Dr. Peterson joined the faculty of the Department of Social Science in 1995. Prior to that appointment, he taught for two years as a Visiting Lecturer at West Virginia University, and as a Teaching Assistant at Indiana University. His primary interest is democratic governance and the relationship and influences between economic and governmental institutions. Dr. Peterson won the Outstanding Teacher Award (given to three faculty each year by the Student Government Association) in 1997, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2009.
Dr. Peterson was honored with the 2009, 2007, 2003, 1999, and 1997 Outstanding Faculty Awards by the Student Government Association from the student nominees of faculty that demonstrate excellence in instruction and service to students on campus.
Education and Certifications
B.A., English, Antioch College, 1978
M.A., Political Science, West Virginia University, 1982
Ph.D., Political Science, Indiana University, 1994
Courses Taught
POLS 101: U.S. Politics
POLS 270: Introduction to Political Science
POLS 516: Political Parties and Elections
POLS 517: Congress
POLS 554: Kansas Legislature Distant Internship Program
POLS 578: Democratic Theory and Public Opinion
POLS 616: Interest Groups and Social Movements’
POLS 630: International Political Economy
POLS 686: Senior Seminar in Political Science
Advising
Faculty Advisor for the Green Gorillas
Faculty Advisor for the Campus Democrats
Interests, Publications and Presentations
“Antiwar Protest and Elections: Influence on Congressional Debate During the Vietnam War.”Published in the Proceeding of the Sixth International Conference on Alternative Futures and Popular Protest, 2000, Volume II, edited by Colin Barker and Mike Tyldesley. ISBN: 1 899927 18 2
Book Reviews of Jihad vs. McWorld by Benjamin R. Barber and Generation X Goes To College by Peters Sacks. Midwest Quarterly , Volume 40, Number 2, Winter 1999.
“Protest Politics, the Media, and Public and Elite Opinion During the Vietnam War.” PoliticalCommunication, Volume 13, Number 3, July-September 1996: 364-366.
