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faculty
Kenneth Manning, PhD
Professor / Chairperson
Political Science
Education
| University of Houston | PhD |
Teaching
Programs
Programs
- International Politics
- Political Science BA
- Political Science Online BA
- Political Science Pre-Law
- Public Administration BA, BS
Courses
Review and discussion of influential films that address or touch upon important political issues in the United States. By exposing students to classic and/or out-of-the-way movies that they might not otherwise experience, the course promotes the development of critical thinking skills. Students are encouraged to view film as more than simple entertainment, but also as an influential means of conveying political ideas.
Course centers on the development of the constitutional framework of American government with emphasis placed on reading and analysis of U.S. Supreme Court cases. Topics covered may include judicial review, separation of powers, federalism government regulatory authority, and the rights of criminal defendants.
In effect the second half of the course on Constitutional Law. The Civil Liberties and Rights course discusses individual protections from arbitrary acts by government and other individuals. Topics may include freedom of expression, church-state relations, freedom of the press, minority rights, and protection of individuals from discrimination.
Available topics seminar in the field of American politics. Repeatable with change in content.
Professor Manning's research focuses upon American politics broadly, with a particular emphasis upon judicial politics. He is co-author of the books Judicial Process in America, The Federal Courts, and The State Courts (Sage/CQ Press). His recent coauthored article/chapter entitled "To Publish or Not Publish: Exploring Federal District Judges' Published Decisions" appeared in Open Judicial Politics, 2nd ed. (Oregon State University, 2021). Manning has authored or co-authored numerous articles on judicial politics, including "Taking It to the Next Level: The Elevation of District Court Judges (American Journal of Political Science), "Does Age Matter? Judicial Decision Making in Age Discrimination Cases" (Social Science Quarterly), "International Conflicts and Decision Making on the Federal Distrct Courts" (Justice System Journal), "The Gender Influence on U.S. District Court Decisions: Updating the Traditional Judge Attribute Model" (Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy), "Judicial Attributes and Sentencing-Deviation Cases" (Justice System Journal), and The Obama Judges: A Midterm Assessment (Judicature). He presented an APSA 2005 paper Ideology of John Roberts, a review of the ideology of Chief Justice John Roberts. Along with Robert A. Carp, Manning is co-investigator of a database on federal district court decsion-making.