David Paul, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Ohio State University-Newark 1179 University Dr. Newark OH 43055

Office:  Founders Hall 2034
Phone:  740-366-9472
E-mail: Paul.68@osu.edu 

Political science is an exciting discipline that studies how governments work and who gets what from the political system.  We study issues like: why do some people vote while others do not? Which are more important: political institutions or political leaders?  And, why do countries go to war?  

The Ohio State University's Department of Political Science is one of the best in the nation.  In fact, it was just ranked as the 4^th best political science department in the world.  The Department includes some of the most influential political science scholars in the nation.  You can visit OSU's Department of Political Science by clicking on this link: http://psweb.sbs.ohio-state.edu/

My Teaching

Ohio State University-Newark is a great place to start studying political science.  Our class sizes (both in Political Science and in other courses here in Newark) are small: our typical lower-division class has 40 students or less, and our upper-division classes usually have 20 students or less.  Smaller classes allow you to interact more with your instructor, allow more opportunity for student questions, and provide instructors with more flexibility to meet the unique needs of each individual class. In addition, both of the professors who teach Political Science at Newark have earned their Ph.D., and all of our instructors are experienced educators.  

Current Offerings: Spring 2008

Introduction to American Politics: Political Science 101

           The course syllabus is located here: Political Science 101

Introduction to Political Behavior: Political Science 201

          The course syllabus is located here: Political Science 201

Courses for Autumn 2008

Honors Section of Introduction to American Politics: Polit Sc H101

Legislative Politics: Political Science 517           

My Other Courses

 Introduction to Politics: Political Science H165 (An Honors and Scholars Early Experience Research Seminar)

           Next Offering: 2009-10 School Year

Student Internship in Politics and Public Policy 489/589

            Next Offering: Autumn 2008 or by arrangement with instructor

Campaign Politics: Political Science 502

            Next Offering: Winter 2009

  Introduction to American Government: Polit Sc 101D (on-line course) 

           Next Offering: 2009-10 School Year

  American Political Parties: Political Science 575

            Next Offering: 2009-10 School Year

  Intro to Political Theory: Political Science 210

            Next Offering: Spring 2009

   Interest Groups and American Policymaking: Political Science 590

           Next Offering: 2009-10 School Year

Internships

Internships provide important insights into how theories learned in college are applied in the real world, and internships can provide students with valuable connections to finding employment after college.  OSU students can earn college credit for internships that relate to political science.  Possible internships include: working on a campaign; working with a political party, interest group, or mobilization group; or interning for a public official.  Two courses are being offered in the Autumn quarter.  Polit Sc 489 is a two-credit course that does not have any pre-requisites.  Polit Sc 589 requires some previous coursework in Political Science, and students can take up to 15 hours of the course. 

   
My Research
I specialize in interest groups and lobbying, ethnic politics, direct democracy, voting behavior, and sports stadium referendums. My book Ethnic Lobbies and U.S. Foreign Policy (forthcoming in 2008 with Lynne Rienner Publishers) analyzes the effect of ethnic interest groups in the foreign policy, as well as intermestic policies such as trade, agriculture, and immigration. In order to gauge the influence of individual ethnic lobbies and ethnic groups in general, the project examined almost forty ethnic lobbies, as well as a broad spectrum of the targets of such groups, including Congress, the federal bureaucracy, the White House, and federal elections. Data on dozens of ethnic-based groups and political action committees (PACs) were collected and analyzed, as well as data from congressional hearings. In addition, over 50 policymakers (including members of Congress, personal staffers, committee staffers, and Department of State careerists) were interviewed for the project.

In addition, Jessi Smith (Department of Psychology, Montana State University) and I have examined the role that candidate gender plays in influencing evaluations of presidential contenders.  Our first study, co-authored with Rachel Paul and published in 2007 in Basic and Applied Social Psychology, employed an experimental design which manipulated the gender of a hypothetical presidential candidate. The study was unique because we included a gender-neutral candidate name in addition to a male candidate and female contender. We found that subjects who received the male candidate were significantly more likely to believe the candidate was a viable presidential contender than the female and gender-neutral candidates.  Our second study, forthcoming later his spring in The Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, analyzes vote switching when female presidential candidates are included as a vote choice. The data for the study were collected in an original poll of likely Ohio voters. This project is distinctive because we used real candidates and measured the perceived qualifications for each candidate among voters. We found that the existence of a female opponent did help some male presidential candidates, in part because voters perceived that the women candidates were less qualified. 

Finally, Clyde Brown and I have published several articles on the influence of elite cues on state and local ballot measures, as well as the politics of stadium referendums and amending city charters. Our work culminated with an article published in 2006 in State Politics & Policy Quarterly which examined the differing effects of elite cues in support and opposition to ballot measures.  This project was a systematic effort to examine the differing effects of four kinds of local elites: elected officials, minority leaders, business leaders, and citizen groups.  Our analysis revealed that opposition by elected officials has the greatest effect on the final referendum vote, and opposition by minority leaders has a marginal effect on ballot measures.  We have published other papers in Political Research Quarterly (2001), Social Science Journal (2000), and Journal of Sports and Social Issues (1999; 2002), as well a chapter (“Strong Mayors and Sports Stadiums: Referendum Wars in Cincinnati”) in Initiative-Centered Politics: The New Politics of Direct Democracy (2005, edited by David McCuan and Stephen Stambough).

Background

      Dave Paul grew up in Enumclaw, Washington, which is located in the foothills of Mt. Rainier.  He earned a double B.A. in Business Administration and Political Science from Seattle University in 1990.  After managing a photography company for four years, he attended Miami University and earned his M.A. in Political Science in 1997.  He then earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001. His dissertation analyzed the power of local elites and business groups to influence public policy at the local level by championing sports stadium measures.

Dave is active in the Newark Kiwanis, and he served on its Board of Directors from 2005 to 2007.  He also served as a member of the Board of Education for Newark City Schools from 2006 to 2007.

Dave's Beautiful Family

Click on the following links to see the kids.

The Paul's visit the Middle of Nowhere (April 2002)

Jacob and his best friend Claudia ride a pony