Political Science - DePauw University

Political Science Faculty

Clarissa Peterson, Chair

Ph.D. (Emory University)

Associate Professor
105 Asbury Hall
Phone: (765) 658-4807
E-mail: cpeterson@depauw.edu

Dr. Peterson, the youngest of six children, was born and raised in Steubenville, Ohio. She attended the University of Akron in Ohio where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science/ Public Policy management. While at the University of Akron, she was one of twenty students selected to participate in the Ralph Bunche summer program sponsored by the American Political Science Association. She Graduated from the University of Akron in 1992. Immediately after graduation she attended graduate school at Emory University where she served as a graduate assistant at the ICPSR in Ann Arbor Michigan for “Nonlinear Systems I and II” during the summers of 1995 and taught “Nonlinear Systems” during the summer of 1996.

Dr. Peterson has been at DePauw since 1997. She teaches classes in political science and Black studies. Some of the classes that she has taught include: 1) American National Government, 2) Political Parties, 3) African American Politics, 4) Race politics, 5) Introduction to Black Studies, 6) Race, Power, and Privilege in American Government, and 6) Voting Behavior in the US. She has also advised several independent projects in Black studies and political science and taught a very popular winter-term class focusing on an African American experience. This winter term course exposed the students to Black movies, music, and soul food. In January 2009, Professor Peterson led a winter trip to South Africa where the students studied the politics, culture, and religion of the country.

Professor Peterson has been very active on campus. She served as the Interim Director of the Black Studies program during the (2003-2004) academic year, pre law advisor, Associate Faculty Development Coordinator for the Quantitative Reasoning Program, Chair of the Political Science Department, and has advised several student groups, formally and informally. She served on the test development and course design committee for the Advanced Placement Government and Politics: US and remains active in the Advanced Placement program. Peterson is currently the co-chair of the APSA Committee on the Status of Blacks in the Profession.

Her research interests include Black politics, voting behavior, and ideology. She is working on several articles on the Black Politics. Her most recent research include “From ‘Run Jesse Run‘to ‘Yes We Can’: The Dynamics of African American Presidential Politics” and “Race and Gender at the 2008 Democratic National Convention”. She is also working on a book manuscript on the Obama run for the presidency with Angela K. Lewis and Pearl K. Ford.

Dr. Peterson is married and has two children, Ronald (a middle school student) and Deijhah (an elementary school student). She enjoys spending time with them by riding bikes and traveling to see relatives. She is committed to making a difference in her community through volunteering her time and expertise. She was an avid cheerleader in high school (later cheerleader coach) and is now enjoys watching Deijhah carry the torch and being the loudest Mom to cheer on Ronald from the sidelines.

Ron Deja