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November 25, 2015

North Park Hosts Political Science Conference, Cultivates Scholarship Among Students

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Dr. Jon PetersonDr. Jon Peterson, assistant professor of politics and government

Faculty aim to engage civically active student body in political science studies

CHICAGO (November 25, 2015) — “North Park students are politically engaged in all kinds of fields,” says Jon Peterson, assistant professor of politics and government at North Park University. Surveys conducted by students in Peterson’s research methods class find that North Park students of various majors are “far more involved in political activities than their peers,” he says, attributing the University’s location for cultivating their political engagement. Students regularly head downtown and across Chicago to demonstrate, march, sign petitions, and volunteer with organizations.

One of two faculty members teaching the University’s politics and government majors, Peterson is proud to watch many of his current students working in political offices across Chicago. “In the last six years, we’ve had 17 students in political internships, working for both of our U.S. senators, four congressional offices, and two Chicago aldermen,” Peterson says. “North Park students are doing political work.”

Peterson has watched his students go on to careers with nonprofits, ministries, and businesses. He’s seen some go on to law school. Over the last few years, in line with a campus-wide push to emphasize academic and research writing in all North Park curriculum, the department has been intentionally nurturing scholarly engagement among its students through a writing intensive and writing research courses.

On Saturday, November 7, 2015, the school had a unique opportunity to host the annual Illinois Political Science Association conference, “Promoting Scholarship in the Social Sciences and Humanities.” This event regularly draws political science professors from across Illinois schools, as well as graduate and undergraduate students, and North Park was honored to be chosen among three Chicago campuses as an ideal location. Lectures and panels at this year’s event covered topics from Middle East dynamics to corruption in Chicago politics.

But what excites Peterson about the University hosting a conference like this is developing student interest in scholarship. The department hopes to host again next year, as the size of the conference makes it an ideal place for undergraduate students to step out and practice writing and presenting research to professionals in the field. Peterson says, “This is the kind of opportunity that would allow us to show students what research science in this field looks like, to get them thinking about teaching and graduate school.”


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