Faculty & Staff
Dr. Elli Menounou
Associate Professor of Political Science
Office Phone: 909-869-3776
Email: emenounou@cpp.edu
Office Location: 94-315
Office Hours: To be announced
Full CV
Academic Area
Public Law, Judicial Politics
Areas of Expertise
Judicial behavior, Inter-branch relations, Constitutional law, Judicial globalization, International law and human rights, public opinion and court legitimacy
Research Statement
Elli Menounou received her Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations with a focus on Public Law at the University of Southern California, and an MA in Political Science with a concentration in Political Theory at California State University, Los Angeles. Her research interests lie at the intersection of judicial politics, judicial globalization, and public opinion as it relates to courts. Specifically, her research examines judges as distinct actors in the international system, assesses the effect of judicial decision-making on public opinion, and explores factors that affect judicial behavior and the judiciary as a whole. Some of the courses Elli has taught include constitutional law, judicial behavior, American politics, and interest groups.
Academic Degrees
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PhD, University of Southern California, 2017
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MA, California State University, Los Angeles, 2009
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BA, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences; Athens, Greece, 2007
Current Courses
SPRING 2025
Constitutional questions concerning the distribution of powers and responsibilities among the institutions of the federal government and between the federal and state governments. Special attentions to interbranch conflicts, constitutional crises such as the Civil War and Watergate. The course is designed for junior or senior level student majoring in political science with a concentration in public law, although it is appropriate for other students in political science, social science, or pre-law who would find the subject matter to be of interest to them. Students who are particularly inquisitive and motivated, and who are interested in developing their skills in critical analysis and writing, would derive maximum benefit from the course.
Observation of a variety of court sessions in the Los Angeles Superior Court system, including criminal, civil, juvenile, mental health, family law. Students meet with judges and lawyers at the courts and other offices of the legal system.
Selection and completion of a thesis under faculty supervision. Thesis is to be of substantial quality on a significant problem in the student’s major area of interest within political science. Work to be completed over two semesters in PLS 4610 and PLS 4620. Lecture and discussion. Required minimum of 120 hours. May be taken up to two times for a total credit of 6 units.
Publications
Menounou, Elli, Adam Feldman, Thora Giallouri, and Jordan Carr Peterson. 2019. “Packing the Courts: Ideological Proximity and Expansions to the Federal Judiciary from 1937 to 2012,” Journal of Law and Courts 7(1):81-106. (Link)