Rogers Smith

Who is Rogers Smith?

Rogers Smith is an American political scientist and author noted for his research and writing on American constitutional and political development and political thought, with a focus on issues of citizenship and racial, gender, and class inequalities.

Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina and raised in Springfield, Illinois, Smith graduated with a B.A. in political science from James Madison College, Michigan State University in 1974, including study abroad at the University of Kent in England. He attended graduate school at Harvard University, completing his M.A. in 1978 and his PhD degree in government in 1980. Smith taught at Yale University from 1980 to 2001, when he moved to the University of Pennsylvania, where he is the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science.

Smith's writings have received numerous awards. Civic Ideals was a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in history, and won several awards from the American Political Science Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the Social Science History Association.

Smith currently chairs the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism.