Dr. Jason M. Adkins

Assist. Prof. Political Science

I teach American government, comparative government, international relations, and research methods. I am also directing the annual Montana Poll. I received a Ph.D. in political science from Kent State University in Ohio, an M.A. in political science from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, and a B.S. degree in communication from Utah Valley University. Before academia, I worked as a newspaper reporter in Utah, Minnesota, and North Dakota covering politics, sports, and education before leaving journalism for graduate school. One of the biggest stories I covered was a county elections board finding 66 ballots in the 2008 U.S. Senate Al Franken/Norm Coleman recount that went missing during the recount process. I recently published an article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics regarding the history of political mobilization within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have also published a short article on Ambassador Richard Holbrooke that is forthcoming in the American National Biography. Before arriving at MSU Billings, I was a visiting lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and have taught classes at Kent State University and Ashland University.

My main research interests are determining how religious identity, belief, and practices influence political attitudes. I am also interested in studying how religious elites affect the political attitudes of not only members of their respective organizations, but also the political attitudes of outsiders. Other research interests include how politics affects sports and vice-versa, and nationalism. In studying these questions, I enjoy developing survey experiments to test various hypotheses and have fielded an original survey experiment as part of my dissertation research

I enjoy teaching a broad array of courses, and most of all, enjoying getting to know students in various stages of their college careers. My wife and I have lived in eight states since we have been married and love to travel. We live in Billings with our two sons and two daughters. We enjoy exploring the region, trying new foods, and love attending various events.