Teaching
POL 102: Introduction to American Government
Fall 2020 and Spring 2021
What the informed citizen and specialist should know about the organization of American government, including the Constitution and what it means today, the Congress, political parties, pressure groups, growth of the Presidency, the Supreme Court, judicial review, federalism, separation of powers, and the Bill of Rights.
POL 367: Mass Media in American Politics
Summers 2020 - 2023
Fall 2022 and Spring 2023
Competing theories of the power of the press are tested by examining the literature on mass media effects on what the public thinks and what the public thinks about. Various explanations of why news organizations behave as they do are also assessed. Conflicts between freedom of the press and such values as privacy, national security, and the right to fair trial are discussed. The relationships between freedom of the press and the public's right to know are also explored.