Articles
and
Book Chapters
2021. “Using Facebook Live to Reach Parents and Families in the Age of COVID-19.” The Academic Leader (October 18, 2021).
From March 2020 through the end of my tenure as Associate Provost in June 2021, I worked with my Provost and fellow Associate Provost to keep our university community apprised of what was happening with the academic response to COVID-19. At first, we went live on Facebook every day to provide updates, then rolling back to twice a week and finally just once a week. In this article, we describe our motivations, approach, and lessons learned from this intense engagement with our stakeholders.
2018. “Women Rule: Gendered Leadership and State Supreme Court Chief Justice Selection” (with Mikel Norris). Journal of Women, Politics & Policy 39(1): 104-125.
While women are underrepresented in many political institutions and leadership positions, nearly half of state supreme court chief justices are women. Is there something about the role of state supreme court justice that facilitates the recruitment of women to this important political position? We examine whether the selection of a woman chief is driven by the court’s institutional need for women’s leadership style or simply the supply of qualified justices. We find that ideological diversity drives demand for a woman chief. A supply of experienced women justices also has a significant impact on likelihood of selection.
2012. “Are They Living What They Learn? Assessing Knowledge and Attitude Change in Political Science” (with Pam Martin and Min Ye). Journal of Political Science Education 8(2): 201-223.
Many assessment studies are devoted to discovering whether student knowledge increases after successful completion of a specific course; fewer studies attempt to examine whether students undergo a change in their values and attitudes as a result of that coursework. Given the continuing emphasis on assessment and the fulfillment of core curriculum goals at universities across the country, we designed a two-phase study of student learning outcomes in both core curriculum and major requirement courses. In addition to measuring changes in student knowledge, we also examine student attitude changes as a result of taking Introduction to World Politics or American National Government. We theorize that teaching such courses may impact student attitudes in such a way as to increase both knowledge and the likelihood of political participation. As such, our study provides insights into whether our students are meeting established student learning outcomes, but it also has implications for public policy and politics. Using data from a multiple-semester study, we find that introductory-level courses in both American and world politics not only lead to increases in student knowledge about and interest in politics but also affect slight but significant changes in political attitudes.
2012. “Judicial Innovation and Sexual Harassment Doctrine in the U.S. Courts of Appeals” (with Laura Moyer). Political Research Quarterly 65(4):784-798.
The determination that sexual harassment constituted "discrimination based on sex" under Title VII was first made by the lower federal courts, not Congress. Drawing from the literature on policy diffusion, this article examines the adoption of hostile work environment standards across the U.S. Courts of Appeals in the absence of controlling Supreme Court precedent. The results bolster recent findings about the influence of female judges on their male colleagues and suggest that in addition to siding with female plaintiffs, female judges also helped to shape legal rules that promoted gender equality in the workplace.
2010. “Assessing the Impact of State Judicial Structures on Citizen Litigiousness: Do Institutions Really Matter?” (with Jeff Yates and Paul Brace). Political Research Quarterly 63 (Dec. 2010): 796-810.
Some researchers argue over the existence of a "litigation explosion," while others seek to understand the causes of variation in citizen legal mobilization and rates of litigation among states. Existing studies have provided important insight into citizens' propensity to invoke the state courts to settle disputes; however, there remain unresolved questions concerning state litigation rates. The authors argue that the structural aspects of state judicial systems, specifically the professionalism of the courts and method of judicial selection, have important implications for litigiousness. They further suggest that the effects of these institutional structural characteristics are conditioned on the political environment of the state in which they operate. The authors consider tort litigation rates in ten states over twenty years to assess the proposition that these institutional structural characteristics of state court systems affect state citizen legal mobilization, expressed as litigation rates.
2008. “What is Family? Defining the Terms of the Welfare State.” In The American Family: Understanding Its Changing Dynamics and Place in Society, ed. Dennis Wiseman. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Pp. 21 – 38. Reprinted in Family and Childrearing: Russia and the USA, A Cross-Cultural Analysis, eds, R, Zhukov, L. Mardahaev, D. DeCenzo, & D. Wiseman. Moscow, Russia: Russian State Social University Press, 2009: pp. 33 – 46.
The promotion of "family values" has dominated political rhetoric in the United States for nearly sixty years. Politicians use this ambiguous term to appeal to voters' perceived desires for a return to an American past in which social and economic life was less complicated. Ironically, the introduction of family values into the the political debate is anything but simple; the use of the term makes politics vastly more complicated, as it is widely accepted that the word "values" is an inherently political term with ideological connotations. Less present in the public policy or political debate, but perhaps just as controversial, is the definition of "family." The majority of social welfare and labor policies in the United States incorporate at least a handful of provisions hat either rely on or recognize alternate definitions of family when delineating eligibility for benefits. Consequently, it becomes critical to define "family" in such a way that meets the realities of modern life.
2008. “What You Can Do and You Decide.” Chapter civic engagement and learning activities in Living Democracy, 2/E, eds. Daniel M. Shea, Joanne Green, and Christopher Smith. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Various pages. (with Laura Moyer)
2007. “Strategies for Service Learning.” Living Democracy Instructor’s Manual, 1/E, eds. Daniel M. Shea, Joanne Green, and Christopher Smith. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Various Pages. (with Laura Moyer).
Public Scholarship, POLICY REPORTS, and CONSULTING
2017. “Analysis of Horry County Voter Precincts in Elections 2008 – 2016.” Commissioned by Horry County Democratic Party, August 2016. Delivered February 23, 2017
2015. “Analysis of Voting Patterns and Distribution of Transportation Projects in Horry County." Commissioned by the Horry County Council’s Ride III Committee, October 2014. Delivered April 15, 2015. Edgar Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy.
2014. “University Charter School Sponsorship Study." Commissioned by the Board of Trustees of Coastal Carolina University, September 2014. Delivered December 15, 2014. Edgar Dyer Institute for Leadership and Public Policy.
2010 - present. Regular on-air political analysis for WMBF News, Myrtle Beach NBC Affiliate, Selected Segments:
CCU “Coastal Now” package on 2020 Presidential Election coverage in local media, November 4, 2020.
In-studio Facebook Live discussion on midterm election night, November 6, 2018
“What you need to know about Amendment 1 before heading to the polls,” November 5, 2018
"Expert breaks down healthcare repeal failure," July 28, 2017
"Political analyst breaks down former FBI Director’s testimony," June 8, 2017
"Looking ahead to final debate between Clinton, Trump," October 18, 2016
"Local political expert analyzes Monday’s debate," September 27, 2016
"Political experts preview Saturday's Democratic Primary," February 4, 2016
Selected
Conference
Presentations
“Succession Planning: Finding Your Replacement as Department Chair.” Presented at the 2017 Academic Chairpersons Conference, New Orleans, LA, February 8 – 11, 2017.
“Public Value and Public Values in State Legislative Institutions.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 6 – 10, 2016.
“Women Rule: Selection of the Chief Justice in State Supreme Courts” (with Mikel Norris). Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 14 – 17, 2015.
“Keeping up with the Joneses: Professionalization and Competition in State Institutions,” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association, Orlando, FL, January 2 – 5, 2013.
“Determinants of Women’s Legislative Success,” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, April 12 – 15, 2012.
“Policy Diffusion & Sex Discrimination Doctrine in the U.S. Courts of Appeals” (with Laura Moyer). Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association, Atlanta, January 7 – 9, 2010.
“Are They Living What They Learn? Assessing Knowledge and Attitude Change in Political Science” Presented at the American Political Science Association’s Annual Teaching and Learning Conference, Baltimore, February 2009.