Rolfe Daus Peterson, PhD

Hello and Welcome!
I am a broadly-trained American politics scholar with a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California at Davis.  I am currently an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Mercyhurst University. I also serve as the Associate Director of the Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics.  For more information on the center and the our CATI polling center, click here.

My research interests cover a wide-range of topics in political science.  My current research agenda includes members of Congress and the adoption of Twitter as well as the electoral prospects of women candidates in American elections.  A recent co-authored publication on gender bias and voting was the subject of a blog post on The Economist web site.  For more information on my current research interests, you can view a brief research agenda.

My dissertation examined the influence of competitive campaigns and social networks on political behavior.  I explored the concept of political activation by emphasizing the cognitive effects of intense campaign contexts and vibrant political discussion networks on political attitudes. To read the dissertation abstract and chapter overviews, click here.

Teaching is a serious aspect of my graduate training and profession.  I teach a variety of courses in American politics at Mercyhurst.  In addition to introduction to American government, I teach courses on public opinion and polling, media and politics, political psychology, Congress and the legislative process, and campaigns and elections. For sample syllabi, courses taught, and my teaching philosophy, click here.