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Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Elizabethtown College

Dr. Kyle C. Kopko earned his Ph.D. in political science from The Ohio State University in 2010, with a concentration in judicial politics and American politics. He currently serves as Assistant Dean for Academic Achievement and Engagement, Associate Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Honors and Pre-Law Programs at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Kopko's research has earned him international recognition as an expert on vice presidential candidates, partisanship, and the federal judiciary. His research has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed outlets, including Election Law Journal, Judicature, Justice System Journal, Political Behavior, and Presidential Studies Quarterly. He is co-author of the book “The VP Advantage: How Running Mates Influence Home State Voting in Presidential Elections,” (Manchester University Press) with Dr. Christopher Devine. Dr. Kopko’s research has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, U.S. News & World Report, FiveThirtyEight, The Huffington Post, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and Fox News Channel.

Experience

  • 2020–present
    Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Elizabethtown College
  • 2016–2020
    Associate Professor of Political Science, Elizabethtown College
  • 2018–2020
    Associate Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning, Elizabethtown College
  • 2015–2018
    Honors Program Director, Elizabethtown College
  • 2016–2018
    Assistant Dean for Academic Achievement and Engagement, Elizabethtown College
  • 2010–2018
    Pre-Law Director, Elizabethtown College
  • 2010–2016
    Assistant Professor of Political Science, Elizabethtown College

Education

  • 2010 
    The Ohio State University, Ph.D., Political Science
  • 2007 
    The Ohio State University, M.A., Political Science
  • 2005 
    Elizabethtown College, B.A., Political Science

Publications

  • 2016
    Feminist Pedagogy and the Socratic Method: Partners in the Classroom or a Disaster Waiting to Happen?, Higher Education Studies
  • 2016
    Assessing Outcomes of National Science Foundation Grants in the Social Sciences, CUR Quarterly
  • 2016
    The VP Advantage: How Running Mates Influence Home State Voting in Presidential Elections, Manchester University Press
  • 2015
    Shooting from the Hip: Concealed Cameras in the United States Supreme Court, Judicature
  • 2015
    Litigant Partisan Identification and Challenges to Campaign Finance Policies: An Examination of U.S. District Court Decisions, 1971-2007, Justice System Journal
  • 2015
    The Politics of the Presidential Medal of Freedom: A Fifty-Year Analysis, 1963-2013, New England Journal of Political Science
  • 2013
    Presidential Versus Vice Presidential Home State Advantage: A Comparative Analysis of Electoral Significance, Causes, and Processes, 1884-2008, Presidential Studies Quarterly
  • 2012
    Religious Identity and Political Participation in the Mennonite Church USA, Politics and Religion
  • 2011
    The Vice Presidential Home State Advantage Reconsidered: Analyzing the Interactive Effect of Home State Population and Political Experience, 1884-2008, Presidential Studies Quarterly
  • 2011
    In the Eye of the Beholder? Motivated Reasoning in Disputed Elections, Political Behavior
  • 2009
    Evolution of Judicial Careers in the Federal Courts, Judicature
  • 2008
    Partisanship Suppressed: Judicial Decision-Making in Ralph Nader’s 2004 Ballot Access Litigation, Election Law Journal
  • 2007
    Bush Fever: Amish and Old Order Mennonites in the 2004 Presidential Election, Mennonite Quarterly Review

Professional Memberships

  • American Political Science Association
  • Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors
  • National Collegiate Honors Council
  • American Conference of Academic Deans
  • Council on Undergraduate Research