Stephen J. Farnsworth

Stephen J. Farnsworth is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington. Dr. Farnsworth is the author or co-author of nine books on the presidency, the mass media and public opinion and is a 2017 recipient of the Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award.

He is also author or coauthor of dozens of scholarly articles on the presidency, the mass media, U.S. public opinion and Virginia politics. His political commentary has appeared in a wide range of media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, Politico, C-SPAN and BBC World.

Dr. Farnsworth is a former Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in Humanities and Social Sciences at the American Studies Center of the University of Warsaw, Poland; a former Canada-U.S. Fulbright Research Chair in Public Policy at McGill University in Montreal; a former Malaysia-US Fulbright Specialist at Methodist College in Kuala Lumpur; and a former chair of the political communication section of the American Political Science Association.

He received a Ph.D. and an M.A. in government from Georgetown University, a B.A. in history from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a B.A. in government from Dartmouth College. Dr. Farnsworth, who worked for 10 years as a newspaper journalist before becoming a professor, has lectured widely on the news media, the presidency and elections before US and international audiences.