Dr. Liz Norell

I am an Assistant Professor in Political Science at Chattanooga State Community College. I defended my PhD dissertation, "Wither the Center? Political Polarization in American Politics" in August 2014 at the University of Texas at Dallas. I primarily study mass public opinion, political psychology, and political institutions, although my interests in the discipline of American politics are wide-ranging. My dissertation was a three-paper treatment of different aspects of political polarization. The first paper/chapter examined Congressional polarization, with a focus on how electoral context influences member ideology. The second paper/chapter turns to mass public opinion, arguing that political ideology has become, for many ordinary Americans, a salient social identity that serves as an important filter through which individuals receive new information. The final paper/chapter attempts to ferret out the link between elite and mass polarization. By looking at a single issue (climate change), I trace changes in elite language about the issue and the subsequent polarization of mass attitudes on that same issue. While the paper stops short of positing a clear causal relationship, it suggests that the polarization of elite attitudes can be seen in subsequent mass opinion polarization. The paper also attempts to marry the issue framing literature from public opinion with similar work on problem definition in the public administration literature. More details and examples of my research are available here: Research.

Although my research forms the foundation of my scholarly work, I am also committed to outstanding teaching. In particular, I continually work to improve my use of educational technologies -- particularly course management software like Blackboard or D2L -- in my classroom teaching, as well as innovative new strategies in the classroom to engage students more fully in the learning process. My students regularly comment on the enthusiasm and passion I bring into the classroom. For more on my teaching, please see my Teaching page.

Feel free to contact me at elizabeth.norell@chattanoogastate.edu if you have questions about my research or teaching.