Political Science and International Studies Home Page
Programs and Courses in Political Science
Programs and Courses in International Studies
Requirements for International Studies
Service Courses in Political Science
The Political Science/Pre-law Club
|
Department of Political Science and International Studies
Susan Orr
Visiting Assistant Professor
231 Albert W. Brown Building
(585) 395-5676
Email: sorr@brockport.edu
Education:
Ph.D, Political Science, (ABD, expected 2009) University of Florida
M.A Political Science (2004) University of Florida
B.A Economics (2002), Rollins College
Research Interests:
My primary research interest is in the politics of organized labor in the US. I approach this topic from both empirical and normative perspectives. I am interested in how US labor law and politics shape the formation of labor unions, as well as how labor unions influence the behavior of their members. More specifically I am concerned with how the process of forming labor unions, as well as the internal rules that regulate the behavior of union members, comport with the democratic standards we find in American political institutions. In addition to these questions, my research explores how unions, and union membership, impact political outcomes and engagement. For example, one ofmy projects seeks to find out what effect labor union membership has on the likelihood that citizens with various demographic characteristics will turnout to vote. This research agenda is driven in part by my concern with democratic participation and civic engagement more broadly.
Service:
I serve as co-chair ofthe American Political Science Associations Labor Project, a group that seeks to promote scholarship and the exchange of research and ideas related to labor and politics. On campus, I will serve as the faculty mentor/advisor to the newly created Civic Engagement and Service Learning Community for which I will be teaching courses on civic engagement. I am a member of the faculty and staff organization American Democracy Project, as well as faculty advisor to the student organization Democracy Matters.
Classes Taught:
American Politics
Political Parties and Interest Groups
Politics of Work and Labor
Political Science Research Methods
American Political Issues
Selected Publications:
Susan E. Orr. 2007. Entries on "National Labor Relations Act", and "Jones v Laughlin" in Encyclopedia of Political History, CQ Press, Washington DC.
Susan E. Orr and Michael Hoover. 2006. "Youth Political Engagement: Why Rock the Vote Hits the Wrong Note" in Dan Shea and John Green eds. Fountain of Youth: Strategies and Tacticsfor Engaging Young American Voters. Boulder, Rowman and Littlefield.
Raymond LaRaja, Susan E. Orr and Daniel A Smith. 2006. "Surviving BCRA: State Party Finance in 2004" in John Green and Daniel Coffey, The State ofthe Parties (5th Edition). Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield
Kenneth Wald, Richard Scher, Matthew DeSantis, and Susan E. Orr. 2005. "Fight for Florida:
The Christian Right in Florida in the 2004 Election." in John C Green, Clyde Wilcox and Mark 1
Rozell eds. God and the Grassroots. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Susan Orr. 2005. Review ofRebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild
Possibilities. Public Integrity, V7 no. 3
