On April 24, 2024, the Ministry of Political and Government held its 31st Annual General Meeting.cent Annual conference for students of political science. Over 100 participants presented papers and participated in panel discussions. The presenters were undergraduate and graduate students from 29 universities across six different time zones, making this a truly global student conference.
Panel themes include international negotiations, grassroots democracy, debates in public policy, and the politics of fear, to name a few. Dr. Melissa Baker (University of Texas at El Paso) gave the keynote address, “Does stress make us more susceptible to political misinformation?” In her speech, Dr. Baker discussed how stress weighs heavily on mental health and negatively impacts political behavior. She noted that providing resources to reduce stress and improve mental health will change how people interact with misinformation and engage in civic life. Student attendees were able to ask questions of Dr. Baker, who pointed out how important mental health issues are not only to students' learning and success, but also to their ability to participate socially in today's world.
The panel discussion included faculty from the university, as well as Illinois State University alumni and professors from other institutions, including Purdue University, the University of Illinois, the University of South Alabama, and the University of West Florida. Student attendees reported how encouraged they were to continue moving their research forward after the presentations. They also enjoyed discussing their research with other students and faculty from other institutions.
