CSC student presents at political science conference

According to Assistant Professor of Social Sciences Dr. Justin Curtis, who also presented at the conference, the MPSA conference is the largest professional meeting of political scientists in the world.

Corbine presented research focused on measuring the aptitude of midwestern local officials to include Native Americans on civic and political topics being discussed in the community titled, Assessing Local Level Representation of American Indians in the Great Plains Region.

Corbine looked at the Native American involvement in government and its implications.

“The meaningful inclusion of Native Americans in all levels of government are paramount to rekindling the relationship between U.S. and Tribal governments, pragmatic to guiding community leaders and necessary to upholding the fundamentals of democracy,” Corbine said.

Corbine and Curtis also attended panels by other presenters on diverse topics.

“We heard presentations about, among other things, obstacles and opportunities for public administration in the tribal regions of Pakistan, challenges to democratization in Mexico, and declining civil respect in the U.S.,” Curtis said.

Corbine enjoyed his time outside Nebraska and said the conference provided experience in the field of political science and input on his research.

“I got some great feedback from panelists and attendees and feel great about the progress I have made since the project's inception in Spring of 2021,” he said.

Corbine plans to make final edits and submit his research for peer review over the summer.

“I look forward to continually collaborating with Dr. Curtis after graduation and preparing this project to be published by the beginning of 2023,” Corbine said.

In the fall, Corbine will begin pursuing a master’s in Public Administration at the University of Colorado Denver. He said he hopes to further his research through the university's Center for Policy and Democracy.

—Abigail Swanson, College Relations