Dr. Dennis Simon (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and a founding member of the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies. His teaching and research interests include the American Presidency, presidential-congressional relations, public opinion, electoral behavior, and research methodology.  His research has appeared in such leading journals as the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and the Journal of Politics. He is the recipient of SMU’s 2001-2002 President's Associate Award for teaching and scholarship, the Pi Sigma Alpha award given by the Southern Political Science Association for his study of national forces in state legislative elections, and the Miriam Irish award given by the Southern Political Science Association for his study (with Barbara Palmer) of the emergence of women in U.S. electoral politics. Among the courses that Dr. Simon has taught for TAG are: PLSC 1320: Introduction to American Government and Politics; PLSC 4326: Presidential Elections; and PLSC 4334: The Politics and Legacies of the Civil Rights Movement.