It also sponsors post-doctoral fellows, and has six in residence in any given year. Mershon's largest policy initiative is an ongoing project with the Polish Ministry of Education to foster civic culture through appropriate primary and secondary school books, courses and teacher training programs. The Summer Institute in Political Psychology is the highlight of the year's activities in political psychology. It is co-directed by faculty members in the Political Science and Psychology departments. The four-week program draws participants from various departments at Ohio State and from universities around the world.
Students attend lectures and participate in daily discussion groups.
A distinguished faculty presents lectures on fundamental topics in political psychology, ranging from mass political attitudes to the psychology of political elites. Specific topics include attitude formation and change, political socialization, political cognition, social identity, elite decision-making, leadership personality and motivation, and group dynamics. Students also receive methodological training in workshops on such topics as surveys, experiments, content analysis, and case studies. One of the great attractions of the program is visits by a number of outstanding scholars who have developed international reputations in political psychology. These guest specialists lecture on a topic in their area of expertise as well as meet informally with students.