Jessica Sargent
Teaching Assistant Professor
Specialities: Political Consequences of Belief, focusing on Constitutional Politics, Political Psychology, and Facts in Politics
Biography
Jessica M. Sargent is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research focuses on political polarization, narrative (Narrative Policy Framework – NPF), trust, and optimistic realism. She also works in student-centered pedagogy to foster civil discourse
Sargent earned her Doctor of Arts in Political Science from Idaho State University, where she also completed a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Criminal Justice, a Master of Arts in Sociology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Psychology.
Prior to joining the Baker School, Sargent served as Department Lead and Instructor in General Education at the College of Eastern Idaho (2020–2025) and held adjunct faculty appointments at both Idaho State University and the College of Southern Idaho. She has also worked as an academic advisor in athletics and held graduate teaching roles in both sociology and political science.
Her recent publications include contributions to The Sociological Quarterly, World Affairs, and the edited volume Narratives and the Policy Process: Applications of the Narrative Policy Framework. She is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha and Pi Alpha Alpha, national honor societies in political science and public affairs.
At the University of Tennessee, Sargent teaches courses such as Solving Public Problems and State and Local Challenges. She is a recipient of the 2024 Associate of Arts Faculty of the Year Award from the College of Eastern Idaho and was named an Innovative Educator by the Idaho State Board of Education in the same year.
Education
- B.A., Sociology, Idaho State University
- M.A., Sociology, Idaho State University
- M.P.A., Political Science, Idaho State University
- Ph.D., Political Science, Idaho State University
Publications
Preparing Public Administrators and Policy Analysts for a Polarized World