Brian Smentkowski's Home Page

my brain

Brian Smentkowski, Ph.D.

Department of Political Science & Center for Scholarship in Teaching & Learning

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

PSPR Phone: 573.651.2698

CSTL Phone: 573.651.2298

Fax: 573.651.2695

E-mail: bpsmentkowski@semo.edu

Welcome. Throughout this document you will find the usual stuff that academics like to discuss: teaching, research, advising, and the like. For students --matriculated and prospective alike-- it might be a good idea to check out the courses that I teach and the Pre-Law Program that I oversee. My stock-in-trade is American Political Institutions and Public Law, and you can get a sense of what I teach, when, and how by following the "course descriptions and syllabi" link, below.

The other side of my professional life is quasi-administrative, housed in the Center for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning (CSTL), where I serve as Faculty Associate/Associate Director. In this capacity I oversee faculty development initiatives, workshops and institutes, assessment, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Fellows Program. Please feel free to click on any of the links below to learn more about me, the Center, and some of my current work.

My vitae provides a glimpse into my professional life and what I do (and have done) as both a political scientist and faculty developer on campus. If you are interested in a light-hearted interpretation of who I am and why I do what I do, check out the story of my life --it's the feel-good hit of the season.

With that, scroll down, look around...have a good time.

VITAE	THE PRE-LAW PROGRAM
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS & SYLLABI	THE STORY OF MY LIFE
SUPREME COURT PAGE	SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING (SoTL)
Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL)/Building SoTL Communities Page	Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) Institutional Leaders Page
E-MAIL	PHOTOS
Selected, recent presentations and related materials Creating an Effective Class Syllabus Interest Groups Current Research Agenda Divided Government in The American States Changes in Law and Society Since 9/11 The Federal Judiciary California Proposition 8 Maryville SoTL Presentation Constitution Day 2011: The Fourth Amendment Constitution Day 2012: The Paths of Law: The Establishment Clause from Kennedy to the Present Redesigning Teaching Missouri v. McNeely Symposium State v. McNeely