About
Biography:
Allison Martens grew up in Arlington, Texas. An avid debater in high school, she continued to develop her interests in both political science and law as an undergraduate at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and at the University of Texas School of Law. Following a brief career in law, she returned to graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin to focus her studies on constitutional law and American politics, earning her PhD in 2007.
In 2007, Martens joined the Department of Political Science at the University of Louisville, teaching courses in American Government, Judicial Politics, and Constitutional Law, as well as serving as the department’s Pre-Law Advisor. She has published articles on varied topics, including public law, women and American political development, and the effectiveness of civic education in American public schools. In 2012, she left the University of Louisville to join her spouse in Iowa, where she currently works with special education students in her local school district. She was pleased to return to the Department of Political Science as an online lecturer in 2018.
Teaching Areas:
Constitutional Law - Powers of Government
Constitutional Law - Civil Rights and Liberties
Judicial Politics
Research Interests:
Law and Courts
American Political Development
Women and Politics
Civic Education