Douglas M. Brattebo, Ph.D., J.D.
Associate Professor of Political Science; Director, James A. Garfield Center for the Study of the American Presidency
Contact
Douglas M. Brattebo is Professor of Political Science and Director of the James A. Garfield Center for the Study of the American Presidency. Among the courses Brattebo teaches are: Ethics in U.S. Foreign Policy; Introduction to American Government; The American Presidency and the Executive Branch; Scandals and Constitutional Crises in the Modern Presidency; Understanding Trump and Trumpism; The U.S. Congress; Political Parties and Interest Groups; Constitutional Law I: Governmental Powers and the Federal System; Constitutional Law II: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights; The Virtues, Leadership, and Legacy of Abraham Lincoln; and Engaged Citizenship. A world traveler, he also leads study away courses to Australia, New Zealand, and the ancient forests of the U.S. Pacific Coast. Brattebo has won campus-wide teaching awards at both Hiram College (2016) and the U.S. Naval Academy (2002). Among his more than thirty publications are six co-edited books.
Education
- B.A., University of Iowa
- M.A., University of Maryland
- PH.D., University of Maryland
- J.D., Georgetown University
Research Interests
Professor Brattebo’s research interests center on the American presidency and U.S. political institutions. Of particular fascination to him are presidential campaigns and elections, voting behavior and the Electoral College, the connection between presidential leadership and policymaking, and the contrasts between the political systems of the U.S. and other democracies. Brattebo’s research also explores the subject areas of civic engagement, human happiness, and the preservation of the planet.
Selected Publications
- Douglas M. Brattebo, “Iowa U.S. Senate Campaign: Confirmation of Party Realignment in the Hawkeye State,” in The Roads to Congress 2020: Campaigning in the Era of Trump and Covid-19, Edited by Sean D. Foreman, Marcia L. Godwin, and Walter Clark Wilson, Palgrave Macmillan, 2022.
- The Presidency of Barack Obama: Leadership and Legacy, Edited by Tom Lansford, Douglas M. Brattebo, Robert P. Watson, and Casey Maugh Funderburk, SUNY Press, 2021.
- Douglas M. Brattebo, “The Evolving Political Partnership of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton,” in The Presidency of Barack Obama: Leadership and Legacy, Edited by Tom Lansford, Douglas M. Brattebo, Robert P. Watson, and Casey Maugh Funderburk, SUNY Press, 2021
- Douglas M. Brattebo, “Partisanship in the Trump Era: Situating Contemporary Congressional Parties in Historical Perspective,” in The Roads to Congress 2018, Edited by Sean D. Foreman, Marcia L. Godwin, and Walter Clark Wilson, Palgrave Macmillan, 2019
- Douglas M. Brattebo, “Wisconsin Senate Race (Ron Johnson v. Russ Feingold): Stunning Upset in the Badger State,” in The Roads to Congress 2016, Edited by Sean D. Foreman and Marcia L. Godwin, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.
Fun Facts
- Growing up in Iowa, the state that goes first every four years in the presidential nomination process, helped ignite Professor Brattebo’s interest in the American presidency.
- Among the countries Professor Brattebo has been fortunate to visit are Australia, Bhutan, Canada, China, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
- Professor Brattebo may well be America’s greatest living fisherman.
