Faculty Bio

Brianna N. Mack

Assistant Professor of Politics and Government

Education

• Ph.D., Political Science, The Ohio State University
• M.A., Political Science and Political Psychology Minor, The Ohio State University
• B.A., Political Science and African American Studies Minor, Emory University

About

Dr. Mack teaches Media and Politics, Power and American Politics, and Voting and Elections in the US.

As an undergrad, she was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and a Ralph Bunche Summer Institute scholar.  Both programs identify minority students interested in pursuing careers in the professoriate and provide encouragement and support to do so.  She also served on the President’s Commission on Race and Ethnicity and was a charter member for Emory Quest Scholars – a social and advocacy group for students who received the Questbridge College Match Scholarship to Emory University.  During her time as a graduate student at Ohio State, she was involved with minority and diversity initiatives in the Political Science department and was a Fellow at the Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male.

A Southern transplant, Brianna is a lover of pop culture, animation, and video games.  She enjoys playing video games, watching cartoons and anime, reading historical fiction and fantasy books, going to concerts, and exploring the Midwest with her family and friends.

Areas of Interest

Dr. Mack’s research interests are in American Political Behavior, Political Psychology, and Race and Ethnicity.  Her interests focus on the political behavior of racial and ethnic minorities, particularly how does one’s identity influence his or her political attitudes.  Her dissertation examined the ways in which racial group identity and political knowledge shape African Americans’ responses to political messages.  She is currently working on a project examining the relationship between community discussions on police violence and African Americans’ attitudes towards police officers and another project examining the relationship between a candidate’s perceived marital status and his or her viability as an elected official.

Dr. Mack’s teaching interests are also in American Political Behavior, Political Psychology and Race and Ethnicity.  She wants her students to recognize and appreciate the multifaceted nature of American politics so they can figure out how to get involved and improve the system.  She has taught courses on American Government, American Voting Behavior, and Black Politics.  She is interested in teaching courses on Political Psychology, Public Opinion, Racial and Ethnic Politics in America, Media and Politics, Youth in American Politics, Political Parties and Interest Groups in American Politics, Minority Political Behavior in Media, and Research Methods in Political Science.