Lilly Goren Photo

Dr. Lilly Goren

Professor of Political Science Get Contact Info

TEACHES IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM(S)

Political Science Global Studies Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Biography

Lilly J. Goren is professor of political science and global studies at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She teaches American government, the presidency, politics and culture, gender studies, politics and literature and political theory. Her research often integrates popular culture, literature, and film as means to understanding politics. Her published books include the Mad Men and Politics: Nostalgia and the Remaking of Modern America (Bloomsbury Publishers, March, 2015, co-edited with Linda Beail); Women and the White House: Gender, Popular Culture, and Presidential Politics (University Press of Kentucky, 2012, co-edited with Justin Vaughn)—winner of both the 2014 Susan Koppelman Book Award and the 2014 Peter C. Rollins Book Award; You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby: Women, Politics, and Popular Culture (University Press of Kentucky, 2009); and Not in My District: The Politics of Military Base Closures (Peter Lang, 2003), as well as articles in Society, Political Research Quarterly, White House Studies, and The Forum: A Journal of Applied Research in Contemporary Politics, and she has served as guest editor, with Justin Vaughn, for a special issue of White House Studies on the presidency and popular culture in 2010.

Goren has twice served as chair of the American Political Science Association’s Politics, Literature and Film section and she is currently serving as a member of the executive board for the APSA’s Presidents and Executive Politics Section. She is an elected member of the Governing Committee of the Association for Political Theory, where she served as Conference Committee Co-Chair for the APT annual meeting in 2015. Goren will be a Fulbright Fellow to the University of Bonn in the spring of 2018.

Professor Goren earned her A.B. in political science and English from Kenyon College and has an M.A. and a Ph.D. in political science from Boston College, and is a regular contributor to local, national, and international media. 

Education

  • Boston College, Ph.D. in Political Science
  • Boston College, M.A. in Political Science
  • Kenyon College, A.B. in Political Science and English

Areas of Specialization

American politics; American political institutions; the American Presidency; the U.S. Congress; public policy; American political thought; politics and literature; film and popular culture; political theory.

Scholarly and Professional Achievements

Selection of Recent Publications Books, journal articles, book chapters, and other publications 

“The Hillary Primary” chapter from Campaigning for President 2016, edited by Dennis Johnson and Lara Brown. Routledge Press, expected publication, October, 2017.

“The Sarah Palin/Paul Ryan Vice Presidential Acceptance Speeches: Gender and Partisan Appeals to the Republican Party” co-authored chapter with MaryAnne Borrelli in The Gendered Executive: A Comparative Analysis of Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Chief Executives, edited by Janet Martin and MaryAnne Borrelli. Transaction Press, September, 2016.

“The Politics of Gender in the World of the Twelve Colonies” chapter from Poli Sci Fi: An Introduction to Political Science through Science Fiction, edited by Michael A. Allen and Justin S. Vaughn, Routledge Press, October, 2016. “Politics and Popular Culture,” Society, Volume 53, issue 5, Fall, 2016.

“’The Good Wife’ Transformed How Political Women are Shown on TV, Here’s How.” The Monkey Cage Blog, Washington Post, May 6, 2016.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/05/06/the-good-wife-transformed-how-political-women-are-shown-on-tv-heres-how/

Mad Men and Politics: Nostalgia and the Remaking of Modern America, co-edited with Linda Beail. Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.  

“Women’s Value on Trial in Troilus and Cressida” chapter from Woman on Trial: Gender and the Accused Women in Plays from Ancient Greece to the Contemporary Stage, edited by Amelia Howe Kritzer and Miriam Lὁpez Rodrἰguez. Teneo Press, March 2015.

Troilus & Cressida: The Value of Reputations and the Corruption of Society,” chapter from Shakespeare and Politics: What a Sixteenth Century Playwright Can Tell Us About Twenty First Century Politics, edited by Bruce Altschuler and Michael Genovese, Paradigm Publishers, September 2013.

“The Base Realignment and Closing Commission: Difficult Choices, Electoral Considerations, and the future of National Leadership in a Partisan Age,” chapter from The Presidential Leadership Dilemma, edited by Lara Brown, Julia Azari and Zim Nwokora, State University of New York Press, March 2013.     

