Furman Professor of Politics and International Affairs Danielle Vinson has been awarded a 2019 Excellence in Teaching Award from the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. (SCICU).<\/p>\n
A faculty member from each of SCICU\u2019s 20-member institutions is nominated for the award according to rigorous guidelines. Recipients were honored at a special dinner held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center April 9. Each recipient was awarded a $3,000 professional development grant.<\/p>\n
A Furman faculty member since 1995, Vinson holds a Ph.D. and a master\u2019s in Political Science from Duke University and a bachelor\u2019s in Political Science and English from Furman. She is the director of Furman\u2019s Washington Internship program and was department chair from 2009-2015.<\/p>\n
Vinson\u2019s teaching interests are focused on American political institutions and political communication. Her courses include American government, the U.S. Congress, the American presidency, and media and politics. She also teaches her department\u2019s research methods course and a first-year writing seminar on humor and politics.<\/p>\n
In all her classes, Vinson makes an effort to incorporate original research, and in recent years, her American government classes have helped her compile and analyze data on congressional members\u2019 use of social media.<\/p>\n
She is the author of the books \u201cCongress and the Media: Beyond Institutional Power and Local Media Coverage of Congress and Its Members\u201d and has authored or co-authored articles on media and the courts and campaign finance and communication in political campaigns. She enjoys involving her students in her research.<\/p>\n
She frequently does interviews with local and national media on congressional and presidential campaigns and South Carolina politics and speaks to community groups on these issues. In 2001, Vinson received Furman\u2019s Meritorious Advising Award.<\/p>\n