CLAP Lab
Welcome to the CLAP (Courts Law Analytics Policy) Lab in the Department of Political Science & International Studies at the University of Tampa. The Lab is coordinated and managed by Dr. William Myers.
The CLAP Lab conducts policy-relevant research on issues related to the courts, law, and policy in the United States and other countries around the world including Australia, Canada, the European Union, and Ghana.
Student members of the CLAP Lab learn by doing and develop skills in data science with particular emphases on data collection, data management, and data analysis. Lab members deploy and hone these skills while working alongside Dr. Myers on one of several ongoing research projects. CLAP Lab members also develop their own research projects as part of the larger aim of training the next generation of political and social scientists.
The CLAP Lab recognizes student members as Fellows and Senior Fellows based on research and project experience.
Interested students should email Dr. Myers at wmyers@ut.edu to learn about current project opportunities or to just learn more about the CLAP Lab. There is no formal deadline to join the Lab and students are welcome to join on a rolling basis. If you are interested in applying for funding (and you should be!) be aware of the following dates:
Undergraduate Research and Inquiry Grant:
Funding for research during Fall and Spring semesters - applications due March 1.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship:
Funding for research during Summer - applications due February 1.
Student Success and Placement
Law School Placements
Georgetown University
University of Illinois
University of Florida
Stetson University
University of Georgia
University of Miami (FL)
University of Kentucky
Widener University
Ave Maria School of Law
Graduate School Placements
Georgetown University
George Washington University
Northeastern University
King's College London
Florida State University
University of Central Florida
University of South Florida
Basic Research
Students will learn how to conduct basic research, which consists of identifying data sources, determining relevant information, collecting information, and learning data collection best practices.
Basic research will be used for both public-facing scholarship (e.g., op-eds, letters to editors) and peer-reviewed academic research articles.
Text Analysis of Judicial Opinions
This project aims to leverage LIWC text analysis software to extract latent linguistic and psychological processes from judicial opinions from justices at the High Court of Australia and the United States Supreme Court.
Historical Legacies
This project aims to uncover the lingering effects of historical events, such as the imposition of slavery or settler colonial violence, on political attitudes towards groups and a range of public policies.