Dr. Chris Grant

Dr. Chris Grant came to Mercer in 2005 after nine years teaching at other universities. He has been the recipient of two Fulbright Scholarships (2006, Moldova and 2022, Ukraine). In 2000, he was a Congressional Fellow in the office of U.S. Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA). He said he loves Mercer because of “the phenomenal students who are eager to learn and my incredible colleagues who teach passionately.”

Education

• Ph.D., University of Georgia
• M.A., University of Georgia
• B.S., Birmingham-Southern College

Specialty

American electoral politics, Congress, American foreign policy, the former Soviet space,

Professional Interests

Dr. Grant is enthusiastic about students participating in experiential learning and has developed opportunities for students to be a part of numerous study trips — both abroad and in the U.S. Some of these include Mercer On Mission trips to the former USSR; the European Institutions in Strasbourg, Luxembourg, and Brussels; and early contests in the presidential nominations cycle —Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Michigan.

“The most exciting teaching I do is behind the wheel of a minivan in New Hampshire during the presidential nominating season. It’s when students are experiencing politics and governance firsthand and have questions about it that makes my job fun,” he said.

Dr. Grant is the faculty sponsor for the Young Democrats and former director of the service track of the University Honors Program. He also is author of Our Arc of Confidence, a monograph on the evolution of the Georgia General Assembly, and numerous other publications on state politics and the former Soviet Union.

Academic Work

Recent Publications

• No More Rule of the Rustics, 2017. Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ/Sage.
• Our Arc of Constancy: The Georgia General Assembly, 2nd ed. 2017. Atlanta: The Georgia Humanities Council.
• The Mercer Reader, 2nd ed. 2009. (co-editor) with Deenen Sanasi, Andrew Silver, Anya Silver, Gordon Johnston and Fernando Palacios. Copley Press.
• The Little Engine that Does: How One NGO Refocused Attention to the Needs of Children in Moldova. 2006. Proceedings of the Social Protection for Children, Women, and Families Conference. UNICEF and the New School for Social Research, New York.
• The U.S. and the E.U. Expansion: Opportunities for Policy Goal Convergence. 2006. State Institute for International Relations of Moldova.
• How Domestic Politics in the United States Affect its Role as a Global Actor. 2006. American Studies Journal of Moldova.

Applied Work

• Conducted a SPLOST feasibility study for the Bibb County Board of Commissioners in October 2011.
• Director for the “Deciders Project” of Local Elected Officials in Bibb County. August 2011. Research carried out by undergraduate students.
• Developer for the Peyton Anderson Scholarship for the Peyton Anderson Foundation; Macon, GA. 2009.
• Co-Principal Investigator for the Knight Foundation’s Summative Evaluation of the Beall’s Hill Investment. 2007.
• Lead Evaluator for Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia federal CED grant from Department of Health and Human Services, 2004-2005.
• Lead Evaluator for Education First and the Bibb County Board of Education on five state and federal 21st Century Learning Centers After School Programs, 2003-2006.
• Lead Evaluator for SOURCE (home health management) in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Community Health, 2003-05.

Currently in Development

• The Buffer Zones: Nations and States Finding Resilience in the Post-Soviet Space. Anticipated completion 2024.
• Our Arc of Constancy: The Georgia General Assembly, 3rd ed. 2024. Atlanta: The Georgia Humanities Council.

Contact Dr. Chris Grant

(478) 301-2936
grant_jc@mercer.edu
Office: Groover Hall, Room 118