As I mentioned here, I am co-presenting a paper with a political science professor at the American Political Science Association Teaching and Learning Conference next month. Well, the deadline for presenters to submit the paper is tomorrow, so we are getting this in just under the wire.
Here is the abstract:
This paper demonstrates how the integration of quantitative datasets and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into an undergraduate political science course increases studentsÂ’ familiarity with quantitative and geographic datasets while enhancing their understanding of the political science subject matter. At the University of Texas at Arlington, collaboration and planning between a political science faculty member and a GIS librarian enabled students in an undergraduate survey course to analyze when and where in the 254 Texas counties, Latino voters will constitute the majority of those eligible to vote and have the potential to win all local seats. Using demographic projections obtained from the Texas State Data Center and Office of the State Demographer and Census 2000 (SF3) data , students were able to examine the demographic patterns of the Latino voting eligible population in Texas counties through 2040 both in geographic and tabular format. They were also able to discover the tipping point in selected counties, where Latino voters would comprise the potential voting majority. When used as a classroom project by students they learn about Mexicans and other Latinos, U.S. Census data, population estimates, demographic projections, geography and history of Texas counties, push and pull factors of immigration and out migration, GIS mapping capabilities, and its use in other applications.
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