Lauren Elliott-Dorans joined the Kenyon faculty in the fall of 2023. She specializes in American politics, with a particular focus upon political psychology. Her courses cover such topics as public opinion, political participation, religion in American politics, the American presidency and research methods. Her research spans multiple disciplines, including political science, pedagogy and public health. Her work in political science explores the extent to which core values drive political preferences and behavior in the American electorate, particularly toward social issues such as LGBTQ+ rights.
Prior to joining the Kenyon community, Elliott-Dorans was the recipient of the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Teaching from Ohio University. She also served as a co-principal investigator for several Ohio-based maternal child health projects, including the Ohio Pregnancy Assessment Survey (OPAS), the Ohio Fatherhood Survey (OFS) and the Ohio Study of Associated Risks of Stillbirth (Ohio SOARS). In addition to numerous public health reports and briefs prepared for the state of Ohio, her work has also appeared in the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties, the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of LGBT Politics, and Computers & Education.
Education
2016 — Doctor of Philosophy from The Ohio State University
2013 — Master of Arts from The Ohio State University
2009 — Master of Arts from Ohio University
Courses Recently Taught
This course is the same as PSCI 200D. This course must be taken as PSCI 200D to count toward the social science diversification requirement. The course explores the guiding principles, major institutions and national politics of the American political system. The Founders' view of liberal democracy and of the three branches of our government (presented in the "Federalist Papers") will provide the basis for consideration of the modern Supreme Court, presidency, bureaucracy, Congress, news media and political parties and elections. The course concludes with Tocqueville's broad overview of American democracy and its efforts to reconcile liberty and equality. The themes of the course will be illustrated by references to current political issues, events and personalities. This course counts toward the politics, culture and society requirement for the major. Sophomore standing. Concurrent enrollment in PSCI 102Y is required. Offered every year.
This course is the same as AMST 200D. The course explores the guiding principles, major institutions and national politics of the American political system. The Founders' view of liberal democracy and of the three branches of our government (presented in the "Federalist Papers") provides the basis for consideration of the modern Supreme Court, presidency, bureaucracy, Congress, news media, and political parties and elections. The course concludes with Tocqueville's broad overview of American democracy and its efforts to reconcile liberty and equality. The themes of the course are illustrated by references to current political issues, events and personalities. This course is required for the major. This counts toward the politics, culture and society requirement for the American studies major. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or first-year students currently enrolled in PSCI 102Y. Offered every year.
Political scientists increasingly employ quantitative tools to analyze politics. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of quantitative political analysis. The core of the course is devoted to the basic linear regression model and its variants, which are used widely in political science research. We cover hypothesis formation and hypothesis testing, basic descriptive statistics and the presentation via tables and charts of the findings of quantitative analysis. To better situate quantitative analysis within the discipline, we introduce qualitative methods and discuss research design. This counts toward an elective for the major and the methodology requirement for the international studies major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing.
This course explores different views of the presidency and the nature of presidential leadership. The Founders' view is compared with developments since Franklin Roosevelt, including the imperial and post-imperial presidencies. A central concern is understanding the constitutional powers of and restraints on the modern president. We study presidential selection, the president's relations with other parts of the government and the president's role in domestic and foreign policymaking. The course concludes with a study of presidential leadership and the proper ends and means by which to exercise political power, with particular attention to the presidencies of George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. This counts toward the American politics course for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing. Offered every two years.
This course examines the origins, nature and impact of American public opinion as expressed through polling and electoral behavior. Major topics include the measurement and nature of public opinion, the sources of political opinions and attitudes, the organization of citizen thinking about politics, the origins of voting decisions, and the impact of public opinion on the nature and direction of public policy. We study these topics with regard to a number of contemporary issues and elections, and in light of modern trends toward popular polarization. Particular attention is paid to the tension between normative expectations of democratic citizens and empirical research findings regarding their actual behavior. This counts toward the American politics requirement for the major and the public policy concentration. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing. Offered every two years.
This course examine the participation of women in American political life. We trace the development of feminism out of broader political and intellectual movements and consider the situation of women in American society today. We also look at women in their roles as voters, candidates, party activists and public officials. The ways in which gender relations are defined by public policy and law are a focus, with particular attention given to constitutional equality, workplace and family issues, and reproductive rights. This counts toward the American politics requirement for the major. No prerequisite. Sophomore standing.
How is American democracy shaped by the constantly evolving relationships among politicians, journalists and citizens? What is news? How do journalists define their job? Is the news more a medium that allows politicians to manipulate the public, or is it the media that shapes public opinion? Or is it possible that the audience influences the news as much as it is influenced by it? The conflict between the media and the government is analyzed in terms of the constitutional rights of a free press and a political battle between an adversarial or biased press and a government of manipulating politicians. Current news serves as a testing ground for the ideas advanced by scholars, journalists and politicians. This counts toward the American politics or seminar requirement for the major. Sophomore standing.
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