Thomas Zeitzoff Associate Professor Department of Justice, Law & Criminology
- Degrees
- Ph.D. Politics, New York University, 2013.
M.A. Politics, New York University, 2010.
M.A. Political Economy, Washington University in St. Louis, 2008.
B.A. Economics, Washington University in St. Louis, 2007. - Bio
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Thomas Zeitzoff (NYU PhD, 2013) is an associate professor in the School
of Public Affairs at American University. He was previously a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University. His research focuses on political violence and political psychology. He is particularly interested in the effects of social media and exposure to violence on political attitudes, why individuals fight, and how leaders mobilize supporters for conflict or peace. His uses survey and experimental methods drawn from social psychology and behavioral economics, along with large-N analysis. As part of his research he has conducted fieldwork and survey research in Israel, Mexico, Georgia, Ukraine, and Turkey. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Electoral Studies, Conflict Management and Peace Science, British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Peace Research, Political Behavior, Political Psychology, Journal of Conflict Resolution, American Journal of Political Science, International Organization, and the American Political Science Review. He is currently working on a book on why politicians in the U.S. and Ukraine use violent rhetoric. You can find him on Twitter @zeitzoff and his website.
- See Also
- homepage
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Spring 2024
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JLC-485 Topics in Terrorism: Ideology, Extremism & Violence
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JLC-899 Doctoral Dissertation
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SPA-615 Conduct of Inquiry IV
Fall 2024
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JLC-461 Psych of Pol Violence/Terror
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JLC-485 Topics in Terrorism: Ideology, Extremism & Violence
AU Experts
Area of Expertise
Political violence, extremism/terrorism, social media and politics, polarization, and political psychology
Additional Information
Prof. Thomas Zeitzoff is an expert on a broad range of topics including political violence, extremism/terrorism, social media and politics, polarization, and political psychology. His country expertise includes the politics of Israel, Ukraine, and the U.S. He has been a regular commentator to national and international news outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, BBC, NBC, Buzzfeed, NPR, and The Los Angeles Times. His most recent book, Nasty Politics: The Logic of Insults, Threats, and Incitement (2023), is novel explanation for why politicians insult, accuse, and threaten their opponents, even though voters say they don't like it in the U.S., Israel, and Ukraine. He is currently working on a new book about the past and future of the radical environmental movement.
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.