The Applied Political Analytics Program (APAN) is thrilled to welcome its inaugural cohort in Fall 2021!

This exciting new program offers promising students an opportunity to earn a Master of Science degree in the high-demand, and still growing, modern data science industry. It is delivered as either a standalone degree or a combined 4+1 BA/MS. All admitted students will complete 36 credit hours at the graduate level, with classes from both the Government & Politics (GVPT) and Survey Methodology (SURV) departments. Graduates of the APAN program will be well-suited and prepared well above average for data-oriented political careers in the private sector, research organizations, NGO’s, and government agencies of all levels.

Employers across the government, private, and non-profit sectors are increasingly relying on data to help them reach their organization’s goals. In a 2017 report from LinkedIn (http://economicgraph.linkedin.com/research/LinkedIns-2017-US-Emerging_Jobs_Report), data related jobs were prominent among the top 10 fastest growing jobs. The report also indicates that data scientist positions have shown a 650% rate of growth alongside a large shortage of qualified applicants. In the campaign world alone, the last several elections cycles have seen a proliferation of new companies specializing in data analytics as well as existing firms adding capacity in this emerging area.

Whether it is understanding which message to use to encourage a citizen to register to vote, or what services are needed to support programs to reduce radicalization among at-risk youth, data driven strategies are a key to success. In order to be most effective, the workforce needs more than just technical skills. That is, with a firm foundation in theoretical and empirical research, the most successful researchers will be able to communicate more effectively with clients and adapt to new questions and issues as they arise. The MS in Political Analytics program is designed to provide students with this foundation.

Candace Turitto, PhD
Program Director, Applied Political Analytics (APAN)
University of Maryland, College Park

Professor and Icelander Jóhanna Birnir taught a virtual study abroad class this summer – the first of its kind in UMD’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. In addition to conventional lectures, Prof. Birnir took her students on live virtual tours around Iceland and hosted guest lectures and live conversations with faculty at the University of Iceland. Her class, Constructinga Gender Inclusive Society, delved deep to the sub-national case level to ask how a gender inclusive society was built in Iceland, which is currently ranked first in gender equality in the World Economic Forum’s World Gender Gap Index and, according to the Global Acceptance Index, ranks among the five most LGBTQ rights-accepting countries in the world.

University of Maryland Department of Government and Politics (GVPT) will hold its first Rising Scholars Conference this December 3rd, 2021 for undergraduate students interested in Political Science research and considering graduate school. The conference is designed to increase diversity in the field by introducing students from underrepresented groups to academia.

CDCE and GVPT are hosting a "scholarship in practice" event on October 20th at 9:00am. The tentative title of the event is: "Scholarship in Practice: How Public Opinion Surveys Inform Legislator Policy Decisions." We have confirmed the participation of Delegate and Majority Leader, Eric Leudtke and are working to secure one additional legislator. Location TBD (as of now it will be in-person, but will move online if necessary).

CDCE is excited to be part of the Vote 16 Research Network, a coalition of faculty, students, and staff at UMD, local officials, civic leaders, community members, teachers, and scholars from across the U.S., established to study the effects of lowering the voting age to 16. UMD is well positioned to lead research on this issue given our proximity to 5 communities (Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Riverdale Park, Takoma Park) where the voting age was lowered to 16 for local elections. To help launch the project, CDCE and officials in Hyattsville led a first of its kind field experiment to provide information about the ability of 16 and 17 year olds to vote in Hyattsville’s September 2021 special election. If you are interested in getting involved with the Vote 16 Research Network, please contact Professor Michael Hanmerat mhanmer@umd.edu.

On October 3rd, Dr. Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, will be participating in a panel for the USC Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life, the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, and the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy on the “Deadlock in Israel-Palestine: How to Imagine a Better Future?” In late October, Dr. Telhami will be a speaker at day two of the Temple Rodef Shalom’ssymposium “The Israeli Palestinian Dilemma: Moving Beyond Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong” which will be focusing “Facts on the Ground,” highlighting the day-to-day living and life in Israel and Palestine through the conflict. 

Please also mark your calendars for the upcoming special Sadat Forum on “Remembering Jehan Sadat (1933-2021)” taking place virtually on Thursday, October 28th at 1:00pm. To RSVP and for more information, please visit: go.umd.edu/Remembering_Jehan_Sadat

In case you missed it, the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll, directed by Dr. Telhami, and the Project on the Middle East Political Science at George Washington University, released its second Middle East Scholar Barometer, following up on the original initiative in February 2021. The results of this survey can be found here. In addition, an article in the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage highlighting the survey’s results on “Academic experts believe that Middle East politics are actually getting worse,” can be found here. You can find more about the entire Middle East Scholar Barometer project here.