Maneesh Arora
Jane Bishop ’51 Associate Professor of Political Science
Research interests include race & ethnicity, public opinion, immigration, intergroup solidarity, methodology.
Maneesh Arora is an associate professor of political science at Wellesley College, where he teaches courses on American politics, immigration policy, campaigns and elections, and research methods. His research has been featured in scholarly journals like Perspectives on Politics, Political Research Quarterly, and Politics, Groups, and Identities and media outlets like the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage blog, the New School’s Public Seminar, and the London School of Economics Politics and Policy blog. His current book project is Parties and Prejudice: The Normalization of Antiminority Rhetoric in U.S. Politics.
Before arriving at Wellesley, Maneesh earned a Ph.D. in political science from UC Irvine in 2019. He grew up in Oregon and is an alum of the University of Oregon.
Education
- B.S., University of Oregon
- M.Ed., Boston University
- M.A., University of California-Irvine
- Ph.D., University of California-Irvine
Current and upcoming courses
Introduction to Research Methods in Political Science
POL299
An introduction to the process of conducting research in political science. Students will develop an intuition for problem-driven research in the social sciences, gaining specific insight into the range of methodological tools employed by political scientists. In this course, students will design and analyze a research question, formulate and test hypotheses about politics, evaluate techniques to measuring political phenomena, and assess methods of empirical analysis and interpretation. The course has a particular focus on quantitative analysis and students will gain fluency in statistical software. The course provides a foundation for conducting empirical research and is strongly recommended for students interested in independent research, a senior honors thesis, and/or graduate school.
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Social Media and Elections
CS298
How do politicians and activists harness social media to reach voters? Can algorithmic filter bubbles or echo chambers distort electoral outcomes? In this cross-listed and co-taught course, we investigate the intersection of digital algorithmic platforms and American democracy. We begin with fundamentals: how US elections work and the institutions that shape them. Then we explore social media's dual role—as a tool for voter mobilization and a vector for propaganda, conspiracy theories and disinformation—and its effects on political polarization and public trust. Throughout the semester, students will engage in hands-on projects including digital youth mobilization campaigns, auditing of simulated algorithmic filter bubbles, and quantitative analyses of electoral campaign digital strategies. They will leave the class with both conceptual and practical skills for contributing to digital democracy. (CS 298 and POL1 259 are cross-listed courses.)