Trinity University

Oct. 2, 2012

Election 2012

Trinity University Faculty with Political Expertise

Professors at Trinity University are available to comment on a wide range of political and campaign issues for the news media. Here is a snapshot of some Trinity faculty members and their areas of expertise:

 

David A. Crockett, professor of political science

Dr. Crockett is an expert on the U.S. presidency and teaches courses on American politics and the history of national presidential campaigns and elections. He also examines the intersection of religion and politics. He has expertise in presidents who have worked with a Congress led by the opposition party and is author of The Opposition Presidency: Leadership and the Constraints of History and Running Against the Grain: How Opposition Presidents Win the White House. He holds a doctorate in political science from The University of Texas at Austin.

Professor's phone: 210-999-8344

Professor's email: david.crockett@trinity.edu

  

Katsuo A. Nishikawa, assistant professor of political science

Dr. Nishikawa is a specialist in Mexico and Latino politics, immigration, and voter suppression, including voter registration laws. Among his research areas are how political parties reach out to prospective Latino voters, and how the community context affects immigrants' attitudes toward politics and participation. He has a manuscript under review called Candidate-Centered Campaigning and the Incorporation of Immigrants into the U.S. Party System. He holds a doctorate from Purdue University and is bilingual in Spanish.

Professor's phone: 210-999-8345

Professor's email: knishika@trinity.edu

  

Sarah Topp, assistant professor of human communication and director of debate

Dr. Topp is director of Trinity University's debate program and teaches courses on political communication, argumentation, and rhetoric and social movements. During the presidential debates, she will be watching for the candidates' use of arguments - including argument quality, use of data, and effectiveness of reasoning. In addition, she will be paying special attention to how they rhetorically construct a problem and then offer a solution to it.  She is also interested in how both candidates will present their different ideological visions throughout the debates. She holds a doctorate from the University of Kansas.

Professor's phone: 210-999-8582

Professor's email: sarah.topp@trinity.edu

   

Amy L. Stone, associate professor of sociology and anthropology

Dr. Stone is the author of the recently published book, Gay Rights at the Ballot Box. The book focuses on how activists in political campaigns fight anti-gay initiatives. More and more lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights are contested at the ballot box through the referendum and initiative process, such as in California with Proposition 8, which eliminated same-sex marriage with a constitutional amendment. In November, several states will include propositions to either allow or forbid same-sex marriage.  In addition, the United States Supreme Court may take up a court case to decide if California's Proposition 8 is constitutional.  She holds a doctorate from the University of Michigan.

Professor's phone: 210-999-8564

Professor's email: amy.stone@trinity.edu

 

Aaron Delwiche, associate professor of communication  

Dr. Delwiche is a new media specialist who researches political persuasion, hacking subcultures, video games, and propaganda. He is the author of the propaganda entry in Oxford Bibliographies Online, and he is the co-editor of the Participatory Cultures Handbook (2012) with Dr. Jennifer Henderson.  His recent publications include "The New Left and the computer underground: Recovering political antecedents of participatory culture," "Media literacy 2.0: Critically analyzing the defining characteristics of video games," and "From the Green Berets to America's Amy: Video games as a vehicle for political propaganda." In 2009, with support from the Lennox Foundation, he organized the lecture series "Reality Hackers: The Next Wave of Media Revolutionaries" and published an anthology of essays related to the series. In 2010, he delivered a talk titled "We are all programmers now" at TEDx San Antonio. He received his master's and doctorate in communication from the University of Washington. 

Professor's phone: 210-999-8153

Professor's email: aaron.delwiche@trinity.edu

 

Jennifer Jacobs Henderson, associate professor and chair of communication

Dr. Henderson specializes in issues of media law, the ethics of media, and the use of participatory cultures for political and social action. For more than a decade, she has been researching how voices outside of American mainstream discourse have pressured the government to expand free speech protections. She is the author of the 2010 book Defending the Good News: The Jehovah's Witnesses and Their Plan to Expand the First Amendment and co-editor of the 2012 book, Handbook of Participatory Cultures. She earned a doctorate from the University of Washington.

Professor's phone: 210-999-8114

Professor's email: jennifer.henderson@trinity.edu

 

Trinity Students Involved in Presidential Politics 2012

Trinity Progressives  

 Politically-minded Trinity students will gather in the lobby of Storch Memorial Building for every debate. The student contact for the group is Anna Keene. Our office can provide contact information to reporters wishing to speak with her or the larger group.

 

  

To arrange interviews with Trinity sources on deadline, such as Election Night or as a debate occurs, please contact Trinity's Office of University Communications during regular business hours at 210-999-8406 or pr@trinity.edu.