Political Scientist

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Political Science Department at Georgia State University. Currently A.B.D., I am working on my dissertation entitled “The Netflix Effect: How Binge-watching Episodic Dramas Influences Political Attitudes and Perceptions of Marginalized Peoples.”

I was awarded the university’s esteemed Provost’s Dissertation Fellowship, which supports doctoral students in their final year of dissertation work, and plan to complete my degree by Summer 2020. In past years, I have worked as an instructor and research assistant in the Political Science Department and held an assistantship at the Global Studies Institute at GSU.

Research

I passed my comprehensive exams in American politics and comparative politics, though my primary research focus is in political behavior and media effects. I specialize in understanding how dramatic media – like films and shows – affect individual political attitudes and public opinion. Much of my work lies in political communication, and I pull often from the communication field. My dissertation uses mixed methods: qualitative, quantitative, and experimental. I received two departmental grants to complete the studies for my dissertation.

Teaching

I have taught Senior Seminar: Pop Culture & American Politics, Introduction to American Government, and Global Issues classes at GSU’s Atlanta campus and online. Both my Senior Seminar courses were taught in person on the Atlanta Campus. I taught my Global Issues course fully online. I have taught Intro to American Politics as an in-person lecture, a hybrid course, and a fully-online course. My teaching style incorporates contemporary examples and popular cultural references into lectures to help students better relate to the material.