Cassandra Epping

Cassandra Epping received her B.S.E. in Political Science Education at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science at Northern Illinois University.

She started at Carthage in 2025 after teaching in secondary education. She works mostly as a behavioralist, investigating why individuals develop certain political preferences and what leads them to be more or less likely to politically participate.

Hear From Prof. Epping: Why Political Science?

“I realized I wanted to teach political science while on my high school debate team. I would often work with the novices, teaching them different concepts and how to form their argument. I fell in love with that ‘light bulb’ moment when something would click for them. This led me to a career in education, starting with middle school and then moving to high school.”

“Though I was more than content teaching secondary school, I realized I wanted to do more with my content. I did not just want to teach the different social science concepts; I wanted to contribute to the field with my own research. This led me to pursue my M.A. and Ph.D. I found a renewed sense of wonder for teaching while instructing undergraduates while also being able to investigate my own research interests. I think it is important to never stop learning and challenging yourself.”

• B.S.E. Political Science Education, University of Wisconsin Whitewater
• M.A. Political Science, Northern Illinois University
• Ph.D. Political Science, Northern Illinois University

• POL 1040 Introduction to Public Policy
• POL 1500 American Government: National, State, and Local
• POL 1910 Law and Society
• POL 3530 Congress and the Presidency