Senator Doug Jones

Doug Jones faces uphill battle for reelection in Alabama: Washington Times – July 22

When Democratic Sen. Doug Jones seeks reelection in Alabama next year, he could be running against his own party as much as his GOP opponent. . . . “The biggest factor regarding this race, I believe, is Donald Trump’s presence on the ticket,” said Richard Fording, a professor in the political science department at the University of Alabama. “With Trump actually on the ticket in 2020, I expect Democratic turnout to be high — largely due to the desire to cast a vote against Trump.” . . . “Party identification is a powerful force, and in that regard the GOP has a clear advantage in Alabama,” said George Hawley, a professorial colleague of Mr. Fording’s at The University of Alabama. “Jones is not in the Senate because he ran an amazing campaign. He is there because he had an exceptionally bad opponent in Roy Moore. If the Republicans nominate a competent candidate with no major scandals to run against Jones, it will be their race to lose.”

Religious Studies

University of Alabama gets $350,000 grant for religious studies: Al.com – July 23

The University of Alabama will organize an annual working group for early-career scholars of religion in America that focuses on research, teaching, and public scholarship. UA’s department of religious studies was recently awarded a $350,000 grant by the Luce Foundation to fund an interdisciplinary conference on religion in America, the university announced today. The conference, called American Examples, aims to apply the study of American religion to other fields of study, such as global conflict, social movements, and the study of religion in other areas of the world.

Bama Bug Fest

Bama Bug Fest: Great Day Tuscaloosa – July 23

As a son of an exterminator. My family had Tuscaloosa Exterminator Service. I love bugs. They helped me get a car, got me great clothes, they got me all this stuff because of that good ol’ roach. …and John Friel with the Alabama Museum of Natural History to talk about Bug Fest.
CBS-42 (Birmingham) – July 23
Tuscaloosa News – July 26
Tuscaloosa News (photo gallery) – July 28

Millennials and Gen Z

Art form lets millennials, Gen Z express frustrations and angst, share politics: AJC – July 24

George Hawley, a professor of political science at The University of Alabama, lists three traits that broadly underlie their ideology: “a strong sense of white identity, a belief in the importance of white solidarity, and a sense of white victimization.” His study of their demography estimates that 11 million Americans identify with all three traits, with three demographic groups most likely to agree: the divorced, the unemployed, and those making less than $29,000 per year. Groups whose social and economic vulnerabilities, like retail workers and the uninsured, open them to populist ideology: egalitarian on the left, jingoistic on the right.

Nativism

Ambivalent nativism: Trump supporters’ attitudes toward Islam and Muslim immigration: Brookings – July 24

Despite representing a little more than one percent of the total U.S. population,[1] American Muslims have long been viewed with suspicion by their fellow citizens. This has been true since the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis in the late 1970s, but American attitudes toward Islam turned especially negative following the September 11 terrorist attacks, which many American commentators blamed directly on Islamic religious doctrines. The political right in the United States, on average, has exhibited more suspicion of Islam and Muslims than the political left, and many conservative media personalities have expressed considerable hostility towards Muslims. Written by Dr. George Hawley, associate professor of political science at The University of Alabama.

New College Internships

Alaska native spends summer in Jasper: Daily Mountain Eagle – July 24

Editor’s note: The following is the first in a four-part series that will feature University of Alabama students who are interning in Jasper this summer. A University of Alabama student who hails from Alaska has spent his summer as an intern in Jasper. Rising junior Vaughn Gingerich has interned this summer with the City of Jasper and Jasper Main Street through UA’s New College program… The political science and economics major made the over 4,000-mile journey to UA because he wanted an opportunity to travel and see the rest of the United States…Gingerich secured a full-tuition scholarship to UA and decided to make the journey to Alabama. As expected, it has taken him some time to acclimate to the state’s sometimes scorching climate.
Daily Mountain Eagle – July 25
Daily Mountain Eagle – July 27
Daily Mountain Eagle – July 27

Summer Bugs

Watch out for these summer bugs: Fox 6 – July 24

According to Dr. John Abbott at The University of Alabama, ticks and mosquitoes are the most problematic because they can spread diseases. You should also avoid some spiders, like black widows and brown recluses. They are the state’s most dangerous spiders.
Alabama Newscenter – July 27