The School of Politics and Global Studies benefited in 2013 from a generous gift from 1980 alumnus, Brian A. Kopf. Kopf earned his B.S. in Political Science from Arizona State University. He also attended DeVry Institute, becoming an expert on information technology. He retired from J.P. Morgan Chase Bank as vice-president in 1952.
Kopf also was dedicated to helping the less-fortunate through St. Vincent de Paul, where he was named volunteer of the year, and to the Sun Valley Animal Shelter. Kopf’s loyalty to ASU remained strong and he enjoyed his association with his alma mater, particularly as a long-time member of the Sun Angels. He also supported Channel Eight, Sun Devil Athletics and now, his estate gift benefits our students, faculty and staff. Kopf passed away in 2012.
Previous conferences, courtesy of the Brian A. Kopf Fund, include:
Building a Political Psychology Four Corners Network | Spring 2023
The Spring 2023 Kopf conference represented the School's first step in building a community of scholars studying political psychology in the Four Corners region. The conference served as an opportunity for political psychologists across the region to network, build relationships, and develop collaborations. We welcomed prominent political psychologists from University of Arizona, Brigham Young University, University of Utah, University of Colorado, University of New Mexico, and University of Nevada, Reno. Papers focused on a variety of topics including opinion and identity formation, attitudes towards race and ethnicity, and the antecedents and consequences of partisanship.
Puentes: Bridging American Politics’ Interest Group and Institutions Research | Fall 2022
The Fall 2022 Kopf conference examined how institutions in the U.S. affect the political mobilization and influence of Latino interest groups. Twelve scholars from a range of institutions, including from across the country to present and discuss new research. The event was hosted by SPGS and the Center for Latina/os and American Politics Research.
"Norms and Minority Group Politics" | Fall 2019
The Fall 2019 Kopf conference focused on Norms and Minority Group Politics, diving into the pervasive role of norms (broadly defined) in shaping people’s political attitudes and behavior as well as their impact on political institutions, processes, and outcomes. The conference explored norms in the context of minority group politics focusing both on how norms shape attitudes and behavior within minority groups as well as attitudes and behavior toward minority groups. The conference brought together junior scholars and pair them with established senior scholars, with opportunities for mentoring and networking.
"Diversity in the Judiciary: Does it Matter for Democratic Inclusion, Representation or Inequalities" | Spring 2019
The Spring 2019 Kopf conference examined how diversity on courts may impact judicial processes, social and economic inequalities and public opinion in the U.S. and around the world. We understand diversity and inclusion in a broad sense including gender, race, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Participants specialize in American Politics, Law, Comparative Politics and Political Theory.
"Internationalizing Kosovo, 1989-2019" | Spring 2019
The Spring 2019 Kopf conference brought together scholars from different disciplines to explore these and other dimensions of the “Kosovo case” and its impact on policy-making and scholarship in international relations, in the U.S. and beyond. Our goal is to have IR theorists engage with local knowledge and contextual expertise, and for regional specialists to put their work into comparative political perspective. Through sustained attention to this protracted conflict and its cascading diplomatic, military and legal consequences, we seek to generate new perspectives on the roles of different political actors in transforming norms and driving change in the theory and practice of international relations.
"New Perspectives on Statebuilding" | Fall 2018
At this conference, SPGS faculty and outside visitors will discuss working papers which draw on and inform debates outside of the traditional state building literature, for example on sub-national politics, authoritarian institutional design, colonial legacies and new states.
"Subnational Politics" | Spring 2018
The Spring 2018 Kopf conference featured faculty from SPGS and outside of the university. The group focused on Subnational Politics through a series of discussions and presentations.
"Ethnic / Religious Identities and Party Competition" | Spring 2017
The Spring 2017 Kopf conference brought together scholars that have worked on identity-based voting and those who have written on the limitations of economic voting models along with scholars who study “non-economic” populism and the effect of migration, religion and ethnicity on political mobilization. Due to its emphasis on the processes of party competition, the conference focused on these issues within electoral democracies.
"Symbolic Representation? Groups and Representation in Contemporary Democratic Politics" | Spring 2016
What is symbolic representation? The Spring 2016 Kopf conference sought to improve our understanding of the dynamics of representation by untangling the causal connections between changes in descriptive representation, substantive representation, and symbolic representation.
“How does Gender Shape Violence and Coercion?” | Fall 2015
A growing body of scholarly work investigates the effects of gender on attitudes and behaviors towards the use of political violence and coercion. Studies have pointed to the different approaches taken by elite men and women in the resolution of interstate conflict, sexual abuses and harassment within the state security apparatus, and the necessity of prioritizing policies to combat sexual and domestic violence. Thie Fall 2015 Kopf conference brought together a wide range of scholars to engage in a joint investigation into the study of gender as a cause and consequence of violence and coercion.
Ethnic and Religious Conflict Conference | Spring 2015
With the support of SPGS and the Center for Studies of Religion and Conflict at ASU, our Working Group organized an international Conference on Ethnic and Religious Conflict that took place in the Spring of 2015 at ASU. The conference, attended by leading scholars in political science, sociology, anthropology and history, analyzed the implications of these different kinds of groups for political mobilization, violence and conflict.
How Do We Know What We Know? Conference | Spring 2015
The Spring 2015 Kopf conference brought together several prominent Human Rights scholars and practitioners to try and tackle the question of documenting Human Rights practices and abuses. Bringing together different methodological perspectives, participants presented on several cutting-edge research practices to try and better understand where and how many abuses of Human Rights occur and how better Human Rights practices develop.
Women, Media and Politics: A Comparative Perspective | Spring 2014
The Spring 2014 Kopf conference examined women, media and politics through a series of discussions and presentations.