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New Release | Public Religion Research Institute Launches New Partnership With Prominent Religion & Politics Scholars
07.19.2012

Public Religion Research Institute Launches New Partnership With Prominent Religion & Politics Scholars

WASHINGTON – With the presidential election heating up, and religion and religious groups playing a significant role in shaping the outcome of the election, one of the nation’s leading organizations specializing in research at the intersection of religion, values and public life is expanding the resources available to aid in understanding and covering the 2012 election. Founded in 2009, Public Religion Research Institute and its team have quickly become one of the nation’s leading resources for non-partisan analysis of the role of religion in public life, as well as religious communities’ opinions about topical issues.

Among its enhanced resources, PRRI announced today the launch of a new Affiliated Scholars Program, featuring leading academic voices on the study of religion and politics. As part of the PRRI team, affiliated scholars will regularly add unique insights to “Faith in the Numbers,” PRRI’s research blog. Additionally, affiliated scholars will work with the PRRI senior research team, Dr. Robert P. Jones and Daniel Cox, on a number of peer-review articles.

“This is an exciting time for Public Religion Research Institute. We’re thrilled to be able to provide not only additional original research but more timely insights for better understanding the role of religion in this fall’s presidential election,” said Robert P. Jones, CEO of PRRI.

2012-2013 Affiliated Scholars include (full bios below):

  • Melissa Deckman, professor of political science and chair of the political science department at Washington College;
  • Paul Djupe, associate professor of political science at Denison University; co-editor of the Cambridge Journal Politics & Religion;
  • Kerem Ozan Kalkan, incoming visiting assistant professor of political science at Stony Brook University;
  • Laura R. Olson, professor of political science at Clemson University and editor-in-chief of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion;
  • and Mark J. Rozell, professor of public policy at George Mason University.

Public Religion Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization specializing in research at the intersection of religion, values, and public life.

Affiliated Scholar Biographies:

Melissa Deckman is the Louis L. Goldstein Professor of Public Affairs and chairs the Political Science Department at Washington College in Chestertown, MD.  The author or co-author of more than a dozen scholarly articles and invited book chapters, she has also written or co-written three books, including School Board Battles: The Christian Right in Local Politics, winner of the American Political Science Association’s Hubert Morken Award for the best work on religion and politics.  She has a forthcoming edited volume about the politics of teaching the Bible and religion in public schools, slated for publication this fall.  Her current research focuses on the nexus between gender and religion in the Tea Party movement.

Paul Djupe is currently the coeditor of the Cambridge journal Politics & Religion, has served as the chair of the Religion and Politics organized section of the American Political Science Association, and is the coauthor of numerous articles and 5 books, including The Political Influence of Churches and Religious Interests in Community Conflict. His work explores the influence of political communication from religious actors and how religious organizations affect the political engagement of citizens. He is an associate professor of political science at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Kerem Ozan Kalkan is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Administration at Middle East Technical University (METU), and he will be joining the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University as a Visiting Assistant Professor starting September 2012. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 2010. He was a pre/post-doctoral fellow in quantitative methods at the University of Oxford in the Department of Politics and International Relations between 2009 and 2010. His research interests include American politics, public opinion, political behavior, religion and politics, prejudice, Muslim Americans, and quantitative research methods. He is working on a book project that studies ethnocentric roots of prejudice toward Muslims in the U.S. and Europe.

Laura R. Olson is professor of political science at Clemson University and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.  Her research focuses on contemporary religion, civic engagement, and American politics, with special emphasis on the political attitudes and behaviors of clergy.  She is the author, coauthor, or coeditor of nine books, including Religion and Politics in America: Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices (Westview, 2010) and Religious Interests in Community Conflict: Beyond the Culture Wars (Baylor University Press, 2007).  She is also the author of many scholarly articles and book chapters.

Mark J. Rozell is professor of public policy at George Mason University. He is the author of nine books and the editor of twenty books on various topics in U.S. government and politics including the presidency, religion and politics, media and politics, and interest groups in elections. His latest books are The President’s Czars: Undermining Congress and the Constitution, The Oxford Handbook of Southern Politics, Religion and the American Presidency, Interest Groups in American Campaigns: The New Face of Electioneering (3rd edition), and Executive Privilege: Presidential Power, Secrecy and Accountability (3rd edition).