Faculty Profile
Sarah Niebler
(she/they)Associate Professor of Political Science (2013)
Contact Information
Denny Hall Room 302
717.254.8093
http://sarahniebler.com
Bio
Professor Niebler's research and teaching interests are in the area of American politics, specifically campaigns and elections, political behavior, and public opinion. She teaches courses on those topics as well as Mass Media and American Politics, Polarization and American Politics, and Research Methods. Her scholarly work has been published in the American Journal of Political Science, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Communication, the Journal of Public Economics, the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties, American Politics Research, and the Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy. Additionally, her research and analysis has been featured on NPR’s “Hidden Brain”, and in The Hill and Roll Call, among others. Currently, Professor Niebler is working on a project examining the nationalization of American political campaigns, asking how much coordination and incidental compatibility is taking place between campaigns at the presidential, congressional, and state legislative levels in 2020.
Education
- B.A., Muhlenberg College, 2004
- M.A., Lehigh University, 2005
- M.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2008
- Ph.D., 2012
2022-2023 Academic Year
Fall 2022
POSC 239 Research Methods
Helps the student answer (in the affirmative) the question, "Is political science a science?" Students will learn how to generate and test hypotheses through creating and executing research designs. Survey research, experimentation, content analysis, participant observation, and other methodologies will be studied. Although no prior knowledge of statistics is necessary, Math 121 is helpful. This class is especially recommended for prospective graduate students in the social sciences.
POSC 390 Campaigns and Elections
Permission of Instructor Required The purpose of this seminar is to examine and analyze the role of the political campaign in the American political system. We will look at key aspects of campaigns – candidates; money; polling; advertising; and media – as we read current research on the state of campaigning in the United States. Since this seminar occurs during an election season, students should expect to actively engage with current events, relating course topics to what they are observing in the day-to-day campaigns of candidates currently competing for office. Political pundits and commentators generate a tremendous amount of analysis, commentary, and predictions about American elections; however, in this class we will move beyond these types of comments and attempt to understand how voters decide and how campaigns persuade.
POSC 500 Independent Study
