Mary McThomas, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science and Public Administration Mississippi State University 105 Bowen Hall ● Mail Stop 9561 Mississippi State, MS 39762 662-325-7864 (office) / 662-325-2716 (fax) [email protected]
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science University of California at Los Angeles Department of Political Science, August 2007
Major Fields: Political Theory and American Politics Dissertation: The Right to Privacy: Individual Liberty, Property Interests and the Dual System of Privacy Rights in the United States Committee: Carole Pateman (co-chair), Andrew Sabl (co-chair), Karen Orren, Lynn Vavreck, and Clyde Spillenger (Law School) Research Interests: Immigration, Gender & Politics, Individual Rights in a Pluralistic Society, Law & Social Norms, and American Political Thought
Master of Arts in Political Science University of California at Los Angeles Department of Political Science, April 2002
Bachelor of Arts in Politics University of California at Santa Cruz Department of Political Science, June 1992 Graduated with College Honors Minor: Literature
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT
Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science Brown University, August 2011-July 2012 Political Theory Project
Assistant Professor Mississippi State University, August 2008 – Present Department of Political Science and Public Administration Courses Taught: PhD Level: Normative Political Analysis
Masters and Undergraduate Level: Western Political Theory; American Political Theory; Women, Politics and the Law; and Judicial Process Undergraduate Level: Law and Politics; and Introduction to Political Theory
Independent Study Topics: PhD Level: Directed Readings in Feminist Theory Masters Level: Music and the Politics of Resistance Undergraduate Level: Theories of “the Good;” and the Impact of Social Norms on Public Policy
Faculty Fellow Researcher, 2007 – 2008 University of California at Los Angeles Department of Political Science Courses Taught: Constitutional Law: Separation of Powers; Women and Politics; and Feminist Theory for the Social Sciences Independent Study Topics: Gendered Responses to Immigration Laws; Constitutional Alternatives to the Line-Item Veto; and Survey Research on Gender Differences in Law School
Adjunct Professor, 2005 – 2006 and 2007 – 2008 Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA Department of Social Science Courses Taught: Masters Level: Contemporary American Ideologies Undergraduate Level: Foundations of Political Theory; and American People and Politics
Instructor, 2005 – 2006 University of California at Los Angeles General Education Cluster Program Topic: The United States, 1960-74: History, Politics, and Culture Course Taught: When the Personal is Political: The Second Wave of Feminism in the United States
Mentored Teaching Fellow, 2004 – 2005 University of California at Los Angeles Department of Political Science Course Taught: Special Topics in Political Theory: The Right to Privacy
Instructor, 2003 & 2005 University of California at Los Angeles General Education Cluster Program Topic: History of Social Thought Courses Taught: Politics and Literature: Forms of Resistance; and Politics and Literature: The Limits of Authority
Research Assistant for Carole Pateman, 2000-2005
PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES
“The ICMA Code of Ethics” [co-authored with Robert Eskridge and P. Edward French] • Forthcoming in Public Integrity
“A Political Caring Index” [co-authored with Roberto Gallardo] • Forthcoming in Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society
"President Obama and Gay Rights: The 2008 and 2012 Presidential Elections” [co-authored with Robert Buchanan] • Forthcoming in PS: Political Science and Politics
“Federalism, States’ Rights and Immigration Policy” • Under review
“Citizenship, Status, and the Strains of Moral Commitment” • Under review
“Engendering Attitudes towards Immigration Policy: The Effect of Justice and Care” • Under review
BOOK MANUSCRIPTS
The Dual System of Privacy Rights in the United States • Under review
EXECUTIVE REPORTS
“Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Survey: Executive Report” • Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University, December 2010
“Social Climate Survey for Hispanic and Latino Immigration in the United States: Executive Report” • Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University, March 2010
CONFERENCE PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS
“Citizenship, Status, and the Strains of Moral Commitment” • Presented at PAT-Net (Public Administration Theory Network) 2011 (Norfolk, VA)
“Federalism, States’ Rights and Immigration Policy” • Presented at APSA 2010 (Washington, D.C.)
