Skip to main content

Political Science Professors Presented at International Meeting

Posted on Friday, October 15, 2010

Dr. James Rhoads, Westminster College professor of political science, and Dr. Michael Aleprete, Westminster assistant professor of political science, presented "U.S. Policy: Structure of Elite Opinion" at the 26th meeting of the International Society for the Scientific Study of Subjectivity Oct. 7-9 at the University of Akron.

The authors used Q methodology to probe the subjectivity of a group of U.S. foreign policy experts from academia, the military, the government, and think tanks regarding America's role in the world. Participants rank-ordered 42 statements and the data were factor-analyzed.

The study revealed two distinct viewpoints among the participants: one endorsed a U.S.-led multi-lateralism and support for the global economy; the other perspective favored a partnership between the U.S. and its allies working through established international organizations and called for a reduced role for U.S. leadership, except in the area of climate change.

The paper represented the analysis of the initial data collected by Rhoads and Aleprete, with additional data being collected for a revised paper to be presented at the International Studies Association meeting in Montreal in March.

Rhoads also presented "The King of Pop: Attitudes toward Michael Jackson in the Aftermath of His Untimely Death," a paper co-authored with Dr. Dennis Kinsey of Syracuse University.

In the study, participants at Westminster College, Syracuse University, and Kent State University rank-ordered 41 statements about the late singer.

After the data were factor-analyzed, four views emerged at Westminster: one recognized Jackson's place in music but also saw him as a tragic figure with whom they sympathized; the second judged him harshly in both his career and personal life and couldn't understand the hoopla surrounding him; the third found him to be a significant musical influence, but was certain of his guilt on charges of molestation; and the fourth focused on the news media's coverage of his death, believing it to be excessive.

A second-order factor analysis compared the Westminster perspectives to those discovered at the other two universities. The first three Westminster viewpoints were found at both, while the fourth (anti-media) perspective was found only at Westminster.

Rhoads, who has been with Westminster since 1992, earned undergraduate and master's degrees and Ph.D. from Kent State University.

Aleprete, who joined the Westminster faculty in 2007, earned an undergraduate degree from Duquesne University and master's and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Contact Rhoads at (724) 946-7255 or e-mail jrhoads@westminster.edu for additional information.

Dr, James Rhoads
Dr. Michael Aleprete