Rolfe Daus Peterson

Hello and Welcome!
I am a broadly-trained American politics scholar and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of California at Davis.  I plan to file my dissertation this December.  My current CV lists my teaching and research experience.

My research and teaching interests cover a wide-range of topics in political science.  My current research agenda includes racial priming in the 2008 Presidential election, the linkages between members of Congress and constituents, and the micro-processes that underlie campaign mobilization.  For more information on my current research interests, you can view a brief research agenda.

My dissertation examines the influence of competitive campaigns and social networks on political behavior.  I explore 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 links to drafts of the empirical chapters, click here.

Teaching is a serious aspect of my graduate training, and I am prepared to teach a variety of courses in American politics.  This fall, I am teaching a course on problems in the American system at Davis. For sample syllabi, courses taught, and my teaching philosophy, click here.