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Whitney Ross Manzo

Associate Professor of Political Science, Meredith College
Chapter Member: North Carolina SSN
Areas of Expertise:

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About Whitney

Manzo's research focuses on representation and power, broadly conceived. Within these areas, she examines barriers to women's electoral success, the impacts of women in office, the impacts of different electoral laws, and public opinion. She also researches higher education pedagogy, particularly ways to make the classroom more inclusive.
Manzo is a contributor to the Old North State Politics blog, run by Michael Bitzer of Catawba College, where she comments on public opinion, voting, and campaigns and elections in North Carolina. She also regularly gives talks to local civic organizations on current issues.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

Making North Carolina Elections More Transparent And Accessible

Policy Recommendation,

In the News

Quoted by Joel Burgess and Shelby Harris in "Polarizing’ Republican Rep. Cawthorn Faces Historic Number of Challengers 19 Months Before Election," Citizen Times, April 19, 2021.
Quoted by Perry Bacon Jr. in "Democrats Hope Georgia Will Become The Next Virginia, But It Could End Up Being The Next North Carolina," FiveThirtyEight, January 5, 2021.
Opinion: "The Coverage of the 2020 Campaign Is Wrong," Whitney Ross Manzo (with David B. Mclennan), Opinion, The Hill, October 27, 2020.
Opinion: "Mitch McConnell Is Terrible but John Roberts Is Actually the Worst," Whitney Ross Manzo, The Hill, February 3, 2020.
Opinion: "Dems' Anti-Clinton Women of 2018," Whitney Ross Manzo (with David McLennan ), Real Clear Politics, August 8, 2018.

Publications

"Excel, in More Ways Than One" (with Daniel J. Mallison, Julia Hellwege, and Eric D. Loepp), in The Palgrave Handbook of Political Research Pedagogy, edited by Daniel J. Mallinson, Julia Hellwege and Eric D. Loepp (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), 355-364.

Discusses how I changed our advanced research methods class to incorporate more hands-on statistics practice in Excel. This change led to better evaluations of the class from students, as well as more rigorous senior capstone projects.

"The Purpose and Perception of Learning Objectives" (with Kristina M. W. Mitchell). Journal of Political Science Education 14 (2018): 456-472.

Explores the disconnect between what students and professors view as learning objectives, and suggests that more transparency in the course design and assessment process would help lessen the disconnect.

"The Voting Rights Act After Shelby County v. Holder: A Potential Fix to Revive Section 5" (with Thomas L. Brunell). Open Edition Journals (2015).

Discusses the Voting Rights Act after Shelby County v. Holder: A Potential Fix to Revive Section 5" explores how Shelby County v. Holder changed implementation of the VRA in the United States, as well as offers suggestions for using Section 5 to achieve the original goals of this historic legislation.

""Gender and the Generations: You Haven’t Come a Long Way Yet, Baby” in Generations in American Politics" (University of Michigan Press, Forthcoming).

Examines how different generations view women in political office. Finds that all generations report that they believe women and men are both effective political leaders, but there are differences between the generations regarding barriers to women's electoral success. Explains how older Carolinians believe family is the biggest barrier, while younger North Carolinians believe discrimination is the larger barrier.

"The Impact of Cox v. Larios on State Legislative" (with Thomas L. Brunell). Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy 13, no. 3 (2014).

Examines how Cox v. Larios changed the way that state legislatures draw redistricting maps. Finds that population deviations between districts were smaller after this case was handed down, which shows that the states pay close attention to Supreme Court decisions regarding redistricting and gerrymandering.