Welcome.

I am Jonathan ‘Doc’ Bradley, a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a PhD in Political Science (Summer 2019). Until 2021 I taught at the College of Southern Nevada and part-time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I am currently a full-time lecturer at The University of Vermont.

I identify as a teacher. I can’t wait to say “I teach college” when someone ask me what I do for a living. It has been my goal since my first college class. I think education is the most important thing a person can achieve in their life. It is the great equalizer. I take great pride in my teaching and the impact it has on my students.

I take my role as an American government teacher seriously. For our great democratic experiment to continue to excel it is vital for the people to be informed. My students in the Las Vegas area were often in need of understanding their power & efficacy in dealing with government as many had to deal with the flaws and failures of our political and education institutions on a daily basis. I believe one of my jobs as an American government educator is to give my students the tools they can use to fix those flaws and overcome those failures.

Currently, at The University of Vermont, I am teaching courses on Environmental Politics. I was fortunate to work closely with Dr. Dennis Pirages for years at UNLV. Dennis was my mentor till his retirement in 2016. Dennis, with a few others, essentially created the scientific discipline of Environmental Politics. UVM has renewed my passion for environmental politics and policy.

In my dissertation, Religion as a Political Tool: The Use of Religious Frames by Politicians in the US House of Representatives, 2011- 2017, I find that politicians strategically invoke religious frames when speaking to constituents. Since undergrad, I have been focused on religions’ roles in governments, and vice-versa. The intersection of religion and politics is an understudied part of academia and I am proud to do research in the area to better people’s understanding of the interactions.

I earned my master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2012) with a concentration in International Relations examining how the People’s Republic of China and the Vatican compete on the world stage. I earned a bachelor’s degree in World Religions from North Carolina State University (2005) and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Arkansas (2001).

Outside of academia, I love to travel, especially to the National Parks. I am a bit of a sports fan supporting the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and the US Women’s National Soccer Team. I am an amateur cook who treats the kitchen like a mad scientist’s laboratory. I love trying new, hole-in-the-wall restaurants and am always on the lookout for suggestions. Now that grad school is over I have rediscover my love of reading and have undertaken the goal of reading a biography of every president of the US. Lastly, I am a huge sci-fi nerd and all that encompass. The nickname “Doc” comes from being an US Army medic for 8 years.