My work has been supported by grants, colleagues, family, and a vast network of amazing and constructive educators. I obtained a Ph.D. and M.S. in Political Science from the University of Oregon - a public R1 situated in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. Prior to attending UO, I received an M.A. from the University of San Francisco - a truly amazing Jesuit university in the jewel of San Francisco - and a B.S. from Tennessee Technological University, where I was first given the opportunity to expand my horizons.

I am a full-time Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at California Polytechnic State University, where I teach courses on American politics and the legal system, and where I serve as Faculty Advisor for the nationally-ranked Mock Trial teams.

As a scholar, I study American political behavior, especially as it pertains to identity, context, and the underlying influences on elite actors (i.e., why do congresspeople, judges, or presidents do/say what they do/say). Ultimately, I explore how structure, agency, and identity influence elite institutional behavior and policy outcomes using computational social science techniques and 'big data.'

My dissertation project explores the latent influences on members of Congress when they speak about substantive policies. This is part of a broader research project that uses natural language processing techniques to link important parts of elites' identities and contexts to how they communicate.

Craig Asberry

Political Scientist
California Polytechnic State University