Plenary Address - American Democracy in Crisis: The Case for Rethinking Madisonian Government

Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Iona University

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Spiro Hall 2

Jeanne is a Carol S. Russett Award-winning Professor of Political Science & International Studies at Iona  University. She is also Bloomberg News Political Contributor, an Affiliated Faculty member with the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies (ITPS), and the author of several books and articles, including her most recent, America Democracy in Crisis: The Case for Rethinking Madisonian Government published by Palgrave/Macmillan.


In addition to her work on the foundations of American democracy and its impact on our political lives, Jeanne has also written extensively about issues ranging from the politics of colonial/pre-partition India and electoral litigation to the pedagogical benefits of metaphors, Rawlsian justice, and efforts at democratization in post-colonial states. Her work has been published in peer reviewed and academic journals as varied as South Asia Research, Campaigns and Elections, Journal of Politics, Journal of Political Science Education, Dispute Resolution Journal, Journal of Sikh and Punjab Studies, Education Week, Journal of Pastoral Counseling, and The Chronicles of Higher Education, among others. Jeanne is also co/author of one of the leading texts on computerized data analysis for the social sciences and professionals in various applied fields, "Adventures in Social Research: Data Analysis Using SPSS" as well as "Core Concepts in American Government."


For more than two decades, Jeanne has brought the work she does in the academy to broader audiences via the popular media. To that end, she serves as a political contributor on Bloomberg TV and Radio where she appears on shows such as "Balance of Power" with David Westin and "Sound On" with Joe Mathieu. She previously served as a contributor with Al Jazeera America (AJAM) and RNN (Regional News  Network). In addition, she has appeared on a variety of national and international networks including: Al Jazeera, BBC, CBS, CNN, Fox Business, Fox News, HLN Headline News, MSNBC, National Public Radio, and NTV Russia, among others. Her views on current issues have been published widely in print outlets including the Christian Science MonitorFinancial Times, New York Daily News, New York Post, New York Times, Politico, RealClear Politics, USA Today, Wall St. Journal, and the Washington Post.


As a member of the Political Science and International Studies faculty, Jeanne teaches courses in political and social risk, voting, elections, public opinion, political parties, presidency, congress, the courts, civil liberties, constitutional law, media and politics, social statistics, data analysis and research methods, amongst others. During her tenure at IC she has served as Chair of the Political Science Department, Director of the Honors Program, and Dean of the School of Arts & Science.


Jeanne was a University Scholar at the University of Connecticut in Storrs where she received a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Media Studies, as well as a Master's degree in Survey Research at the prestigious Roper Center. She later attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she received a second Master's degree in Political Science, as well as a PhD in Political Science with a concentration in Political Theory, Public Law, and American government.