Faculty Profile
Brent Lerseth
Assistant Professor, Social Sciences
Education
- B. A., Government and Philosophy, Augustana College, 1992
- M. A., Political Science, Northern Illinois University, 1994
- M. A. and Ph. D., Political Science, University of California-Riverside, 2001
Courses Taught
- CRJ390 - Special Topics
- HIS101 - Modern European History to 1815
- HIS102 - Modern European History Since 1815
- HIS104 - World History 1200-Present
- HIS120 - United States History to 1877
- HIS121 - United States History Since 1877
- HIS303 - Ancient World History
- HIS304 - Medieval World History
- HIS311 - United States Diplomatic History
- HIS321 - Constitutional History of US
- HIS400 - History Colloquium
- PHI324 - Political Philosophy
- PSC211 - American Federal Government
- PSC212 - State/Local Government
- PSC214 - International Relations
- PSC215 - Religion and Politics
- PSC390 - Special Topics in Political Science
- PSC402 - Comparative Politics
- SSC205 - World Geography
- SSC305 - US Geography
- SOC390 - Special Topics
Expertise
- U. S. History
- European History
- World History
- World Geography
Research
Dr. Lerseth's personal research has been in these main areas:
- Freedom of speech, press, and religion
- The political influence of film
- South Dakota politics including the 2006 Election and abortion debate
- Aristotle, Adam Smith, and the American Founding on state formation and the statesman
- American political thought
Scholarships and Creative Work
Articles
- “Successes and Tasks to be Completed by Each of South Dakota’s Congressional Delegation”, contribution to article “Analysts: Trio Must Not Forget S. D. Interests” in the Argus Leader, August 16, 2009
Book Chapters
- “Charles Blount” Censorship: A World Encyclopedia, edited by Derek Jones, Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, London, Dec. 2001
- “James Mill” Censorship: A World Encyclopedia, Dec. 2001
- “John Stuart Mill” Censorship: A World Encyclopedia, Dec. 2001
Reviews
- Book Review of Politics, Philosophy, Writing: Plato’s Art of Caring for Souls, edited by Zdravko Planinc, in American Political Science Review, vol. 96, issue 02, June 2002, pp. 411-2
- Book Review of Daschle vs. Thune: Anatomy of a High-plains Senate Race by Jon Lauck, in the Argus Leader, December 2007
Papers
- Fall 1998, Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting: "Charles Blount: Deism and Interest Politics in the Defense of Freedom of the Press in England, 1679-93"
- Spring 2003, Great Plains Political Science Association Annual Meeting: "The New Rhetoric of Adam Smith and Political Discourse: A Comparison to Deliberative Democracy"
- Spring 2005, Great Plains Political Science Association Annual Meeting: "An Aristotelian Evaluation of American Constitutionalism"
- Spring 2008, Southwestern Political Science Association Annual Meeting and Midwest Political Science Association Annual Meeting: "American Values and the Constitution: Assessing the Impact of the Declaration of Independence on the Formation of American Institutions"
Lectures
- “The Politics of Community Development in Sioux Falls and Other Emerging Metropolitan Areas”, given for the Humanities Symposium, November 2006
- “Questions and Issues for the 2008 Election”, given to the Augustana Seniors at Augustana College, February 2008
- “The 2008 Election in Retrospect”, given to the Golden Vikings at Augustana College, November 2008
- “Perspectives on the 2008 Election”, Thought Leader Forum for Augustana College, with Dr. Joel Johnson, November 2008
- “An Overview of the 2010 Election”, given to the Together in Ministry Pastor’s Conference at Augustana College, November 2010
- "The Electoral College and the 2016 Election", OLLI, April 2018