Welcome!
Below, you’ll find information “about me,” my research interests, my teaching experience, my publications, and my public scholarship.
Take a look around, and feel free to reach out.
About me
Hello!
My name is Cammie Jo Bolin, and I’m an assistant professor of political science at University at Albany, SUNY.
My research explores questions of identity, representation, and participation in political and religious contexts in the United States.
This coming year at UAlbany, I will be teaching courses on Campaigns and Elections, Introduction to United States Politics, and Identities, Boundaries, and Mobilization.
I earned my PhD in political science at Georgetown University. Prior to graduate school at Georgetown University, I received a BA in Politics and History at Centre College in Danville, KY and worked at Kentucky Humanities in Lexington, KY. I continue to actively cheer on the Kentucky Wildcats and my hometown Murray State Racers throughout the college basketball season.
Research
My research explores questions of identity, representation, and participation in political and religious contexts in the United States.
My interest in questions of identity and descriptive representation allows me to be in conversation with scholarship in the subfields of both American political institutions and political behavior.
Dissertation
Title: Redesigning Women? Candidate Identity and Strategic Presentation on the Campaign Trail
In my dissertation, I watch and code 3000+ campaign video advertisements, conduct unique survey experiments, and interview political candidates, staff members, and consultants to explore the relationships among candidate identities, campaign strategy, and women’s political engagement.
Using this multi-method approach I examine how women candidates decide which aspects of their identity to emphasize on the campaign trail and the effects of these decisions on their constituents.
Committee members: Dr. Jamil Scott (chair), Dr. Michele Swers, Dr. Clyde Wilcox
- Defended: May 2022
Teaching
Assistant Professor, UAlbany:
RPOS 337: Campaigns and Elections in US (Fall 2022)
RPOS 204: Identities, Boundaries, and Mobilization (Spring 2023)
RPOS101W: American Politics (Spring 2023)
RPOS204: Religion and Politics (Fall 2024)
RPOS539: Seminar on Campaigns and Elections (Fall 2024)
Publications: She Preached the Word
Knoll, Benjamin R. and Cammie Jo Bolin. 2018. She Preached the Word: Women’s Ordination in Modern America. New York: Oxford University Press.
“She Preached the Word is a landmark study of women’s ordination in contemporary American congregations. In this groundbreaking work, Benjamin R. Knoll and Cammie Jo Bolin draw upon a novel collection of survey data and personal narrative interviews to answer several important questions, including: Who supports women’s ordination in their congregations? What are the most common reasons for and against women’s ordination? What effect do female clergy have on young women and girls, particularly in terms of their psychological, economic, and religious empowerment later in life? How do women clergy affect levels of congregational attendance and engagement among members? What explains the persistent gender gap in America’s clergy?
Accessible to scholars and general readers alike, She Preached the Word is a timely and important contribution to our understanding of the intersection of gender, religion, and politics in contemporary American society.”
Publications, continued
“Religious Communication and Persuasion” with Benjamin R. Knoll. 2019. In Oxford Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion. Oxford University Press.
Bolin, Cammie Jo, Ted G. Jelen, and Clyde Wilcox. 2022. “‘Can We Get the Catholic Vote?’: The Effects of Catholic Running Mates in Presidential Elections.” Catholics and US Politics After the 2020 Elections: Biden Chases the ‘Swing Vote’, eds. , Marie Gayte, Blandine Chelini-Pont, Mark J. Rozell. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Forthcoming:
Bolin, Cammie Jo and Kelly Rolfes-Haase. Forthcoming. “Women as Religious Leaders: The Gendered Politics of Shutting Down.” An Epidemic on my People: Religion and the Coronavirus Response, eds. Paul Djupe and Amanda Friesen. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
Select works in progress:
“Civil Religion in the United States: An Experimental Analysis,” with Andrew R. Lewis and Abigail Vegter, paper accepted for presentation at APSA 2021.
“A Racial and Gendered Response to Athletes’ Activism: An Experimental Analysis,” with Jamil S. Scott (paper)
Public scholarship:
Blog Posts:
Bolin, Cammie Jo, and Benjamin R. Knoll. 2018. “Here’s one way to increase women’s representation in politics: ordain more women as pastors and priests.” Religion in Public. July 2.
Knoll, Benjamin R., and Cammie Jo Bolin. 2018. “Ten things to know about women’s ordination in the United States.” Oxford University Press blog. June 13.
Knoll, Benjamin R., and Cammie Jo Bolin. 2018. “Can more lay leadership roles for women compensate for male-only clergy? A qualified ‘yes.’” Religion in Public. June 20.
Knoll, Benjamin R., and Cammie Jo Bolin. 2018. “Do American Catholics favor women’s ordination? Perhaps not as many as surveys suggest.” June 18.
Knoll, Benjamin R., and Cammie Jo Bolin. 2018. “Research suggests that support for women’s ordination may be lower than it appears, especially among women.” Religion in Public. June 15.
Knoll, Benjamin R., and Cammie Jo Bolin. 2018. “Who supports women’s ordination in America? It’s not who you might think.” Religion in Public. June 11.
Podcast Episodes:
“She Preached the Word: Interview with Benjamin Knoll and Cammie Jo Bolin.” Potstirrer Podcast: Politics, Religion, History. Hosted by Jaye Pool. September 23, 2018.
“254: When a Woman Leads the Church: Women’s Ordination in the USA: Benjamin Knoll & Cammie Jo Bolin.” A Thoughtful Faith Podcast. July 17, 2018. Hosted by Gina Colvin.
“492-493: Women’s Ordination and Congregational Leadership: Exploring New Research.” Mormon Matters: An Open Stories Foundation Podcast. Hosted by Dan Wotherspoon. July 5, 2018.