David Cochran
From Judgepedia
David Cochran is a citizen member of the Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission which is charged in selecting new supreme court justices amd filling judicial vacancies in the Court of Appeals and Circuit Courts of Iowa.
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Background
Cochran is the Associate Professor of Politics and Director of the Archbishop Kucera Centerfor Catholic Intellectual and Spiritual Life at Loras College in Dubuque, a Catholic, Liberal Arts College. Cochran is a well-respected political authority in Iowa academic circles on how politics affects Catholics. Cochran’s primary research interests are in religion and politics, multiculturalism and democracy, and the morality of war. He frequently publishes, lectures, and leads workshops on these and other topics. Also, Cochran has been sought after to speak in front of many organizations in Iowa and across the United States on how politics affects the Catholic Community. Also, Cochran has been a Visiting Scholar in Catholic Thought at Benedictine University in Lisle in 2005. As a Visiting Scholar Cochran spends several days on campus giving two public lectures, visiting classes, and meeting with faculty, staff, and students. He is currently co-writing a book called The Catholic Vote: A Guide for the Perplexed to be published in 2008. In 2006 he was named director of the college’s Archbishop Kucera Center for Catholic Intellectual and Spiritual Life.
List of Forums Cochran Has Spoke For
- “The Catholic Ethic of Life: Promise and Challenges,” two workshops delivered for Waterloo, IA area Catholic school and religious education teachers, Spring 2008 “The 2008 Presidential Election,” delivered to monthly meeting of Dubuque Serra Club, Fall 2007
- “Between Iraq and a Hard Place: War and Morality in the Catholic Tradition,” delivered as part of Archdiocese of Dubuque’s Theology on Tap program, Fall 2007
- “Catholic Voters and Voting Catholic,” delivered as part of Dubuque’s Wine and Wisdom lecture series, Summer 2007 “American Politics, Religion, and the War on Terrorism,” delivered as a set of talks and moderated discussions over the course of a two-day workshop for the Iowa Ecumenical Leader’s Retreat, an annual gathering of bishops, presbyters, synod presidents, and other leaders of the state’s Christian denominations, Summer 2007
- “Real World: How to Be Catholic in an MTV World,” delivered as part of Archdiocese of Dubuque’s Theology on Tap program, Spring 2007
- “Is God a Republican or a Democrat,” delivered as part of Archdiocese of Dubuque’s Theology on Tap program, Fall 2006
- “The Challenges of Catholic Political Life Today,” delivered at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL as their Fall 2005 Visiting Scholar in Catholic Thought, Fall 2005
- “Toward a Catholic Opposition,” delivered at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL as their Fall 2005 Visiting Scholar in Catholic Thought, Fall 2005
- “Understanding Catholic Social Teaching,” delivered as an in-service at meeting of Holy Family School System teachers, Cedar Rapids, IA, Fall 2005
- “Catholics and Politics,” delivered to monthly meeting of Dubuque Serra Club, Spring 2005 “Catholic Social Teaching: Principles and Applications” delivered as in-service at retreat for youth ministers from the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Spring 2005
- “The Catholic Tradition and Multiculturalism,” delivered at Loras Catholic Identity Dinner, Fall 2004 “Democracy in 30 Seconds: The Role of Political Ads in American Politics,” delivered at meeting of the Dubuque Ad Club, Fall 2004
- “Bush, Kerry, and Catholic Teaching: A Report Card,” delivered at research symposium marking the inauguration of Jim Collins as Loras College president, Fall 2004
- “Catholics in Political Life: Current Issues,” delivered as in-service at annual retreat of the Dubuque Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, Fall 2004
- “Catholic Political Responsibility,” delivered at meeting of the Dubuque Deanery Council of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Fall 2004
- “Multilateralism and Unilateralism in American Foreign Policy,” delivered as part of Great Decisions Series sponsored by Northeast Iowa Community College, Spring 2003
- “The Virtues of the Book,” delivered at the Loras Senior Honors Luncheon, Spring 2002
- “The Paradoxes of Political Violence,” delivered at the Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society induction banquet, Spring 2002
- “Missile Defense,” delivered as part of Great Decisions Series sponsored by the University of Dubuque, Spring 2001
- “Catholic Political Engagement,” delivered as part of the Loras Streams of Living Water Symposium Series, Fall 2000
Judicial Nominating Commission
In 2007 Cochran was appointed by Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and confirmed by the Iowa State Senate to a six year term on the Iowa Judicial Qualifications Commission expiring on April 30, 2013.
Other Professional Affiliations and Committies
Cochran has served on the following committies at Loras College.
- Academic Council Catholic Identity Committee Honors Committee International Studies Committee Equal Employment Opportunity Committee Catholic * * Studies Committee
- Library Committee
- Learning Disabilities Program Advisory Committee
- New Faculty Orientation Committee
- Democracy and Global Diversity Course Committee
- Teacher Education Advisory Committee
- Miscellaneous Ad Hoc and Search Committees
Publications Written or Edited By Cochran
The Catholic Vote: A Guide for the Perplexed, co-authored with Clarke E. Cochran (Orbis Books, 2008).
“A Flat Tax to Save Social Security.” In Since Sliced Bread: Common-Sense Ideas From America’s Working Families, Don Stillman, ed. (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2007).
“Democracy, Pluralism, and the Catholic Tradition.” Church 22, no. 3 (Fall 2006).
“Catholicism, Pluralism, and Democracy in America.” In The Foundation of Freedom, William Hund and Margaret Homahan Hogan, eds. (The University of Portland, 2006).
“Consistent to its Way.” Review of Mark and Louise Zwick’s The Catholic Worker Movement: Intellectual and Spiritual Origins. The Review of Politics 68, no. 3 (Summer 2006).
“Toward a Catholic Understanding of American Multiculturalism.” The Journal of Catholic Social Thought 3, no. 1 (Winter 2006).
“How Catholic are the Candidates? A 2004 Presidential Election and Catholic Social Teaching Report Card.” National Catholic Reporter 40, no. 42 (1 October 2004).
“Liberal Political Theory’s Multicultural Blind Spot and Race in the United States.” In Racial Liberalism and the Politics of Urban America, Carl Stokes and Theresa Melendez, eds. (Michigan State University Press, 2003).
Catholics, Politics, and Public Policy: Beyond Left and Right, with Clarke E. Cochran (Orbis Books, 2003).
“A Multicultural Fable.” Dissent (Spring 2001).
The Color of Freedom: Race and Contemporary American Liberalism (State University of New York Press, 1999). “Complicating Military Intervention’s Moral Case.” Peace Review 8, no. 4 (December 1996).
“War-Pacifism.” Social Theory and Practice 22, no. 2 (Summer 1996).
“Ethnic Diversity and Democratic Stability: The Case of Irish Americans.” Political Science Quarterly 110, no. 4 (Winter 1995-96).
Awards and Honors
- Budde Teaching Excellence Award, 2005 (Annual college-wide teaching award given to a junior faculty member by Loras College)
- Catholic Press Association National Book Award, 2004 (Catholics, Politics, and Public Policy won 2nd Place in the Educational Book category)
- O’Connor Endowed Chair for Catholic Thought, 2000-2001 (Awarded each academic year to a Loras College faculty member to support research)
- Loras College Teacher of the Year, 1999 (Annual college-wide teaching award given by Loras College Student Senate up until 2002, when it was replaced by the Budde Award)
Personal
Cochran recieved his bachelor's degree in political science from Drew University in Madison, New Jeresy in 1991. Cochran recieved his master's and doctoral degrees in Political Science and Public Affairs from the University of Maryland in College Park in 1994 and 1996.
