Education
Ph.D., Political Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
M.A., Political Science, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
B.A., Political Science, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
Expertise
Legislative politics, policymaking, separation of powers, nominations, elections
Background
Nicholas Howard joined the political science department at Concordia College in 2023. He received his Ph.D. in political science from UNC Chapel Hill. His dissertation sought to understand how obstruction shapes lawmaking in the U.S. Senate. This research used a new dataset of private obstructive actions, or “holds,” to understand how senators shape the lawmaking process. His broader research interests concern policymaking and elections in Congress and state legislatures, judicial and executive nominations by the president and confirmations by the Senate, separation of powers between national government branches, and federalist decisions by state and national governments. His work has been published in Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, and American Politics Research, among other journals. His ongoing research projects with Concordia students include investigating the effects of advertisements on statewide primary campaigns, the connection between Congressional funding decisions and bureaucratic actions, and the development of environmental regulations in state governments. Dr. Howard is currently working on a book manuscript examining the link between the rules and stages of lawmaking in state legislatures.
Dr. Howard also serves as the pre-law advisor at Concordia College in addition to his teaching and research responsibilities. Prior to joining the faculty at Concordia, he taught at Auburn University in Montgomery, AL. When he is not busy teaching or researching, Dr. Howard loves hanging out with his family and enjoying outdoor activities in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Courses Taught
PSC 121 Introduction to Political Science
PSC 211 U.S. Political System
PSC 303 Jurisprudence
PSC 388 Campaigns and Elections
PSC 433 American Presidency