Political Science

Todd Lochner

Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Associate Professor of Government

J.R. Howard Hall

Todd Lochner teaches undergraduate courses in Constitutional Law, Civil Liberties, Introduction to American Politics, and Law, Lawyers and Society. He also teaches a joint undergraduate-law school course on Election Law at Northwestern School of Law, where he is a Research Fellow. His articles appear in Law & Policy, Regulation & Governance, Election Law Journal, and Justice System Journal, among others. He enjoys spending time with his wife Suzanna watching Game of Thrones, Master of None, and The Crown.

Office Hours

Tuesdays 10:00-1:00 Online by Appointment (Zoom)

Teaching

Fall 2020

POLS 103: Introduction to American Politics

MWF 9:10am-10:10am

The politics of the founding period; interactions within and among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; the federal division of institutionalized powers; public opinion, interest groups, and political parties; the policy process in areas such as defense, welfare, civil rights and liberties, and international affairs.

Prerequisites: None.

POLS 301: American Constitutional Law: Equal Protection/Due Process

MWF 3:30-5:00pm

The U.S. Supreme Court and judicial review from 1787 to the present. The court’s landmark constitutional decisions, as well as the theory and techniques of constitutional interpretation. The court’s authority within the wider political and social context of American government, with emphasis on the court’s jurisprudence in the areas of equal protection (including segregation and desegregation, affirmative action, gender discrimination, and sexual orientation discrimination) and due process (including privacy and abortion rights). Discussions of actual Supreme Court rulings, majority opinions, and dissenting arguments, as well as the political and historical context of those decisions in an effort to understand how and why the Supreme Court has played such an influential role in American politics and political thought.

Prerequisites: None.

Restrictions: Sophomore standing required