Contact
Professor Donald Zinman
Department of Political Science 
1127 AuSable Hall
Grand Valley State University
1 Campus Drive
Allendale, MI 49401
(616) 331-8714
[email protected]

Education
Ph.D., Government, University of Texas-Austin, 2006
MA, Government, University of Texas-Austin, 2004
BA, Politics and American Studies, Brandeis University, 1998
Fields: American politics, presidency, parties, elections

Courses
PLS 102- Intro to American Government and Politics
PLS 206- Constitutional Foundations
PLS 300- Political Analysis
PLS 304- Political Parties and Interest Groups
PLS 305- Congress and the Presidency
PLS 341- Voting and Elections
PLS 380- Special Topics (American Political Development)
PLS 495- Capstone in Political Science 
 

Selected publications:

Books:
America’s First Wartime Election: James Madison, DeWitt Clinton, and the War of
1812, Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2024.
The Heir Apparent Presidency, Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2016.

Articles & Book Chapters:
“How Can We Get Rid of a Bad President?”, in Joseph Smith and Dave Klein, eds., The
U.S. Constitution in 5 Minutes, Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing, 2023.

Chapter on President Martin Van Buren in Matthew Manweller, ed., Chronology of the
U.S. Presidency, Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO (Greenwood Press), 2012.
Chapter on President Ulysses S. Grant in Matthew Manweller, ed., Chronology of the
U.S. Presidency, Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO (Greenwood Press), 2012.

“The Heir Apparent Presidency of James Madison”, Presidential Studies
Quarterly, Vol. 41, Issue 4, pp. 712-726, December 2011.
“Passing the Torch Through Political Time:  Heir Apparent Presidents and the
Governing Party”, White House Studies, Vol. 9, Issue 1, pp. 51-66, 2009.
 
Biography

I came to Grand Valley in 2006. I have taught 8 different courses here, covering
American politics. My research uses an American political development approach to
study political parties, the presidency and elections.
I previously served as the department's internship coordinator and university's liaison to
the Washington Center for 13 years.
I currently serve on the CLAS Personnel Committee. 
I am a native of Walnut Creek, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I'm a
lifelong baseball fan.