Theresa Marchant-Shapiro

Theresa Marchant-Shapiro is a Professor in the Political Science Department at Southern Connecticut State University. She specializes in research methods, mass political behavior, and leadership, with teaching interests spanning race and ethnicity, political participation, elections, and American political thought.

Research Interests focus on decision-making in leadership and collective action contexts, particularly during elections. Her work explores voting behavior, democratic theory, presidential greatness, and distributed leadership.

Scientific Grants include:

• "Shiny on the Outside: How Issue Advocacy Advertisements Influence Voters" (2018–Present), $6,000, sponsored by Southern Connecticut State University
• "Finding Opportunity in America" (2020), $6,500, sponsored by CSU-AAUP
• "Neil Proto '67 New Haven Research Grant" (2019), sponsored for oral history interviews
• "Behind Opportunity’s Door" (2019), $6,000, sponsored by CSU-AAUP
• "Observing and Measuring Opportunities to Teach and to Lead within Schools" (2018), $7,425, sponsored by CSU-AAUP
• "Empirical Explorations of Distributed Opportunities to Learn, Teach, and Lead" (2017), $2,500, sponsored by CSU-AAUP
• "Extending the 'Opportunity to Learn' Construct to Teaching and Leading Domains" (2015–2016), $3,133, sponsored by CSU-AAUP
• "Moving Beyond the Construct 'Opportunity to Learn'" (2014–2015), $5,827, sponsored by CSU-AAUP