James Kirk

Biography

James R. G. Kirk is a fifth-year PhD candidate and a Notebaert Premier Fellow in political science at the University of Notre Dame. His fields of study are American politics and methodology, and his specific areas of interest include political behavior, parties and elections, political geography, religion and politics, and quantitative methods.

James' research examines the intersections of place and politics and religion and politics. His dissertation, "Which Shepards to Follow?: Cross-Pressured Catholic Politics in a Polarized America," examines how political polarization and partisan shape the relationship between social and political identities. His research on urban-rural variations in political trust is forthcoming at American Politics Research. His previous work on religion and the 2020 election has been published in The Forum, and his research on public opinion of instability and how it links to government prioritization of military spending was published in Issues in Political Economy.

James earned his BS in Political Science and Economics, graduating with honors in both, from Frostburg State University. Prior to attending Notre Dame, he worked as a congressional campaign staffer and in higher education advancement at his alma mater.

Areas of Interest

Polarization, religion and politics, public opinion, political geography, survey methodology