RESEARCH GROUP
Professor Camille Burge-Hicks, PhD
Camille Burge-Hicks is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Villanova University where she also serves as the Department Chair. Prior to joining Villanova in the Fall of 2014, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Bethune-Cookman University and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Political Science from Vanderbilt University. Her research and teaching areas of expertise lie within Political Psychology and Racial and Ethnic Politics where she focuses on three key areas: (1) Black-White relations; (2) collective experiences of emotions; and (3) intersectionality with emphases on race and gender, race and sexuality, and colorism.
Her research has been published in the Journal of Politics, Political Research Quarterly, Research & Politics, and Politics, Groups, and Identities. Her work has also been featured in PsyPost, Politico, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times and she can be heard on WHYY Radio Times or seen in segments on CNBC. She is in the process of finishing her first book titled, Fired Up, Ready to Go: Pride, Shame, and Anger in Black Politics. Professor Burge-Hicks is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Professor Nadia E. Brown, PhD
Nadia E. Brown (Ph.D., Rutgers University) is a Professor of Government, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and affiliate in the African American Studies program at Georgetown University. She specializes in Black women’s politics and holds a graduate certificate in Women's and Gender Studies. Dr. Brown's research interests lie broadly in identity politics, legislative studies, and Black women's studies. While trained as a political scientist, her scholarship on intersectionality seeks to push beyond disciplinary constraints to think more holistically about the politics of identity.
She is the author or editor of several award winning books – including Sisters in the Statehouse: Black Women and Legislative Decision Making (Oxford University Press); Distinct Identities: Minority Women in U.S. Politics (with Sarah Allen Gershon, Routledge Press); The Politics of Protest: Readings on the Black Lives Matter Movement (with Ray Block, Jr. and Christopher Stout, Routledge Press); Approaching Democracy: American Government in Times of Challenge (with Larry Berman, Bruce Allen Murphy and Sarah Allen Gershon, Routledge Press). Professor Brown is the lead editor of Politics, Groups and Identities. Professor Brown is part of the #MeTooPoliSci Collective where she spearheads efforts to stop sexual harassment in the discipline. In July 2021, Dr. Brown is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
Professor Christine M. Slaughter, PhD
Christine Marie Slaughter is the Moorman-Simon Interdisciplinary Career Development Assistant Professor of Political Science at Boston University. She previously held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California Irvine and Princeton University Department of Politics and the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics (CSDP). Originally from Petersburg, Virginia, she is an expert in African American politics, political behavior, and political psychology, with a specific focus on the political engagement of Black women, and the political implications of persistent racial inequality. Her book manuscript, “Resilience to Adversity: How Black Voters Are Mobilized to Counter Suppression”, develops a theory and measurement of “racial resilience,” which characterizes a psychological resource pertinent to withstanding obstacles associated with participation. The Ford Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation (RSF)/ Bill and Melinda Gates Pipeline Award, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the American Political Science Association (APSA) has supported her research. She is frequently cited in news outlets, including USA Today, the Washington Post, and Capital B News. Her research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, Politics & Gender, PS: Politics and Political Science, PHILLIS: The Journal for Research on African American Women (PHILLIS), and she recently co-authored a book chapter on Intersectionality for the Oxford Handbook of Political Participation. She received her PhD from the University of California Los Angeles in 2021 and is an alumna of Spelman College, a historically Black women's College in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
FORMER RESEARCH GROUP MEMBERS
Gia Beaton, BA
Gia is a Senior at Villanova University majoring in Political Science. She was the President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.-Tau Xi Chapter and the MLK Day of Service Committee. Gia was recognized nationally within her sorority as a 2020 Leadership Fellow. Additionally, Gia is a Lorenzini Ambassador for the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership and serves as a Group Leader for incoming Ambassadors within her role. She has completed research in both English and Political Science.
Danielle Burns, MA
Danielle is a current Graduate student at Villanova University majoring in Political Science and Government, with a focus on Intersectionality from the global perspective. Danielle has completed research in multiple fields, including: Political Science, History, and English. She was recognized nationally as an Academic All-American for her academic and athletic accomplishments during her time at Villanova as a track and field athlete. She serves on multiple committees at Villanova, including: UNITAS leadership committee, SAAC, and the University Oversight Committee. Danielle is currently working at the United Nations as a Resource Mobilization intern with the UNDP. Danielle is set to graduate from Villanova in 2021.