The annual meeting of the
Georgia Political Science Association included a panel devoted to analyzing an
East Georgia State College dean and professor’s recent book. The decision to
organize a panel on a recently scholarly book at a professional meeting
signifies the importance of the work, as well as the timeliness of the issues
contained in the book. The professor, Dr. Lee Cheek, and his newly edited book,
A Theory of Public Opinion, published by Transaction Books at Rutgers
University, an internationally-respected publisher, was featured at the
meeting. Dr. Cheek edited the volume, which surveys the limitations of public
opinion research in today’s politics.
In support of the conference
theme "The Relevancy of Political Science?," this panel examined the
relationship between political theory and the study of public opinion, as well
analyzing the tension between these two “subdisciplines” of political science
in contemporary scholarship. As the basis for the panelists’ comments, the
relevance of the study, A Theory of Public Opinion, was surveyed, which is
perhaps the last major reappraisal of theory’s potential contribution to
understanding public opinion, as well as a novel critique of the academic study
of public opinion.
Panelists traced the emergence
of the ideas and institutions that evolved to give people mastery over their
own destiny through the force of public opinion. The Greek belief in citizen
participation, for example, was described as the ground upon which the idea of
public opinion began and upon which it grew. Cheek’s argument that public
opinion is always an "orderly force," contributing to social and
political life, was critiqued, especially in light of the Election of 2016.
The annual meeting of the
Georgia Political Science Association took place from November 10-12 in
Savannah, Ga. The panel also included Professor Hans E. Schmeisser (Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College), Professor Daniel Mancill (East Georgia State
College), Dr. Craig Albert (Augusta University), Dr. James LaPlant (Valdosta
State University), and Dr. Brett Larson (East Georgia State College). EGSC’s Dr. Tom Caiazzo and Professor Randy
Carter also provided commentary on the book at the conference.
Dr. Cheek is the Dean of the
Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science and History at East Georgia
State College in Swainsboro, Ga. His many publications include Calhoun and
Popular Rule (2001) and Order and Legitimacy (2004).
In support of the conference
theme "The Relevancy of Political Science?," this panel examined the
relationship between political theory and the study of public opinion, as well
analyzing the tension between these two “subdisciplines” of political science
in contemporary scholarship. As the basis for the panelists’ comments, the
relevance of the study, A Theory of Public Opinion, was surveyed, which is
perhaps the last major reappraisal of theory’s potential contribution to
understanding public opinion, as well as a novel critique of the academic study
of public opinion.
Panelists traced the emergence
of the ideas and institutions that evolved to give people mastery over their
own destiny through the force of public opinion. The Greek belief in citizen
participation, for example, was described as the ground upon which the idea of
public opinion began and upon which it grew. Cheek’s argument that public
opinion is always an "orderly force," contributing to social and
political life, was critiqued, especially in light of the Election of 2016.
The annual meeting of the
Georgia Political Science Association took place from November 10-12 in
Savannah, Ga. The panel also included Professor Hans E. Schmeisser (Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College), Professor Daniel Mancill (East Georgia State
College), Dr. Craig Albert (Augusta University), Dr. James LaPlant (Valdosta
State University), and Dr. Brett Larson (East Georgia State College). EGSC’s Dr. Tom Caiazzo and Professor Randy
Carter also provided commentary on the book at the conference.
Dr. Cheek is the Dean of the
Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science and History at East Georgia
State College in Swainsboro, Ga. His many publications include Calhoun and
Popular Rule (2001) and Order and Legitimacy (2004).
