American Politics

American Politics courses use historical and contemporary examples to understand the political system the founders established, and the ways it has shaped politics. We examine institutions, parties, voting, protest, the media, social values, policy processes, law, inequality and group diversity — as well as how these interact to create the dynamics of American politics today.

FACULTY RESEARCH

Our American Politics faculty’s research interests include political institutions, political behavior and communication, campaigns and elections, legislative behavior, and judicial politics. Their work has been published in the discipline’s leading journals and book presses and has been supported by prestigious funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation and Fulbright. The American Politics faculty routinely serve as invited commentators on state and national election coverage shows, and their scholarship has been cited in leading media outlets.

Read about our faculty’s recent research, articles written and quotes in leading media outlets on our news page, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Faculty Members

Toby Bolsen

Associate Professor
Political behavior, public opinion, political communication, experimental methods, U.S. energy policy and climate change.

Lakeyta Bonnette-Bailey

Associate Professor
African American Politics, Public Opinion, Gender and Politics, Political Behavior, Political Attitudes, Culture, and Politics.

Michael Evans

Lecturer
Public Law, American Politics and Constitutionalism.

Michael Fix

Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies
Public Law/Judicial Politics and Research Methodology.

Daniel Franklin

Associate Professor
American Chief Executives, film and politics, Georgia state politics, budgeting and the legislative process.

Sarah Allen Gershon

Associate Professor
American Politics, Political Behavior, Gender, Race and Ethnicity.

Robert Howard

Professor
Courts as institutions and Judicial politics, Public policy, Constitutional Law.

Jeffrey Lazarus

Associate Professor
Candidate Decision-Making in Elections, Congressional Procedure, and Legislative Procedure More Broadly.

Periloux Peay

Assistant Professor
American Political Institutions, Agenda Setting, Race and American Institutions, Policy Process, Voting Rights and Election Policy, and Social Network Analysis.

Sean Richey

Associate Professor
Voting and elections, political communication and political behavior.

Amy Steigerwalt

Associate Professor
Judicial politics/judicial behavior, constitutional law, interest groups, Congress.

Judd Thornton

Associate Professor
Political Behavior.