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Dr. Salvatore Lombardo holds a Ph.D. from Florida State University, a B.A. in Political Science and an M.P.A. (Master's in Public Administration) from Wayne State University.  His teaching responsibilities within the Political Science Department include American Politics courses (Contemporary U.S. Politics, Public Opinion, Political Participation and Voting Behavior), and the research methods sequence.  Dr. Lombardo's research mainly focuses on Alexis de Tocqueville and his perceptions about American politics and society.  Dr. Lombardo represents ICPSR (the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) on the Siena Campus.

Degree Program University
Ph.D. Political Science Florida State University
M.P.A. Public Administration Wayne State University
B.A. Political Science Wayne State University

My Siena Experience

My Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is informed by the following assumptions about learning:
  •  learners should engage in the construction of knowledge; they should not be the passive recipients of transferred knowledge;
  • all learning has a social dimension: it should not occur in isolation but should be developed through interactions within the class, and with the help of the instructor;
  • an important aspect of the learning experience is learning how to learn. While the acquisition of substantive knowledge is important, learning how to acquire knowledge is even more important;
  • learning should aim to develop research skills that are useful not only in school but, most importantly, in life. Learning should be for life, not just for test taking;
  • learning that is the result of serious investigation enables learners to develop in-depth understanding, as opposed to acquiring superficial knowledge.
 Accordingly, my teaching approach
  • is student centered and interactive;
  • encourages student participation;
  • promotes analytical thinking through original research.

What I Love About Siena

  • Small classes
  • Having the opportunity to help students individually as they learn and grow intellectually

My Favorite Courses to Teach

  • POSC-178, Political Research I.  This is a qualitative research class.
  • POSC-182, Political Research II.  This is a quantitative research class.
  • POSC-325, Public Opinion  This is a class on the theory and practice of public opinion research.
I enjoy these classes because they give me the opportunity to teach students how to do political science research.  In these courses students learn how to reach conclusions about political phenomena with the help of emprical evidence, and using analytical skills.

My Professional Experience

Year Title Organization
1991 - Now Assistant Professor Siena College
1989 - 1991 Instructor Siena College
1986 - 1987 Grad. Assistant Florida State University
1980 - 1983 Grad. Assistant Wayne State University

Current Research

  • Alexis de Tocqueville's perceptions about American politics and society.
  • Alexis de Tocqueville as a political theorist and as a politician.
  • The determinants of public opinion, with a specific focus on political ideology.

Articles & Book Reviews

  • Review of Jennifer Guglielmo and Salvatore Salerno (eds.) Are Italians White? How Race Is Made in America
    MultiCultural Review
    2004
  • Review of Akira Iriye's Global Community: The Role of International Organizations in the Making of the Contemporary World
    MultiCultural Review
    2003
  • Review of Lawrence DiStasi (ed.) Una Storia Segreta: The Secret History of Italian American Evacuation and Internment during World War II
    MultiCultural Review, vol. 11
    December, 2002
  • Review of Donna R. Gabaccia's Italy's Many Diasporas: Elites, Exiles, and Workers of the World
    MultiCultural Review, vol. 10
    March, 2001
  • Review of Feliks Gross's Citizenship and Ethnicity: The Growth and Development of a Democratic Multiethnic Institution
    MultiCultural Review, vol. 9
    September, 2000
  • Review of Patricia Boscia-Mule's Authentic Ethnicities: The Interaction of Ideology, Gender, Power, and Class in the Italian-American Experience
    MultiCultural Review, vol. 8
    December, 1999
  • Council Member Perceptions Regarding Representational Effectiveness: Does Bureaucracy Make a Difference?
    Public Administration Quarterly, vol. 30
    Summer, 2006

Awards & Distinctions

  • I have been awarded reassigned time to pursue my research for the following period: Fall 2010-Spring 2013.
    Category: Teaching
    Siena College, 2011
  • I have been awarded reassigned time to pursue my research for the following period: Fall 2007-Spring 2010.
    Category: Other
    Siena College, 2010
  • Spring 2003. Reassigned time.
    Category: Other
    Siena College, 2003
  • Summer 2001. Research grant and research fellowship from Committee on Teaching.
    Category: Other
    Committee on Teaching, 2001
  • Spring 1997. Research grant from Committee on Teaching.
    Category: Other
    Committee on Teaching, 1997
  • Summer 1997. Research fellowship from Committee on Teaching.
    Category: Other
    Committee on Teaching, 1997
  • Summer 1993. Research fellowship from Committee on Teaching.
    Category: Other
    Committee on Teaching, 1993

Presentations

  • The Tyranny of the Majority and the Danger of Despotism in Tocqueville's Democracy in America: Another Look
    2015
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • Reassessing Alexis de Tocqueville's Views on Race in America
    April, 2012
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • The Evolution of Student Knowledge and Perceptions in an Undergraduate Research Methods Course
    2011
    APSA Teaching and Learning Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Gender and Political Ideology: The Moderate Gap
    April, 2010
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • Tocqueville and Gender Equality
    April, 2008
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • Teaching Research Methods: A Writing and Research Intensive Approach
    2007
    APSA Teaching and Learning Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • The Theory and Practice of Democracy: Alexis de Tocqueville and the Roman Republic of 1849
    2006
    Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Political Science Association, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Widening Regional Cooperation: European Union Enlargement and ASEAN Expansion Compared
    2002
    Meeting of the European Community Studies Association, Toronto, Canada
  • Gender and Perceptions about Representation
    2001
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • Nineteenth Century Concepts of Democracy: Tocqueville and Mazzini
    2001
    Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Regionalism in the EU: The Case of Italy
    1999
    Southern Political Science Association Conference, N/A, Unknown
  • Representational and Service Delivery Effectiveness in New York State Local Governments: Council Members' Perceptions
    1999
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • Political Structure and Individual Determinants of Representational Role Types among City Council Members in the State of New York
    1998
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • European Integration: Crises and Progress.
    1996
    Georgia Political Science Association Meeting, Savannah, Georgia
  • Italian Politics in Transition: Electoral Reform and the Promise of Stability
    1996
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • Mandatory Voting and Voter Turnout in Italy
    1996
    American Political Science Association Meeting, San Francisco, California
  • Closeness of Elections and Voting Participation in the 1992 Congressional Elections
    1994
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • Gender and Political Ideology in American Politics
    1992
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • Party-Group Linkages and Voting Turnout in Gubernatorial Elections
    1990
    Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois
  • Party-Group Linkages in State Party Systems
    1989
    American Political Science Association Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia