UROP Project

Denying Human Rights Abuses

political science; international relations; human rights; political communication
Research Mentor: Mr. Damian Boldt,
Department, College, Affiliation: Political Science, Social Sciences and Public Policy
Contact Email: dmb19d@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Political Science
International Affairs
Economics
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8-10 hours, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Thursday, Sept. 7 5:30-6:00pm, Recording: https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/1sfS7ZXuSkyYv_oBOlrnXq3W5mPt8KycwpNYQzFSG8MB5kQBU5T9-XtG9LmaRNEg.-RdUuwqu-M_3hokJ
Friday, Sept. 8 1:00-1:30pm, Recording: https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/7jZXyvjq6mlsvCO9IWsf5YLUDCAehU1SfOlS7NU5TiyYMtGILvQhstxCfLOgLEKL.M_5wrSqhBCbWul56
Friday, Sept. 8 3:00-3:30pm, Zoom link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/98230486255

Project Description

This project aims to collect data on when and how political leaders and other elites publicly deny allegations of human rights abuses. Anecdotally, in response to accusations of human rights abuses, political elites frequently employ communication strategies that deny and distract away from these accusations. However, we currently lack data to systematically examine both the use of denials and the different types of denials that are used. This project represents the first attempt to gather this data in the context of Targeted Mass Killings (human rights abuses on a mass scale up to and including genocide). For each instance of a Targeted Mass Killing, this project will use international media resources (e.g., Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post, etc.) to determine 1) whether domestic political elites employed a strategy of denial, and 2) what type of denial they used. This data will allow for a systematic investigation of the conditions when political leaders employ public denials and the types of denials they use. The goals of this project include a novel data set of leader denials, academic research output (e.g., peer-reviewed publications) and public-facing research output (e.g., policy recommendations and public awareness of denial).

Research Tasks: 1. Data collection
2. Preliminary data analysis
3. Literature review

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required:
1. Database search skills (library search, Google Scholar etc.)
2. Beginning Excel data management (entering data into columns, etc.)

Mentoring Philosophy

My mentorship philosophy is grounded in transparency, honesty, and communication, and fostering a truly collaborative experience. I believe in setting out clear expectations on how tasks should be accomplished and the anticipated timeline for completion. At the same time, I want mentees to communicate their personal goals of what they want to get out of working on a project. I start out the beginning of a work relationship with a new mentee by meeting with them and discussing their short- and long-term professional goals and asking them to write down a list of things they want to get out of working with me on a project. I also believe in providing timely, regular feedback on metees' performance, with a goal of providing verbal and written feedback. At the same time, I encourage mentees to provide me with feedback. A two-way street of open and honest communication is crucial to productive research and accomplishing our respective goals. I also believe in opportunities for hands-on demonstration of tasks when mentees are embarking on a new research task or express that they find a certain task to be overly challenging. I believe that demonstration is crucial for effective mentorship so that mentees have an opportunity to truly learn how to do a particular skill before they need to implement it independently. Furthermore, I never want a mentee to perform a task that I would not do myself. Finally, I want all mentees to feel comfortable making suggestions on how to improve research.

Additional Information


Link to Publications


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