Stewart Coles – Assistant Professor of Communication | Dr. Cole’s research examines how people develop their understanding of social issues related to identity, including the way media depictions of social issues and marginalized groups influence prejudice, identity, public opinion and political behavior. He is especially interested in the political effects of entertainment media.

Ruby Mendenhall – Associate Professor of Sociology, African American Studies, Urban and Regional Planning, and Social Work | Dr. Mendenhall’s research focuses on issues of social inequality over the life course and the role of public policy and individuals’ agency in facilitating social and economic mobility.  She uses quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze administrative welfare and employment data, census data, in-depth interviews, and focus group data.

Chadly Stern – Associate Professor of Psychology | Dr. Stern’s research examines how belief systems and motivations guide the way that people perceive and interact with the world, including the way political belief systems shape how people evaluate and categorize others based on group membership. He also examines consensus in political groups, and the implications for individual behavior and large-scale societal outcomes.

Emily Van Duyn, Assistant Professor of Communication | Dr. Van Duyn’s research explores why people talk (or do not talk) about politics and the role of digital media in facilitating a space for community and political discourse. Her work is concerned with the effects of social, geographic, and political polarization and how these phenomena threaten liberal democratic norms.