Profile

Fields: Political and social theory

Professor Johnson's current research and teaching traverse pragmatist political thought, democratic theory, philosophy of social science, and theories of political economy. Professor Johnson is co-author, with Jack Knight, of The Priority of Democracy: Political Consequences of Pragmatism (Princeton University Press, 2011) and, with Susan Orr, of Should Secret Voting be Mandatory? (Political Theory Today Series, Polity Books, 2020). His many academic papers have appeared in American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political Science, Annual Review of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, Journal of Theoretical Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Political Theory, and Politics, Philosophy & Economics.

Professor Johnson is Co-Director of the undergraduate program in Politics, Philosophy & Economics. He has received both the Goergen Award for Distinguished Achievement and Artistry in Undergraduate Teaching (2003) and the W.E.B. Dubois Award for Educational Excellence given by the Black Student Union (2014). Professor Johnson also is a long-time member of the teaching faculty at the ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research.

Professor Johnson has been Visiting Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation (2002-3) and is former Editor, Perspectives on Politics (2004-9), and past Co-Editor, Journal of Theoretical Politics (2000-2005) and Critical Review of International & Political Philosophy (2018-20). He has served on the Editorial Board of both the American Journal of Political Science (1996-98; 2014-18) and the American Political Science Review (2001-7). He was Program Co-Chair of the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association.

Courses taught

• PSCI 104 Introduction to Political Philosophy
• PSCI 121 Democracy in America
• PSCI 282 Art and Politics
• PSCI 283 Contemporary Political Theory
• PSCI 284 Democratic Theory
• PSCI 285 Strategy and Politics
• PSCI 287 Theories of Political Economy
• PSCI 293 Politics, Philosophy, and Economics: How to Change the World
• PSCI 294 Political Economy of African-American Communities
• PSCI 380 Scope of Political Science
• PSCI 383 Culture and Politics
• PSCI 480 Scope of Political Science
• PSCI 482 Art and Politics
• PSCI 484 Democratic Theory
• PSCI 487 Theories of Political Economy
• PSCI 581 Foundations of Political Theory
• PSCI 583 Culture and Politics