Center for the Study of American Politics and Society

Director

Angie Ocampo 

Mission

The Center for American Politics and Society (CAPS) is housed in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh. The center’s primary goal is to promote excellent scholarship in the field of American politics by supporting a number of research activities: 

  1. Inviting nationally-renowned scholars in American politics to present their ongoing work to the department.
  2. Providing material support to graduate students in the Department of Political Science for their research.
  3. Sponsoring the Research in American Politics (RAP) working group that meets every other week during the semester, where students and faculty present their current research series.

CAPS is generously supported by the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh. If you would like to make a donation supporting CAPS, please contact the director (Jonathan Woon).

On the department's Web site, you will find our schedule of events, links to the papers presented at RAP, and profiles of faculty and graduate students affiliated with CAPS.

2024-2025 Scheduled Speakers

All presentations will take place in Posvar 4500 (12:00 - 1:30)

  • 9/18/24 - Miranda Yaver (Pitt)
  • 2/26/25  - Jennifer Chudy (Wellesley)
  • 3/19 /25 - Gary Hollibaugh (Pitt)
  • 3/26/25 - Yanna Krupnikov (Michigan)
  • 4/9/25  - Julian Wamble (George Washington)

Previous Speakers

2023-2024

  • Jon Woon (University of Pittsburgh)
  • Liz Suhay (American University)
  • Toney Carey (University of Pittsburgh)
  • Lafleur Stephens Dougan (Princeton University) 
  • Emily West (University of Pittsburgh)
  • Hakeem Jefferson (Stanford University)

2022-2023

  • David Broockman (University of California, Berkeley)
  • Christine Slaughter (Boston University)
  • Jamie Druckman (Northwestern University)
  • Samara Klar (University of Arizona)

2021-2022: 

  • Sharece Thrower (Vanderbilt)
  • Hey Young You (NYU)
  • Sarah Truel (UNC Chapel Hill)

2020-2021:

  • Taylor Carlson (WUSTL)
  • Alison Craig (UT Austin)
  • Alison Annoll (Vanderbilt)
  • Angela Ocampo (Michigan)
  • James Strickland (ASU)

2019-2020:

  • Peter Bils (Vanderbilt)
  • Ryan Hubert (University of California, Davis)
  • Daniel Jones (GSPIA)
  • Ju Yeon Park (Pitt)
  • Daniel Smith (Florida)
  • Michele Swers (Georgetown)