Brian Smentkowski joined the Department in 1993.  Brian's major teaching and research interests fall into two categories: (1) Public Law and the Judicial Process and (2) American Political Institutions and Elections. Since 1993 he has served as Pre-Law Adviser.  In addition to survey classes in American government, Brian routinely teaches Constitutional Law, U.S. Judicial Systems, State Government, Administrative Law, and Introduction to Political Science.  On the research front, Brian has presented and published a number of scholarly manuscripts in his fields of study.  His research interests focus on divided state government; the relationship between electoral behavior and electoral systems; and civil rights interest groups.  For the past two years, Brian has authored Encyclopedia Britannica's Book of the Year section on "The American Courts"; and he has served as section editor and principal author of Civil Rights, Economic Rights, and Human Rights, a volume in The Encyclopedia of American Interest Groups, plus several articles in M.E. Sharpe's Encyclopedia of Third Parties.  Presently, he is working on a second manuscript dedicated to pedagogy and political science.  A full c.v. is available at his homepage, listed above.

Past and Present Classes

• PS390 - The American Judicial System
• PS490 - Constitutional Law
• PS425-PS625 - Administrative Law and Procedure
• PS240 - Introduction to Political Science
• PS 103 - U.S. Political Systems