Department of Political Science
Melissa Deckman
Associate Professor of Political Science
E-mail: mdeckman2@washcoll.edu
Phone: (800) 422-1782, ext. 7494
Office: Daly 202
Education
- Ph.D. in Political Science, American University, 1999
- M.A. in Political Science, American University, 1997
- B.A. in Political Science, St. Mary's College of Maryland, 1993
Research Interests
Religion and politics, women and politics, political behavior, and local politics.
Published Work
- School Board Battles: The Christian Right in Local Politics
- Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence
Press Releases
- Getting It Right On The Christian Right: Professor Melissa Deckman's New Book Separates Fact From Fiction In School Board Politics
- WC Professor's New Book Examines Women's Paths from Local to National Political Power
Biography
A native Marylander, Professor Deckman graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 1993 and received her Ph.D. in Political Science from American University in 1999. Prior to joining the faculty of Washington College in 2000, she taught American politics at American University and served as a Research Associate with the Federal Judicial Center, the education and research arm of the federal courts.
Professor Deckman's areas of specialty include religion and politics, state and local politics, and women and politics. She is the author of School Board Battles: the Christian Right in Local Politics (Georgetown University Press 2004), which examines the impact of the Christian Right on school board elections. Along with Laura Olson and Sue Crawford, she is the co-author of Women with a Mission: Gender, Religion, and the Politics of Women Clergy (University of Alabama Press 2005). In the fall of 2006, Pearson/Prentice Hall will publish her textbook on women and American politics, Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence, co-authored with Julie Dolan and Michele Swers.
Professor Deckman has also published numerous academic articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Social Science Quarterly, Public Administration Review, Review of Religious Research, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, and Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and is set to have an article about gender and school board candidates appear in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Women, Politics, and Public Policy.
Professor Deckman teaches the introductory courses in political science and American government and politics and offers advanced courses about the American presidency, the legislative process, women and politics, the media and politics, state and local politics, elections and the political process and empirical political research methods. She also co-ordinates the Maryland General Assembly Internship, which allows students to spend two days per week as state legislative interns in Annapolis during the spring semester.
As an undergraduate, Professor Deckman studied abroad in Costa Rica and England, and she has traveled widely. In addition to traveling, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing the piano, cooking, and watching the Food Network.
300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782