Faculty

Charles Dana Professor of Political Science
Department Chair
B.A., Winston-Salem State University
M.A., Ph.D., Ohio State University
btingram@presby.edu
Joined PC in 1987

Professional interests

Democratic theories, institutions and practices, political ideologies, American political development, theories of development, political movements, and American politics.

Courses taught

American Politics, African Americans and the Political System, Classical Political Thought, Modern Political Thought, Contemporary Political Thought, the American Presidency, and Politics and the Media.

Hobbies

Reading non-fiction; following the San Francisco Giants (a lifetime fan of the Giants and the great Willie Mays); listening to jazz and blues music (some favorites include: Les McCann, Houston Person, Coleman Hawkins, Etta James, B.B. King, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal); and traveling (visited Guyana, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, and England).

A favorite quote

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity,”—Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you would like to contact Dr. Ingram, he can be reached at 864-833-8447 or btingram@presby.edu.

Associate Professor of Political Science
B.A., Bethany College
M.A., Ph.D., Ohio State University
jelance@presby.edu

Dr. Justin Lance joined the Political Science department at Presbyterian College in 2011. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the Ohio State University in 2010, his Masters degree in Political Science from the Ohio State University in 2007, and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Bethany College (W.V.) in 2002. He has previously taught at the Ohio State University, Penn State University- Harrisburg, and the College of Charleston.

His research and teaching interests include Latin American (particularly Brazilian) and African politics, political economy, and U.S. foreign policy.  In 2013, he published an article (co-authored with Prof. Erin McAdams) in Politics and Religion that compares the political attitudes of Evangelical Protestants in the U.S. and Brazil, and his research on the effects of social spending on the decrease of murder rates in Mexico and Brazil was published in Latin American Politics & Society in 2014.  He is currently expanding upon this latter research to examine the impact of conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs on Latin Americans’ trust in government. At PC, he teaches classes on Latin American Politics, African Politics, U.S. Foreign Policy, political analysis and research methods, and Third World Underdevelopment.

His hobbies include cooking, classic European cars, and landscaping and housing projects. He is also a big Cleveland sports fans and follows the Indians and Browns regularly. He enjoys traveling outside of the U.S., and has been to over 20 different countries in the world.

Dr. Lance can be reached at jelance@presby.edu or (864) 833-8451

Associate Professor of Political Science
B.A., Foreign Affairs College at Beijing
M.A., Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo
zliu@presby.edu
Joined PC in the fall of 2008.

Specializes in Comparative Politics and International Relations.

Courses taught

Comparative Political Development, Politics of China and Modern Asia, International Political Economy, International Organizations, etc.

Dr. Liu also serves as the Director of the Presbyterian College Confucius Institute.

If you would like to reach Dr. Liu, he can be contacted at 864.833.8633 or zliu@presby.edu.

Associate Professor of Political Science
B.A., Allegheny College
M.A., Ph.D., Ohio State University
esmcadams@presby.edu
Joined PC in 2012

Professional interests
American campaigns & elections, voting behavior, public opinion & polling, religion & American politics, media & American politics, gender & American politics, American legal studies & constitutional law, and quantitative research methods

Courses taught
Introduction to American Government; Elections and Campaign Management; American Public Opinion & Polling; Introduction to Political Analysis; Religion & American Politics; American Political Parties & Behavior; Gender & American Politics; Introduction to Legal Studies; and American Constitutional Law I and II.

Dr. McAdams also serves as the Pre-Law Advisor at PC and as the faculty advisor to the College Republicans, College Democrats & the Political Science Club.

A graduate of Allegheny College (P.A.), Dr. McAdams earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University in 2009.  Before joining the faculty at PC, she taught at Ohio State, Dickinson College (P.A.) and the College of Charleston (S.C.). Her courses focus on the processes of American government and political behavior in the U.S., reflecting an analytical, social scientific approach to understanding and thinking critically about politics. In 2017, she was named Presbyterian College’s “Professor of the Year” and earned an “Excellence in Teaching” Award from the South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities (SCICU) association.

Published in Electoral Studies (2009, with Dr. Herb Weisberg), Politics and Religion (2013, with Dr. Justin Earl Lance) and the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (2015, with Dr. Brian Fisher), her research focuses on the group-based dynamics of partisan identity and the sources of Americans’ political attitudes and voting behaviors. Her forthcoming book examines the changes in the Republican Party since the rise of the Tea Party movement in 2010 and offers recommendations for the party’s short- and long-term success.

Dr. McAdams is also deeply committed to service to the PC and broader Laurens County community.

Please contact Dr. McAdams by phone at (864) 833-8347 or via email at esmcadams@presby.edu. You can also stop by her office in H-P Room 305.

Provost & Professor of Political Science
B.A., Furman University
M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University
draber@presby.edu
Joined PC in 2002.

Dr. Raber currently serves as Provost of Presbyterian College.

If you need to reach Dr. Raber, he can be contacted at 864-833-8233 or draber@presby.edu.