Lyon College political science students will present their original research examining individual behavior as it relates to important questions in international relations at the 2023 Behavioral World Politics Symposium on Thursday, April 27, from 1-2:15 p.m. in the Bevens Music Room of the Brown Fine Arts Building on the campus at 2300 Highland Rd., Batesville.

The event is free and open to the public.

“Although scholars often treat sovereign states as the primary actors in world politics, some of today’s biggest international events—such as Putin’s invasion of Ukraine or British citizens’ vote for “Brexit”—are the product of individual-level decision-making and attitudes,” said Dr. Brendan J. Connell, assistant professor of political science.

“These projects are the culmination of students’ semester-long research efforts. The students not only formulated unique answers to puzzling phenomena in world politics, but they also meticulously crafted survey questions and collected their own empirical data to determine if their answers hold any water. What attendees can expect to see on April 27 is an honest assessment of how individuals form their beliefs when it comes to war, globalization and much more. I think you're guaranteed to walk away learning something new and perhaps questioning something thatyouthoughtyou knew,” Dr. Connell said.

Following a brief introduction by Dr. Connell, attendees will have an opportunity to visit one-on-one with World Politics students, who will share and highlight the following research projects in an interactive poster fair:

·The Impact of Social Media on Voters’ Preferences for Peace in Ukraine

·The Driving Force Behind Immigration Attitudes

·A Possible Reason for the Underrepresentation of Women in World Politics

·The Unprovoked Biases of the International Criminal Court

·Why Leaders Go to War

·How Gender Affects War and Peace

·The “American Dream”: A Foreign Nightmare

·Biases and Support for Rebel Groups

·The Poor Man’s Disadvantage on the World Stage

·Justice and War: The Effect of Moral Punitiveness on Warlike Tendencies

·Risk Affinity and the Willingness to Forego Civil Liberties

·Are Leaders Biased Toward the International Criminal Court?

For more information on the Political Science program at Lyon College, please contact the Admissions office atAdmissions@lyon.edu.