Faculty/Staff Directory

Dr. Bobbi Gentry

Associate Professor

Biography: Bobbi Gentry is a scholar of teaching and learning who focuses on improving student engagement in the classroom
through simulations, policy problem/solution proposals, and research projects. She is also a
youth voting scholar and published her book, Why Youth Vote: Identity, Inspirational Leaders, and Independence (Springer, 2018)
and coedited the APSA publication Internships in Political Science (2021). Her current work on the scholarship of teaching and learning includes best practices in internships, curriculum review in political science, and youth activism.
Teaching and Research Interests: American Government and Politics
State and Local Government
Parties and Elections
Education: (All institutions attended and degrees or credentials earned)PhD Political Science with a Concentration in the Psychology of Political Behavior CUNY-Graduate Center 2010
ICPSR Summer Program Training in Multidimensional Modeling and Maximum Likelihood Estimation, 2011
M.Phil. Political Science CUNY-Graduate Center, 2009
B.A. Political Science, Honors Degree, Summa Cum Laude, Winthrop University, 2004
B.A. Psychology, Honors Degree, Summa Cum Laude, Winthrop University, 2004
Publications and Scholarships: (Last 5 Years)Books

Gentry, Bobbi and Shamira Gelbman. Ed. Forthcoming in 2026. Encyclopedia of Youth Activism. Santa Barbara, CA: Bloomsbury.

Van Vechten, Renee, Bobbi Gentry and John Berg. 2021. Political Science Internships: Toward Best Practices. Washington, D.C.: American Political Science Association.

Gentry, Bobbi. 2017. Why Youth Vote: Identity, Inspirational Leaders, and Independence. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Gentry, Bobbi and Christopher Lawrence. 2024. “Grand Theft Student: Strategies for Political Science Recruitment.” Journal of Political Science Education.

Gentry, Bobbi. 2023. “Getting IT Done: Balance of Life, Work and Love of a Teacher Scholar.” Published on the American Political Science Association’s EDUCATE website. https://educate.apsanet.org/getting-it-done-balance-of-life-work-and-love-of-a-teacher-scholar


Gentry, Bobbi G., Kyla K. Stepp, and Jeremiah J. Castle. 2022. “Expect the Unexpected: Choices and Challenges in the Political Science PhD Job Market.” Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond. Washington, D.C., American Political Science Association.

Benson, Thomas S., Bobbi Gentry, and Sarah Shugars. 2022. “Feeling like a Fraud: Imposter Syndrome in Political Science.” Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond. Washington, D.C., American Political Science Association.

Gentry, Bobbi. 2022. “School of Hard Knocks: Rebuilding a Program.” Journal of Political Science Education 18 (2): 267-283.

Gentry, Bobbi. 2021. “Political Identity Development in a Changing World.” Psychology of Political Behavior in a Time of Change. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.


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