Faculty Profile
Curtis Edmonds
Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science (2025)
Contact Information
Denny Hall Denny Hall 302
717-254-8142
Bio
Curtis K. Edmonds is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Dickinson College. His dissertation, Sister Support Theory (SST), examines how Black congresswomen engage in supportiveness, policy entrepreneurship, and instrumental help to advance both symbolic and substantive forms of representation in Congress. Drawing on an original dataset of committee assignments, caucus memberships, and cosponsorship networks, his work demonstrates how race–gender identity structures collaboration and legislative influence. His research and teaching interests include American political institutions, legislative behavior, race and ethnic politics, gender and politics, intersectionality, and Black feminist political thought. He has presented his scholarship at APSA, NCOBPS, SPSA, and PRISM at Yale. Alongside his research, Curtis is committed to teaching and mentorship. He has taught and assisted in courses ranging from American politics, Congress, and legislative studies, to Black Feminist politics, often using interactive methods and culturally relevant examples to foster student engagement.
Education
- B.A., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015
- M.A., George Mason University, 2020
- Ph.D., Syracuse University, 2026
2026-2027 Academic Year
Fall 2026
POSC 120 American Government
A basic introductory course in American federal government which emphasizes its structure and operation. Special attention is given to the executive, legislative, and judicial processes.
POSC 246 The Legislative Process
An analysis of the legislative branch of government, especially Congress. Emphasis is placed upon the legislature as a social system, the decision-making process, the interrelationships with the political parties and interest groups, the executive and the judiciary. Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor.
POSC 390 Vice Presidency
This senior seminar offers an in-depth examination of the office and institutional development of the Vice Presidency of the United States. While the vice presidency was initially conceived as a marginal role at the Constitutional Convention, it has evolved into a central institution within the modern executive branch. This course examines how vice presidents have navigated formal constitutional responsibilities and developed informal powers that shape public policy, executive governance, and interbranch relations. The course explores the vice presidency within the broader American political system, with particular attention to its relationships with the president, Congress, and the judiciary. Through historical case studies, theoretical readings, and contemporary analysis, students will assess how the office has become institutionalized and how individual vice presidents have shaped-and been shaped by-the political environment in which they served. The course is primarily lecture-based, with structured opportunities for discussion. As a senior seminar, the course emphasizes close reading, critical analysis, and active participation in academic discussion. Students are expected to complete assigned readings and viewings before class to engage meaningfully with the course material.
Spring 2027
POSC 120 American Government
A basic introductory course in American federal government which emphasizes its structure and operation. Special attention is given to the executive, legislative, and judicial processes.
POSC 235 Race, Ethnicity & U.S. Polit
With a focus on the experiences and activities of African-Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, Asian-Americans and Indigenous peoples in U.S. politics, this course examines the social construction of race and ethnicity in America as a force in public opinion, political representation and political behavior. The course also focuses on a range of political science methods used to study the politics of race/ethnicity in the U.S. Prerequisite: 120, or permission of the instructor.