Andrew Theising
Andrew Theising holds masters and doctoral degrees in Political Science from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he was a Pierre Laclede Honors Scholar and studied under internationally-respected urban scholar Dennis R. Judd. His research subfield is urban politics, with particular emphasis on industrial legacy issues in urban cores. His research has been used by media nationwide, including Sports Illustrated, Columbia Journalism Review, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, and The PBS Newshour—the latter receiving an Emmy Award for the feature on his work. He is the author, editor, or collaborator on five books, including the award-winning book Made in USA: East St. Louis (Virginia Publishing, 2003) – the first comprehensive scholarly account of East St. Louis, Illinois, and companion book to the Emmy-Award-winning public television documentary of the same name (find it at your local library). Most recently, he edited St. Louis Currents: the Fifth Edition, with Dr. Terry Jones (Reedy Press, 2016).
Dr. Theising has extensive practical experience working with local, state, and national governments. He has contributed to major studies and plans for the region’s largest jurisdictions as well as many community institutions. He has served in many administrative roles at SIUE and serves on several boards and commissions in the region. He is a member and past the board chair of the Head Start/Early Head Start program serving St. Clair County, member and past president of the East St. Louis Charter High School board, and a commissioner for the East St. Louis 1917 Centennial Commission and Cultural Initiative.
Dr. Theising teaches courses in urban politics and public administration in the Political Science Department at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Since 2010, he also has been a visiting professor at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. He received teaching recognition awards from both SIUE and WUSTL.
He has been a member of the American Political Science Association, the Midwest Political Science Association, and the Urban Affairs Association. He serves on the editorial board of The Confluence, a reviewer for SAGE journals, and also is one of the coordinators of the Initiative for Urban Research in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Theising lives in St. Louis and enjoys local history. He is an avid collector of antique paper and is proud of his collection, which includes historic autographs, antiquarian books, and St. Louis political memorabilia (His oldest book was published in 1556!). Dr. Theising’s family has lived in the St. Louis/Southern Illinois area for nearly 175 years.
Courses recently taught:
- Political Science 112, American National Government
- Political Science 320, Introduction to Public Administration
- Political Science 343, American State Governments
- Political Science 344, Urban Politics
Recent publications:
- "Revisiting Progressive Era Lessons for Understanding Today," Journal of Urban History
- “Gateway to the World,” The Common Reader
- St. Louis Currents: The Fifth Edition (with Terry Jones)
- Images of America: East St. Louis (with Bill Nunes)
- “Three Lives that Changed a City,” The Making of an All-America City (ed. Mark Abbott)
- Made in USA: East St. Louis
Professional contact information:
Andrew J. Theising, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Political Science
Room 0417 Peck Hall
Box 1453
Edwardsville, IL 62026
618-650-2308 (direct)
618-650-3509 (shared fax)
Email: atheisi@siue.edu
