Pledging Allegiance: Legal Analysis of Everyday Nationhood in U.S. Schools

Description of research project: 

For many children in the United States, the Pledge of Allegiance is a daily ritual intended to reaffirm their loyalty to the nation. There are 47 states with laws that schools must administer the pledge, but there is little systematic research on what these laws require from schools and how the laws were passed. Following scholarship on how nationhood is reproduced through everyday rituals and interactions, this research project aims to uncover what nation-building expectations are put on teachers through administering the pledge and how teachers conceptualize their role in nation-building.

Description of work that will be assigned to research assistants: 

Research assistants will work to construct a database of laws that mandate the administration of the Pledge of Allegiance in K-12 schools. They will use state legislative records to compile detailed information on each individual state law. Research assistants will have the opportunity to do higher-level synthesis through writing memos based on themes from the laws. If there is sufficient time and student interest, they will also review legislative history or expand work to other legal areas.

Supervising Faculty Member: Elizabeth Armstrong

Graduate Student: Xavier Fields

Contact information: xfields@umich.edu

Average hours of work per week: 4-6 hours

Range of credit hours students can earn: 1-2 credits

Number of positions available: 3