Dr. Black has wide research and teaching interests in the fields of American Politics and Political Behavior. She teaches a range of courses including those that examine different political institutions and other seminars that consider how we interact with our government. Believing that practical experience is a great teacher, Dr. Black served as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow, working in the office of Rep. Melissa A. Hart during the 2000-2001 academic year. 

Her 2007 book From Inspiration to Legislation: How an Idea Becomes A Bill, (Pearson Prentice Hall) draws upon her experiences on Capitol Hill, following the story of how one legislator's idea became a bill and offers readers insight into the daily work of a Congressional office, the political process and the development of legislation. From Inspiration to Legislation follows H.R. 2018, the Safe Havens Support Act, a "small" bill that addresses a simple but poignant issue: the problem of newborn babies abandoned and left to die. Relying on participant observation and on documents collected while working for Rep. Hart, this study examines the ground-level challenges of a new member developing a legislative agenda and offers readers an insider's view of policy formation from preliminary research to coalition-building, writing the bill, and working with committees to move the bill to the floor.

Dr. Black's Of Little Faith: The Politics of George W. Bush's Faith Based Initiatives (with co-authors Doug Koopman and David Ryden), draws upon interviews with key lawmakers and policy advocates who worked on faith-based issues to examine the politics of faith-based initiatives. Following the policy from the 2000 campaign through the end of the 107^th Congress, Of Little Faith provides important insights into the George W. Bush presidency and the state of the contemporary American debate about religion and politics. 

Her latest book, Beyond Left and Right: Helping Christians Make Sense of American Politics (Baker Books, 2008), is a resource to help Christians better understand the American political system and prepare them for political conversations and more active political participation. Approaching politics as a means of demonstrating Christian love in action, this book gives readers tools to develop a thoughtful and informed perspective on political issues, elections, and advocacy.

Dr. Black joined the Wheaton faculty after serving four years on the faculty of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. She is active in a local church where she teaches adult education classes and participates in a women's Bible study. Married to Wheaton professor Daniel Treier, she and her husband enjoy domestic and international travel and are avid sports fans.

• American Politics and Government
• Congress and the Policymaking Process
• The American Presidency
• Media and Public Opinion
• Religion and Politics
• Women and Politics
• Politics and Policy
• Campaigns and Elections
• Senior Seminar: Christianity and Politics
• The Iowa Caucus
• Politics and Pop Culture

• American Political Science Association
• President, Christians in Political Science
• Chair, Council of Christian Scholarly Societies

Individual: Congressional Legislative Process, Religion and Politics

With Students: Faith-based Initiatives, Religion and Political Rhetoric

• Black, Amy E. Beyond Left and Right: Helping Christians Make Sense of American Politics. Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Books, 2008.
  
  
• Black, Amy E. 2007. From Inspiration to Legislation:  How an Idea Becomes a Bill.  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Pearson Prentice Hall.
  
  
• Black, Amy E., Douglas L. Koopman, and David K. Ryden. 2004.  Of Little Faith:  The Politics of George W. Bush's Faith-Based Proposals.  Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. 
  
  
• Black, Amy E.  2002.  "African American and White Elites Confront Race." Society, Vol. 39, No. 4, (May/June): 39-45.
  
  
• Rothman,  Stanley and Amy E. Black.  2001.  "Media and Business Elites:  Still in Conflict?"  Public Interest  143 (Spring): 72-86.
  
  
• Black, Amy E. and Jamie Allen.  2001.  "Tracing the Legacy of Anita Hill:  The Impact of the Thomas/Hill Hearings on Sexual Harassment Coverage."   Gender Issues, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Winter) 33-52.
  
  
• Rothman,  Stanley and Amy E. Black.  1999.  "Elites Revisited:  American Social and Political Leadership in the 1990s."  International Journal of Public Opinion, Vol. 11, No. 2, (Summer): 169-195.
  
  
• Black, Amy E. and Stanley Rothman.  1998.  "Have You Really Come a Long Way? Women's Access to Power in the United States."  Gender Issues, Vol. 16, No. 1/2, (Winter): 107-133.
  
  
• Black, Amy E. and Stanley Rothman.  1998.  "Shall We Kill all the Lawyers First?  Insider and Outsider Views of the Legal Profession."  Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Vol. 21, No. 3, (Summer): 835-860.
  
  
• Rothman, Stanley and Amy E. Black.  1998.  "Who Rules Now?  American Elites in the 1990s."  Society, Vol. 35, No. 6, (September/October): 17-20.
  
  
• Black, Amy E.  1995.  For the Sake of the Children:  Reconstructing American Divorce Policy.  Wynnewood, PA: ESA Press.

Next faculty: Dr. Joireman