Teaching Areas

Doug teaches standard advanced courses in American politics and government and personalized courses building on his practical political experience and interest in religion and politics.

President and Congress

  • Explains each branch separately and how they work together

  • Illustrates longstanding issues with contemporary content

  • Employs active learning with simulations and structured debates

Parties, Interest Groups, and Political Media

  • Explains competition within each element and across elements
  • Places each element in national, state, and local contexts

  • Employs active learning with simulations and structured debates

Life and Work in Politics

  • Frames the key issues involved in living and working well in politics

  • Fills the course with real-life examples, stories, and practitioner guests

  • Connects to career exploration and vocational development

Religion and American Politics

  • Presents competing theories of the mix of religion and politics in America

  • Explains how institutional and individual religion interact with politics

  • Appreciatively treats many Christian and non-Christian traditions

The American Political System

  • Reemphasizes key but often overlooked ideas of federalism and localism

  • Notes government dependence on constructive individual and group participation

  • Frames topics within a broader theory of American political and religious culture