Personal Website

James Mac Avery is Professor of Political Science and has taught at Stockton since the fall of 2006. Avery earned his B.A. in political science from San Francisco State University in 1998 and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Kentucky in 2004. Avery teaches Introduction to American Politics, Research Methods, American Political Behavior and Representation, Unequal America, and the Political Science Senior Seminar. Avery’s recent research examines under what conditions people of color receive better or worse political representation. He has also published work examining racial difference in political trust, the consequences of inequality in voter turnout, and the influence of the news media public opinion. Avery is currently working on a project testing competing theories for why economic inequality in the United States has been increasing since 1970’s. When he is not working, Avery enjoys traveling in South East Asia, scuba diving, attending his meditation center, biking around Philadelphia, shooting pool, and reading in coffee shops.

Lauren Balasco has taught at Stockton since the fall of 2017. Balasco earned her B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from Randolph Macon Woman’s College in 2006 and her Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Delaware in 2014. In the Political Science Program, Balasco teaches Introduction to Politics, Introduction to Comparative Politics, Comparative Politics of Human Rights, Politics of Transitional Societies, Contentious Politics, among other courses. Her forthcoming book, Engaging Citizenship with Claire Abernathy (Stockton University) and Jennifer Forestal (Loyola University), introduces students to the field of Political Science through the lens of citizenship and civic engagement (Oxford University Press).  Her other research focuses on processes of transitional justice and democratization, with an emphasis on human security and human rights. In 2022, Dr. Balasco was the recipient of the Faculty of the Year Award at Stockton University.

Dr. Burkey’s current research explores how American resistance movements challenge the norms of patriotism and reframe narratives of national identity. As a consultant to Temple Contemporary, the art gallery of Temple University, Dr. Burkey has contributed his expertise to “The Ongoing Revolution,” an art exhibit that will document the past half-century of American movements for equity and inclusion. At Stockton, Dr. Burkey has taught numerous political science courses, and enjoys offering students the intellectual tools to be thoughtful and active participants in civic life. A lifelong resident of New Jersey, Dr. Burkey is a connoisseur of New Jersey pizza, and is happy to make recommendations!  

Dr. Rodriguez is also the Coordinator of Stockton's Washington Internship Program

Tina (Dr. Z) teaches undergraduate courses in international politics, international order/global governance, and quantitative research methods. Tina holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and an M.A. in Economics and PhD in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She leads Go Global at Stockton, a free 6-week online summer course for incoming students. She is the founding advisor of Stockton’s Model UN program, campus liaison for the Stockton’s participation in the State Department’s Diplomacy Lab program, co-facilitator for the ­­­­­Stockton Critical Thinking Institute (SCTI), and the lead negotiator for the Stockton Federation of Teachers (SFT) Local 2275. Her research on international financial institutions and scholarship on teaching and learning has appeared in World Development, International Studies Perspectives, and Routledge’s RIPE Series in Global Political Economy. She is the co-author with Shala Mills (at SUNY-New Paltz) of "Global Challenges: Promise & Peril in the 21st Century", a digital textbook & online course available for adoption through InSpark Education­­­­ at Arizona State University. Tina was the recipient of Stockton’s 2016 Faculty of the Year Award.

Dr. David L. Carr came to Stockton in 1992 where he served as Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences (1992-1998), Vice President for Academic Affairs (1998-2004) and, Provost and Executive Vice President 2004-2010).  Prior to his career at Stockton, Dr. Carr was Assistant Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Acting Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at St. Cloud State University (Minnesota);  as well as Associate Professor of Political Science and Department Chair of Social Sciences and Humanities at the State University of New York, Institute of Technology now (SUNY Polytechnic). Dr. Carr’s publications and other professional activities range widely across issues in political science and undergraduate education.  Upon his return to the faculty in 2011 Dr. Carr served as Professor of Political Science, Senior Fellow and later, as Director of Research and Policy Analysis at the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy where he authored or co-authored several papers on public policy issues in New Jersey.

Dr. Carr has been active in a broad range of grants-funded projects and national initiatives in higher education. He serves on the National Implementation Committee of the American Democracy Project, a joint initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and The New York Times and been active in promoting civic engagement of college students. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the William M. Plater Award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in recognition of his leadership in promoting civic engagement, the Rev. Dr. Demetrious Constantelos Award for Hellenic Paideia in recognition for his support for Hellenic Studies at Stockton College, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Stockton’s Council of Black Faculty and Staff. As Provost, Dr. Carr was instrumental in establishing the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy.

Dr. Carr has also been active in the community where he serves on numerous Boards and committees. In his spare time he is a nature photographer and several of his photographs are used in College publications.

The Stockton Idea: Check out this series of videos by Professor William (Bill) Daly, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science, a founding faculty member at Stockton

Linda Wharton, a Professor Emerita of Political Science and Stockton's former Pre-Law Advisor, taught at Stockton from 2001 to 2023. Her courses included Constitutional Law, Civil Liberties, Gender and Political Action, Advanced Constitutional Litigation, Women and the Law, and Senior Seminar. She earned her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and her J.D. from Rutgers Law School. Professor Wharton’s scholarly research and writing focuses on issues of state and federal constitutional law with a special concentration on the law of gender discrimination. Her work has been published in the Yale Journal of Law & Feminism, the Rutgers Law Journal, the Harvard Journal of Law & Gender, the Stanford Law & Policy Review and the William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law. 

Before joining the faculty at Stockton, she had served as the Managing Attorney of the Women’s Law Project, a public interest law firm located in Philadelphia, where she specialized in litigation and law reform relating to gender discrimination. She served as co-lead counsel in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a challenge to Pennsylvania’s restrictive abortion law that was heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1992. She also taught a variety of law courses at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Rutgers Law School. Professor Wharton was a law clerk to the Hon. Dolores K. Sloviter of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, PA. She has served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Women’s History Project and the Women’s Rights Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association.