Engaging Diversity: An Inclusive Approach to Undergraduate Mentorship in Mobilization and Political Economy
By Valentina González-Rostani, University of Southern California and Princeton University, Chie Togami, State University of New York, Tania Ramírez-Farias, University of Pittsburgh, Mariely López-Santana, George Mason University, Fernando Tormos-Aponte, University of Pittsburgh, and Mayra Vélez-Serrano, University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras
The discipline of political science faces significant disparities in the representation and participation of underrepresented groups in graduate education, including first-generation college students, racial and ethnic minorities, and women. Underrepresentation has a wide variety of limiting effects, including a narrower range of questions being explored within the field. This article proposes a template for teaching and mentoring undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds to enhance their opportunities in graduate programs. Specifically, it examines the Mobilization and Political Economy (MPE) Summer Program, an in-residence graduate pipeline program designed to equip participants to study and conduct research on political mobilization, social movements, and political economy. The MPE Summer Program aims to develop and sustain broad-scale collaborative infrastructures that prefigure reciprocal and equitable pathways to increase participation in the social sciences across the United States.
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- PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 58 , Issue 4 , October 2025.