Dr. Bitzer and Ryan Dayvault, Class of 2008, at the Awards Convocation. Dayvault, a polisci major, received the Whitener Medal, the highest award given to a student, and Bitzer received the Kenneth Clapp Tri-Delta Award.

Dr. J. Michael Bitzer

ASSOCIATE Professor of PolitiCS & History

Welcome!  I am currently an associate professor of politics and history, where I teach a number of courses in the fields of American politics, public administration & policy, and law. The courses that I'll be teaching this academic year are listed below.

Along with my teaching responsibilities, I serve as the chair of Catawba's Department of History & Politics and also as the pre-law advisor. I also "blog" about North Carolina politics at nc-politics.blogspot.com.

My educational background is reflective of my liberal arts education.  I have an undergraduate degree in English, with a specialization in theater; a Master's degree in history, focusing on Southern political history, U.S. legal history, and the history of Nazi Germany; and a doctorate in political science with a focus in American politics, public law, and public administration.  My thesis and dissertation were entitled:

• Master's thesis: Reshaping Palmetto Politics: A Case Study of the Grass-roots Rise and Strategy of the Republican Party in South Carolina, 1960-1968
  
• Dissertation: Deciding to Delegate: Legislative Professionalism and Statutory Delegation to Bureaucratic Agencies in State Governments

In addition to these research projects, my research has focused on a number of areas.  Most recently I published an article, "In North Carolina, It's Not Election Day--It's Election Month: An Analysis of the 2008 Election," in American Review of Politics. This research combines an interest in the impact of location in a state (urban, suburban, and rural precincts) as well as the impact of early voting in the Tar Heel state. You can find a copy of the paper here.

In another area of research interest, I have written a chapter in an edited book, Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics Through the Lense of Popular Culture, (now in its second edition) published by the University of Kentucky Press in 2008. The chapter is on "Political Culture and Public Opinion: The American Dream on Springfield's Evergreen Terrace," in which I use the long-running television series The Simpsons to explore and explain ideas such as political culture, public opinion, and the notion of an American Dream in our society. Some other articles that I have co-authored include:

• Caruson, Kiki and J. Michael Bitzer. "At the Cross Roads of Policy Making: Executive Politics, Administrative Action, and Judicial Deference by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals (1985-1996)."  2004. Law and Society.  26: 3 & 4. 1-23. 

• Lindquist, Stefanie A. and Michael Bitzer. 2002.  "Government Contractors' Liability for Constitutional Torts: The Legal Implications of Privatization."  Review of Public Personnel Administration. 22(3): 241-245.

I have also contributed to the following works:

The Executive Branch of State Government: People, Process, and Politics Ed. by Margaret Ferguson.  New York: ABC-Clio, Inc., 2006.	The Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy Ed. by David Schultz.  New York: Facts on File, 2003.
Federalism in America: An Encyclopedia Ed. by Joseph r. Marbach, Ellis Katz, and Troy E. Smith. New York: Greenwood Press, 2005.	The Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court Ed. by David Schultz. New York: Facts on File, 2005.
The Encyclopedia of American Political Parties & Elections Ed. by Larry J. Sabato and Howard R. Ernst. New York: Facts on File, 2006.	The Encyclopedia of Civil Liberties in America Ed. by David Schultz andJohn R. Vile.  New York: M.E. Sharpe, 2005.
Book Chapter on "Political Culture and Public Opinion: The American Dream on Evergreen Terrace," by J. Michael Bitzer

My current research is on the voting behavior of North Carolina's urban, suburban, and rural areas, where I have presented papers on "When Fifteen Equals Fifty: An Analysis of Urban and Suburban Voting Patterns in North Carolina in the 2004 Election" and "It's Not Election Day, It's Election Month in North Carolina: An Analysis of Urban, Surburan and Rural Voting Patterns in Early and Election Day Voting in 2008."  

I have also presented research papers, as well as served as chair and discussant, at a number of conferences, including at American Political Science Association, the Southern Political Science Association, the Southeastern Conference on Public Administration, the North Carolina Political Science Association, and the Citadel Symposium on Southern Politics.

In my "free" time, I've also had fun being a "political analyst" for several Charlotte TV stations, including WSOC (Channel 9--ABC), WBTV (Channel 3--CBS), WCCB (Channel 18--Fox), and News-14 Charlotte, along with WFAE (NPR Charlotte--90.7).  In addition, I've been interviewed by such papers as The Christian Science Monitor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Salisbury Post, as well as WBHM, Birmingham's (AL) NPR station.  I've written guest column pieces for The Charlotte Observer and The Salisbury Post.

While teaching, research, and public service are major foci of my work, I've also been active on the Catawba campus, most notably serving on Faculty Senate (for two years as Secretary), the Admissions Committee, and the Assessment, Planning, and Budgeting Committee for the faculty.  In the 2010-11 academic year, I'll be on the curriculum committee as chair.

In addition, I have facilitated several Graduate School Forums with other faculty members to share information about graduate school (both admissions & the environment of graduate school) with Catawba students, as well as community forums on elections, environmental politics, Hurricane Katrina, and the 5th Anniversary of 9/11. For the community, I have moderated several Candidate Forums for candidates seeking public office at both the local and state level, as well as facilitated several Candidate Academies, which seek to educate and inform citizens about public office and campaigning. These forums and academies are held in conjunction with The Salisbury Post and the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce.

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Fall 2010 Classes	Spring 2011 Classes
POLS 1101: Introduction to American Politics M/W/F @ 11 AM in 322 Admin	POLS 1101: Introduction to American Politics M/W/F @ 1 PM in 322 Admin
POLS 1101: Introduction to American Politics M/W/F @ 1 PM in 322 Admin	POLS 2200: State & Local Politics M/W/F @ 11 AM in 322 Admin Prerequisite: POLS 1101
POLS 3101: Nazi Germany M/W/F @ 10 AM in 322 ADM	POLS 2111: Law, Justice & Society T/Th @ 9:30 AM in 322 Admin
GENED 1200: War T/Th @ 12 PM in 322 ADM	POLS 3520: U.S. Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties & Rights T/Th @ 1:30 PM in 402 ADM

Rotation Schedule for Dr. Bitzer's Courses

FALL SEMESTERS	SPRING SEMESTERS
POLS 1101: American Government I Every Fall Semester	POLS 1102: American Government II (State & Local Government) Every Spring Semester
POLS 1103: Introduction to Public Administration Every Fall Semester	POLS 2502: The Congress Spring Semester in Even Years
POLS 2514: Political Economy Fall Semester in Odd Years	POLS 2511: The Presidency Spring Semester in Odd Years
POLS 3115: U.S. Campaigns & Elections Fall Semester in Even Years	POLS 2512: Political Parties & Interest Groups Spring Semester in Even Years
	POLS 2515: Public Policy Analysis Spring Semester in Odd Years

Click here for material on the President's Ad Hoc Committee's "Statement on an Institutional Philosophy of Education at Catawba College"

RELATED LINKS:

My BLOG (NC-Politics)

My VIDEOS

Updated 3/8/11 by Bitzer