Stephen Thomas

Ph.D. Student in Political Science

Education

B.A., American Government & Political Philosophy, Belmont Abbey College, 2018

M.A., Political Science, Baylor University, 2024

Bio

Stephen entered the PhD program at Baylor University in the fall of 2022. He graduated magna cum laude from Belmont Abbey College as a Thomas More Scholar in 2018 and is a member of the Gamma Iota Chapter of the Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society. Before entering the PhD program, Stephen oversaw the transition of the history curriculum to classical pedagogy at Saint Michael's Catholic School in Gastonia, North Carolina, where he taught for two years. He has also been a recipient of the Frederic Bastiat Fellowship at the Mercatus Center for the 2024-2025 academic year at George Mason University, where he studied political economy. 

His primary area of study is International Relations. His dissertation examines the effects of digital and mass media on the relationship between political elites and the public, and the national security and strategic implications of this relationship. His secondary field of study is American Politics. 

Conference Presentations

“Ideation and Repudiation: Why Mass Society Fails,” Intercollegiate Studies Institute American Politics and Government Summit, Wilmington, DE: October 2025

“Assessing the Golden Thread in the Digital Age,” Intercollegiate Studies Institute American Politics and Government Summit, Wilmington, DE, November 8^th, 2024

“John Adams, His Foreign Policy and its Consequences,” New England Political Science Association, Newport, RI, April 20^th, 2024

“The Role of Mediating Institutions and Civics in Public Resiliency,” Ciceronian Society Conference, Plano, TX, February 29^th, 2024

“Religion’s Place and the Relationship between Faith and Reason,” Ciceronian Society Conference, Belmont, NC, March 10th, 2023