My dissertation project explores the consequences of conspiracy theories, emphasizing a recent wave of partisan conspiracy theories from Turkey and the U.S.A. - two significantly different countries with surprising resemblances. It identifies when conspiracy theories become relevant and influential in mainstream politics either as divisive and destructive to democracy or unifying and helpful to democratic forces. Conspiracy theories have always been widespread - potential alien invasions, suspicious assassinations of political figures, or secret societies ruling the world - and until recently, those who entertained such beliefs represented widely divergent political ideologies. But what happens when rival politicians use popular conspiracy theories against each other, or citizens rely on these ideas to inform their political decisions? How do such claims impact people’s understanding of democratic politics? What does this conspiracist challenge mean for the future of democracy? Despite differences between Turkey and the U.S.A - political history and institutions, economic development, and social/religious diversity - recent political experiences from these countries demonstrate a similar pattern of impact related to conspiracy theories in their politics. The United States and Turkey, as two very different countries experiencing a similar problem, present us a unique opportunity to understand the impact of conspiracy theories in democracy in general and democratic erosion in particular. This research provides knowledge about the likeness of conspiracy theories’ impacts, despite significantly different contexts. Through two survey experiments and 14 focus group sessions in Turkey and the U.S.A., this dissertation project analyzes how conspiracy beliefs affect people's attitudes toward political institutions, democracy, and autocracy when attached to powerful political identities such as partisanship.

Binghamton University, Political Science DepartmentPLSC 485W-01 The Politics of Conspiracy Theories and Democratic Erosion Spring 2022PLSC 113-90 Introduction to Comparative Politics Fall 2021PLSC 389A Conspiracy Theories and Democracy Summer 2020Binghamton University, Lyceum Center for Life-Long LearningConspiracy Theories and The Politics of Misinformation Spring 2022

PLSC 373 American Political Thought, taught by Dr. Therese Cingranelli Fall 2020PLSC 113 Introduction to Comparative Politics, taught by Dr. Ekrem Karakoc Fall 2019PLSC 117 World Politics, taught by Dr. Benjamin Fordham Fall 2018PLSC 111 Introduction to American Politics, taught by Dr. Greg Robinson Spring 2018PLSC 378E American Political History, taught by Dr. Therese Cingranelli Fall 2017

Research Assistant, Ideological Dimensions of Western European Parties Summer 2021▪ Reviewed national survey datasets and analyzed social and economic ideological placements of voters for their parties and themselves, respectively, to see whether citizens vote for the parties that they are closest to in terms of their own ideological placementsResearch Assistant, Conspiracy Theories – Dr. Ekrem Karakoc Spring 2021▪ Surveyed individual conspiracy theories in MENA countries and their relations to anti-Americanism.Research Assistant, Human Rights Data Project – Dr. David Cingranelli Spring 2021▪ Using CIRIGHTS data set, investigated differences between machine and human coding may change the human rights scores a country receivesResearch Assistant, Gerrymandering – Dr. Daniel Magleby Spring 2020▪ Analyzed how changes to district borders influenced election returns investigating possible gerrymandering behaviorResearch Assistant, Judicial Politics – Dr. Jeff Yates Spring 2019▪ Collected and analyzed data commission, sentencing guidelines, and parole discretion data from 50 statesResearch Assistant, Environmental Politics – Dr. Robert Holahan Summer 2019▪ Reviewed effectiveness of local American governance on implementing climate-friendly policies and deterring oil and gas activity

Democratic Erosion is a multi-university consortium that helps students and faculty evaluate threats to democracy both at home and abroad through the lens of theory, history, and social science.Recent years have witnessed a deluge of commentary warning of imminent threats to democracy in the US, the West, and the world. In the US, this rhetoric has become especially heated with the rise of Donald Trump.Is American democracy really under threat? What about democracy in the West, or the world more generally? If democracy is under threat, what can we do about it? And if it’s not under threat, why are so many of us so worried that it is? The Democratic Erosion consortium aims to help answer these questions through a combination of teaching, research, and civic and policy engagement.Since fall 2017, faculty at more than 60 universities have taught from the same shared syllabus on democratic erosion. We have also constructed a unique event dataset capturing the symptoms and precursors of democratic erosion across countries and over time, which we have used to conduct research and prepare reports for our partners in the policy community. Our students collaborate on assignments and are expected to engage not only with their peers but with the public as well.Importantly, the consortium is not intended as a partisan critique of Donald Trump, or of any other politician or political party. Our goal is to treat the threat of democratic erosion as an empirical question, rather than merely a political one.

Political Science 101 Introduction to Politics, taught by Dr. Hakan Yilmaz Fall 2016Political Science 101 Introduction to Politics, taught by Dr. Hakan Yilmaz Fall 2015