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Worried about the phenomenon of Donald Trump? WSU professor says political incivility has always existed

Think our current presidential political landscape is unprecedented, and worse than it’s ever been?

On Sunday, the Highline Historical Society put on a presentation, “American Rage — Division and Anger in US Politics.” Presented by Washington State University professor of political science Cornell Clayton, the program compared the current period of political incivility with other flashpoints in American history to prove how incivility has served as a catalyst to move the nation forward when other means had failed.

“I think we can all agree that incivility is around us everywhere in politics,” he began. “You know it’s bad when the people who seem most civil are the comedians, such as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.” » More …

Researchers study effect of marijuana on policing

The long-time controversy over marijuana legalization in Washington finally came to an end in 2012 when the state legislature passed Initiative 502. Four years later, WSU researchers are studying how it affected police operations.

Mary Stohr
Stohr

WSU criminal justice and criminology professor Mary Stohr will lead a $1 million three-year study beginning January 1, 2017, to research the effects that the legalization has had on law enforcement and policing. The grant, from the National Institute of Justice, will look at policing in the state and how the criminal justice organization adjusted to this policy change.

Stohr said they are curious about how police changed their practices since the legalization and how it affected crime rate statistics.

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Daily Sun News

Daily Evergreen

WSU News

Opinion: Donald Trump, the herald of evangelicals’ end times

Matthew Sutton
Matthew Sutton

Matthew Avery Sutton, a history professor at Washington State University, is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism. In his recent op-ed for the Seattle Times, Sutton examines the views of many evangelical Americans who see Donald Trump’s candidacy as a harbinger of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

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Seattle Times

WSU professor explores use of missionaries and religious leaders as spies in World War II

If the name John Birch sounds familiar, it’s probably because of the John Birch Society, a far-right group founded more than a decade after his death in 1945. Less has been written about the man himself: a missionary-turned-spy who built a formidable intelligence network in China during World War II.

Matthew Sutton
Matthew Sutton

“He actually flew with the bombers so he could visually point out where to drop the bombs,” said Matthew Sutton, a history professor at Washington State University. “He hated the Japanese. They had destroyed the churches he had built. They were punishing the Chinese Christians. So he was doing everything he could to support the war.”

According to Sutton, Birch was one in “a small army” of Christian missionaries who were aggressively recruited to conduct clandestine operations during Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency. This little-known practice, Sutton said, “made Americans aware of the importance of religion” in gathering intelligence.

The professor recently won a $50,000 federal grant to research and write a book on the topic, tentatively titled “(Un)Holy Spies: Religion and Espionage in World War II.”

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Spokesman-Review

 

Grad student finds research, speaking success

With 10 national speaking engagements scheduled between June and February, doctoral student Amber Morczek is earning distinction for discussing difficult topics in an honest and nonthreatening manner.

Amber Morczek
Amber Morczek

Her criminal justice and criminology dissertation at Washington State University examines the elements of rape culture within Internet pornography and its relationship to violence toward women. The connection between pornography and violence toward women is a topic most find thought-provoking, but few know how to approach.

Morczek wants to help by creating a safe space for dialog to make change. Her engaging and educational presentations are delivered with passion and humor.

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WSU News