University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown

James R Alexander, PhD

  • Professor of Political Science

Dr. Alexander is a Professor of Political Science and served as Chair of the Division of Social Sciences 1991-2010, and as interim Vice President for Academic Affairs under President Al Etheridge 1996-98. His teaching areas include:

· Constitutional Law, Free Speech and Media Law

· National Policymaking/Federal Budget Process

· Political Science Research

· American Government and Politics

Education & Training

  • BA, University of Colorado
  • MPA, University of Colorado
  • PhD, University of Colorado

Research Interests

Most of his research has been in the area of constitutional law; here is a representative listing:

· “Chasing Echoes of Obscenity Exceptionalism in Copyright: Recent Swarm Cases,” CHICAGO-KENT JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (2018).

· “Evil Angel Eulogy: The Quiet Passing of the Obscenity Defense in Copyright,” JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW (2013).

· “Roth at Fifty: Reconsidering the Common Law Antecedents of American Obscenity Doctrine,” JOHN MARSHALL LAW REVIEW (2007).

· “Obscenity, Pornography, and the Law in Japan: Reconsidering Oshima's ‘In the Realm of the Senses’,” ASIAN-PACIFIC LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY JOURNAL. (2003).

· “Congressional Preemption of State Policy: Interpreting the Garcia Decision,” POLICY STUDIES JOURNAL (1988).

· “State Sovereignty in the Federal System: Constitutional Protections Under the Tenth and Eleventh Amendments,” PUBLIUS, THE JOURNAL OF FEDERALISM (1986).

He also completed research under the auspices of the America’s Industrial Heritage Project of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior including:

· THE JOHNSON STEEL STREET RAIL COMPANY; A PROJECT REPORT (1988). A historic documentation carried out under the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Division and the America's Industrial Heritage Project of the National Park Service.

· JAYBIRD; A. J. MOXHAM AND THE MANUFACTURE OF THE JOHNSON RAIL (1991), a business history published by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association.

· “Technological Innovation in Steel Fabrication: Marketing and Production Considerations in the Development of the Johnson Rail,” BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC HISTORY (1991).

Division

Academic Programs