This award provides funds to the Department of Political Science at the State University of New York at Stony Brook to establish a Research Experience for Undergraduates SITE. Through this program students will engage in research in one of several areas: political psychology, political economy, or the study of American institution. Via an intense eight-week immersion in an active research environment students will become aware of and excited by the nature of modern political science, in terms of the issues, studies and the theoretical approaches and methodologies used to study them. Students will be exposed to a broad sampling of the research techniques employed in modern political science. Specifically, experimental techniques emphasized in the study of political psychology as well as the econometric and statistical skills emphasized by faculty who study political economy and American institutions will be the primary focus of students' work. Recruitment efforts will center on small and regional colleges without research programs and colleges with large enrollments of minorities and women. Those selected to participate will reflect the recruiting focus. Support services, informal and structured experiences are planned to encourage graduate study and/or research-oriented careers.