Women and the White House: Gender, Presidential Politics, and Popular Culture, co-editor with Justin Vaughn, contributor and project co-director. University Press of Kentucky, 2012.
  • Winner of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Susan Koppelman Book Award, 2013.
  • Winner of the Southwest Popular Culture/American Culture Association Peter C. Rollins Book Award, 2014.
“The Politics of Military Bases,” The Forum: A Journal of Applied Research in Contemporary Politics, Berkeley Electronic Press, Volume 9, issue 3, article 7, 2011.

“What’s in a Name: The Naming of Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Primary Race,” Political Research Quarterly. Co-authored with Joseph Uscinski. Online publication, September 2010. Hardcopy publication, Winter, 2011. 

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby: Women, Politics & Popular Culture, editor, contributor and project director. University Press of Kentucky, 2009.

The Politics of Military Base Closings: Not in My District. Peter Lang Publishers, 2003.  

The Comparative Politics of Military Base Closures: A United States-Canadian Case Study of De-Distributive Decisions and Domestic Military Bases (with P. Whitney Lackenbauer). University of Maine Press, Canadian-American Public Policy Occasional Papers Series, 2000.

Service to Carroll University and Profession

  • Director, Honors Program, Carroll University, 2015-2017
  • President, Carroll University Faculty, Carroll University 2009-2011
  • President, Carroll University Assembly, Carroll University 2011-2013
  • Member, Tenure & Promotion Committee, 2013-2017
  • Interim Chair, Department of History, Politics, Religious Studies, 2010-2011
 
  • Nominee, Governing Council, American Political Science Association, 2017-2020
  • Academic Advisory Board, Lexington Book’s Politics, Literature and Film Book Series     
  • Elected Member, Governing Committee, Association for Political Theory, 2015-2018     
  • Elected Co-Chair, Association for Political Theory Annual Conference Program Committee, 2014-2015
  • Grant Reviewer, National Endowment for the Humanities Program for Summer Seminars and Institutes, Spring, 2012
  • American Political Science Association Politics, Literature & Film Section
    • Chair, 2003-2004, 2012-2013; Secretary/Treasurer, 2009-2011, Member at Large, 2006-2010; Best Paper Award Judge, 2000-2001, 2004-2005.
  • American Political Science Association Presidents and Executive Politics Section
    • Richard E. Neustadt Book Award Committee Member, 2016-2017, Undergraduate Best Paper Award Committee Chair, 2007-2008, 2012-2013, Best Paper Award Committee Member, 2015-2016, Executive Committee Member, 2007-2010, 2014-2017. Invited Judge, The Okin-Young Award in Feminist Political Theory, 2010-2011 Co-sponsored by American Political Science Association sections on Women and Politics, on Foundations of Political Theory, and the Women’s Caucus for Political Science.

Honors and Awards

  • Fulbright Award, “Nostalgia in the Age of Anxiety: Political Culture, Emotion, and Citizenship,” North American Studies Program, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, Summer, 2018.
  • Susan Koppelman 2013 Book Award, Popular Culture/American Culture Association for Women and the White House: Gender, Popular Culture and Presidential Politics.
  • Peter C. Rollins 2014 Book Award, Southwest Popular Culture/American Culture Association for Women and the White House: Gender, Popular Culture and Presidential Politics.
  • Benjamin F. Richason, Jr. Faculty Award 2011 Recipient. This memorial award was established to honor faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching, research and educational innovation at Carroll University.
  • All College Teaching Award Finalist, The College of St. Catherine, 2003

What is your teaching style?

Encouraging and challenging.

Why do you do what you do?

I love politics, which might be a dirty word these days, but I have been fascinated, for as long as I can remember, by politics and trying to understand the connection between citizens, government, power, and institutions, and how I, myself, fit into all of that. I am not sure that I always understand it, but I do try to help students think of themselves as citizens, regardless of their major or their career paths, and to consider how they fit into these public contexts. 

How do you make learning engaging?

Mostly by trying not to be too boring, which works some times, but not usually when I need to teach the section on federalism, which usually puts everyone to sleep. I always try to bring in contemporary examples and often guests who can also speak to the topics we study (like the mayor of Waukesha!). I also encourage students to connect themselves to the topics we are exploring through in-class simulations (students get to be members of Congress!) and opportunities for civic engagement.

What should students know about you?

I like to cook, knit, and watch television, not all at the same time but sometimes two out of three. I have lived in a variety of states and a number of countries. I love to travel because it also provides another perspective on politics as well, and I get to see lots of cool places and talk to interesting people. 
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