“Migration and Misrecognition: The Failure of Rights-based Frameworks in Extending Moral Commitments to Non-citizens” • Presented at MPSA 2010 (Chicago, IL) “Trans-border Beliefs: The Effect of the Catholic Church on U.S. Attitudes towards the Immigration Debate” [co-authored with Tonya Neaves] • Presented at SfAA (Society for Applied Anthropology) 2010 (Merida, Mexico)
“The Effect of Conceptions of Justice on Attitudes towards Immigration Policy” • Presented at APSA 2009 (Toronto, Canada)
“Arbitrary and Capricious: A New Standard for Review” • Presented at MPSA 2009 (Chicago, IL)
“Moral Authority in Opposition to the State: The Role of the Catholic Church in the U.S. Immigration Debate” • Presented at SPSA 2009 (New Orleans, LA)
“Trans-border Beliefs: The Role of the Catholic Church in the U.S. Immigration Debate” • Presented at APSA 2008 (Boston, MA)
“The Public’s View of the Private: Public Attitudes Regarding the Protection or Limitation of the Right to Privacy” • Presented at APSA 2007 (Chicago, IL)
“Political Representation and the Protection of Minority Rights” • Presented at MPSA 2007 (Chicago, IL)
“Individual Choice in the Face of Majoritarian Values: Liberty, Property and the Problematic Evolution of the Right to Privacy” • Presented at APSA 2006 (Philadelphia, PA)
“A ‘Fundamental’ Right to Marry: Why Bigamy Cases May Undo Same-sex Marriage” • Presented at MPSA 2006 (Chicago, IL)
“The Right to Privacy in Theory and Practice” • Presented at MPSA 2005 (Chicago, IL)
“Privacy as Decisional Autonomy: Making Privacy Safe for Women” • Presented at MPSA 2003 (Chicago, IL)
“Re-examining Women’s Relationship to Conceptions of Privacy” • Presented at WPSA 2003 (Denver, CO)
“Re-conceptualizing Domestic Violence: The Liberty to Live” • Presented at MPSA 2002 (Chicago, IL)
“Congressional Options in the Face of the Supreme Court's New Federalism: The Role of Federal Enforcement Agencies” • Presented at WPSA 2002 (Long Beach, CA)
INVITED TALKS
Invited lecture on “Courts in Constitutional Democracies: The Power of Judicial Review” for Philosophy of Law, Philosophy Department, Mississippi State University, Dr. Michael Clifford, April 2010
Invited presenter at the Southern Political Science Association’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, January 2009
Invited speaker for Mississippi State University Constitution Day Event, September 2008
WORKS IN PROGRESS
“The Effect of Conceptions of Justice on Attitudes towards Immigration Policy”
“Majoritarianism and Moral Discourse”
“The Impact of (Dis)trust in Government on Policy Preferences”
FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
Research Fellow, 2010-Present Social Science Research Center Mississippi State University
Conference Travel Grant, 2010 Office of Research and Economic Development, Mississippi State University
Stennis Research Grant, 2009 Stennis Institute of Governance, Mississippi State University
Conference Travel Grant, 2009 Office of Research and Economic Development, Mississippi State University
Dissertation Year Fellowship, 2006-2007 University of California at Los Angeles
Mentored Teaching Fellowship, 2004 – 2005 Political Science Department, University of California at Los Angeles
Teaching Assistant of the Year, 2002 – 2003 Political Science Department, University of California at Los Angeles
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified to conduct Human Subjects Research by the MSU Institutional Review Board (IRB)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Political Science Association, 2006 – Present
Midwest Political Science Association, 2002 – Present
Southern Political Science Association, 2009 - Present
DEPARTMENT & UNIVERSITY SERVICE
Gender Studies Faculty Member, 2008-Present
Political Science Masters Program Committee, 2009-2010, 2010-2011
Political Science & Public Administration Advisory Committee, 2010-2011
Public Policy and Administration PhD Policy Committee, 2009-2010, 2010-2011
Political Science Undergraduate Program Committee, 2008-2009
Day One Action Team Member, 2009-2010
Stennis Scholar Selection Committee, 2009 & 2010
Omar Craig Scholarship Committee, 2009
Public Policy and Administration PhD Dissertation Committees • Beth Rauhaus (Chair) • Kesha Perry (Chair) • Tonya Thornton-Neaves (Co-Chair) • Terri Dickinson • Di Miao
Political Science Masters Committees • Ian Walker (Chair)
• Brad Dickerson (Chair) [completed Summer 2011]. Thesis entitled: Measuring the Salience of the Economy: The Effects of Economic Conditions on Voter Perceptions and turnout in Mississippi • Clay Taylor [completed Spring 2009]