By Michelle Hines , University Relations
Dr. Charles Prysby.
Dr. Charles Prysby, a political science professor at UNCG, has won the American Political Science Association’s Rowman & Littlefield Award for Innovative Teaching in Political Science. He will accept the award Sept. 1 during the APSA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia.
Prysby, who came to UNCG in 1971, is being honored for his work in pioneering a new web-based version of the Voting Behavior SETUPS he created more than 30 years ago. He shares the award with his project partner, Dr. Carmine Scavo of East Carolina University.
SETUPS, short for Supplementary Empirical Teaching Units in Political Science, was once released in booklet form but is now an online tool to help political science students analyze data from national elections. The site includes about 160 variables, including party affiliations of voters, basic demographics, voter perceptions of candidates and voter attitudes on issues such as foreign policy and civil rights. Students can do basic exercises or original research.
The data, updated after each presidential election year, are culled from the American National Election Study. That study involves more than a thousand variables, Prysby said. “We’ve subset the data and made it easier for students to deal with.”
The first completely online version of SETUPS was produced in 2005, based on the data from the 2004 election. “An online product has some advantages and may be more appealing to students,” Prysby said.
APSA and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) have collaborated to develop and distribute the SETUPS instructional modules for more than 30 years. APSA, founded in 1903, is the leading professional organization for the study of political science and serves more than 15,000 members in over 80 countries.
The Rowman & Littlefield Award, established 10 years ago, carries a $500 cash stipend. The 2006 recipients were chosen by a five-person committee.
Access SETUPS online at http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/SETUPS/.
