Work-Study Research Assistant Program

Faculty Name: Virginia Hettinger

Faculty Department: Political Science

General Research Focus: This position is ideal for a student interested ingoing to law school or graduate school in political science or public policy. The research focuses on the behavior of judges in the American legal system. I am working on a book project examining judges who engage in unethical behavior. I am also working on another project examining whether increased racial and gender diversity influences decision making in the federal Courts of Appeals.

Brief Position Description: Student researcher will assist in cross-checking initial data collection with other sources. Depending on skill level, student will assist in final coding and preliminary data analysis. Other activities will include compiling and verifying sources using Refworks.

Student researcher will have an opportunity to gain knowledge about the structure and role of the judicial branch of government in the federal system and/or the individual states. The position will also present opportunities to learn about empirical research design in political science. If the student is interested, there will be the opportunity to present a segment of the research effort at conferences and symposia in the spring. 

A "Student Research Review Assistant - 205" will assist faculty in research effort by conducting review of literature and subject material specific to research topics. A student in this position may: 

• Check accuracy and completeness of cases already compiled in database.
• Verify information on case lists using Lexis-Nexis.
• Assist in converting case summaries to coded data set.
• Update and verify sources compiled in Refworks.