History and Political Science Student/Faculty Research

One existing possibility for students at LVC is collaborating with a professor on a research project. Students can receive course credit and hone their skills at collecting, analyzing and interpreting information. Such projects function as an informal "honors program" within the department.

In 2008, three members of the department (Chris Dolan, Diane Johnson, and John Hinshaw) won the prestigious Pleet grant, and are working with Michael Kitchens from Psychology to clarify a model that could be used throughout the college. In the spring of 2009, nine students from History and Political Science worked on projects that explore how the psychological response to death ("terror management theory") can inform the study of nationalism (Johnson), perceptions of US foreign policy (Dolan), or in-group bias in Central Pennsylvania (Hinshaw).

In the spring of 2008, two history majors, Mike Bott and Ryan Dougherty worked with Professor Hinshaw on a similar project. Together, they collected twenty oral histories of residents of Central Pennsylvania. Bott and Dougherty focused on the ethnic identities of residents, and how they viewed other groups. Both presented papers at an undergraduate research conference at Allegheny College, joining a panel that included a philosophy major and professor from LVC.

The research helped Bott obtain a coveted position as Environmental Scientist at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Bott double majored in Environmental Sciences and History, and noted that "the experiences I'd had in designing and executing the research project definitely helped me get the job. My boss was very interested in the ways that race and ethnicity influences people's sense of themselves and each other." Bott beat out forty other applicants for the position, including some with more than ten years experience at DNREC.