Vita

Steven A. Peterson is Director of the School of Public Affairs and Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg. His areas of research interest include: American Politics, Public Opinion and Voting Behavior, Biology and Politics, and Public Policy (AIDS policy and education policy)

He has authored or co-authored nearly twenty books, among which are Darwinism, Dominance, and Democracy; The Failure of Democratic Nation Building: Ideology Meets Evolution, Political Behavior: Patterns in Everyday Life; The World of the Policy Analyst; Human Nature and Public Policy, and over 100 publications, in a wide variety of journals and books. He has served as President of the New York State Political Science Association and the Northeastern Political Science Association. He has served as President of the Council in the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) and as Vice President and Secretary of Research Committee # 12 (Biology and Politics) of the International Political Science Association. He has served on the Council of the Pennsylvania Political Science Association.

Education

• B.A. Bradley University, 1969
• Ph.D. State University of New York at Buffalo, 1974

Research Areas

• American Politics
• Public Policy (Education and AIDS Policy)
• Biology and Politics
• Political Behavior
• State Politics

Professional Affiliations

• International Political Science Association
• American Political Science Association
• Midwest Political Science Association
• Southern Political Science Association
• Northeastern Political Science Association
• International Society of Political Psychology
• Association for Politics and the Life Sciences
• Others

Teaching Areas

• American Politics
• Public Policy and Policy Analysis
• Politcal Behavior
• State and Local Politics
• Political Institutions

Selected Recent Publications

Shaun L. Gabbidon and Steven A. Peterson, "'Living while Black': A State Level Analysis of the Influence of Select Stressors on the Quality of Life among Black Americans," Journal of Black Studies, 37 (2006), 83-102.

Steven A. Peterson, "Evolution, Cognition, and Decision-Making." In Göktug Morçöl (ed.), Handbook of Decision-Making (New York: Taylor & Francis, 2007).

Shaun L. Gabbidon, Lakeisha Marzette, and Steven A. Peterson, "Racial Profiling and the Courts: An Analysis of Federal Level Cases, 1991-2006." Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 23 (2007), 226-238.

Steven A. Peterson and Shaun L. Gabbidon, "Stressful Life Events and African American Political Participation: A State Level Analysis," Journal of Black Studies, 38 (2007), 142-154.

Steven A. Peterson, "John C. Calhoun and Federalism." In David Schultz (ed.), The Encyclopedia of the United States Constitution (New York: Facts on File, in press).

Steven A. Peterson, "Dr. Bonham's Case." In David Schultz (ed.), The Encyclopedia of the United States Constitution (New York: Facts on File, in press).

Shaun Gabbidon, Lakiesha Marzette, Steven A. Peterson, Nonso Okafo, and Ronald Craig, "The Consumer Racial Profiling Experiences of Black Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities," Journal of Criminal Justice (in press).

Albert Somit and Steven A. Peterson (eds.), Human Nature and Public Policy: An Evolutionary Approach. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2003.

Albert Somit and Steven A. Peterson, Democratic Nation-Building: Ideology versus Human Nature. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005.

Albert Somit and Steven A. Peterson (editors), "Evolution, Public Goods, and the State," Special Issue of Politics and the Life Sciences (in press).

Curriculum Vita

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