About

Jordan's Photo
 Thank you for visiting my webpage. I am an assistant professor of political science at the College of Charleston.  I received my Ph.D. in political science from the University of Florida in August of 2011. My teaching and research interests are in the fields of American politics and institutions, congressional development, political research methodology, empirical theory, and political behavior. As you can probably discern from this site's banner, my substantive areas of expertise are the U.S. Congress and quantitative research methodology.  You can find my vitae here.
Outside academia I am an avid college football fan. I consider myself a Michigan Wolverine first and foremost, though my time at Florida made me a lifelong Gator as well. In my spare time I also enjoy blogging, running, cooking, and exploring the wonderful city of Charleston. 

The best way to reach me is via email at: ragusajm@cofc.edu

Research

My current research focuses on interchamber bargaining, legislative productivity, the effects of parties and polarization on Congress, legislative organization, and legislative development.  I have published two peer-reviewed articles: “The Lifecycle of Public Policy: An Event History Analysis of Repeals to Landmark Legislative Enactments, 1951-2006” and “The Initiative to Shirk?  The Effects of Statewide Ballot Measures on Congressional Roll-Call Behavior” (with Josh Huder and Dan Smith).

For additional information please refer to my Research Page.

Courses

At the College of Charleston I teach courses in the areas of American political institutions and research methodology. I am currently teaching a section of Doing Research in Political Science, an introduction to empirical political science research methodology, one section of U.S. public opinion, and a graduate course on research design and statistics. 

For additional information please refer to my Courses Page.