: "Since the earliest years of cinema, both in fiction films and documentaries, the political world has made its way to the screen, often expressing a populist concern for the individual's right to control his/her destiny ? and the forces that are set against them, whether political, social or physical."
  
  Background: A regular commentator on cultural topics for local media, Marasa is writing coordinator with Knox College's Educational Development Program. He teaches writing, and conducts individual and group tutorials. He has a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's University and master's degree from Indiana University. Faculty Profile...

• Foreign policy; also the role of religion in politics
  Sue Hulett, professor of political science and international relations
  Comment: "John McCain is solid pro-life but rocky with evangelicals on other issues. Obama is decidedly Christian, but many evangelicals see him as too liberal on social values. Foreign policy and national security are also significant issues, and there's a strong contrast between the candidates in those areas."
  
  Background: Sue Hulett has written and given presentations on both international relations, specifically the tension between interventionism and isolationism in U.S. foreign policy; and on the role of religion in U.S. politics, focusing on the rise of Christian fundamentalism as a political and social movement. She earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Southern California. She has taught at Knox since 1980. Faculty Profile...

• Computer technology and "electronic voting"
  Don Blaheta, assistant professor of computer science
  Comment: "Total electronic voting, where everything is done on computers, is totally unverifiable. Even if you have complete faith in the machine and the programming and the security ? you can never be sure. With paper ballots that are marked by voters and then scanned, you can use a computer to do the counting, but if there are any questions, you can always go back and look at the ballots themselves."
  
  Background: Don Blaheta studies computational linguistics, specifically, computer analysis of the function of phrases within sentences. He also teaches Human-Computer Interaction, which he describes as covering "user interface design, usability analysis, scientific visualization, novel interfaces, and an exploration of what happens when it all goes terribly wrong," as in Florida's infamous "butterfly ballot" controversy from the 2000 presidential election. A member of the Knox faculty since 2005, he is a graduate of Quincy University, with master's and doctoral degrees from Brown University. Faculty Profile...

• Election 2008
  The course "Election 2008" will feature nine scholars drawn from six departments, ranging from political science and journalism to English literature and computer science. Each faculty member will lead the class for a week, focusing on his or her particular field. The course is coordinated by Sue Hulett, professor of political science and international relations. The course will meet twice a week beginning on September 12, with the final meeting on November 18 dedicated to analysis of the election results.