Joseph Griffith, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History & Political Science
Director of the Classical Learning Program
258 Dwight Schar College of Education
Department(s)
College
Area of Specialty
Parental Educational Rights, Classical Learning, Constitutional Law, American Political Thought, Political Philosophy
Biography
- Joined Ashland University in 2023
- Previously taught at the Rochester Institute of Technology and The King's College (NYC)
- Favorite thing about Ashland University: Reading great texts and primary-source documents with students
Professional Accomplishments:
- Research on parental rights cited in multiple amicus briefs before the United States Supreme Court
- Recipient of the 2026 Freedom and Opportunity Academic Prize from The Heritage Foundation
- Published a journal article on Meyer v. Nebraska (Perspectives on Political Science), a law-review article on the "history and tradition" test (Texas Review of Law & Politics), and chapters on the abolitionist defense of parental rights and Abraham Lincoln's plans for reconstruction
Education
- Ph.D. - Baylor University
- M.A. - Baylor University
- B.A. - Ashland University
2025-2026 Academic Mentor Award Recipient
"I have been able to take what I observed in Dr. Griffith’s effective teaching and implement those practices into the courses I teach at the homeschool center, as well as in my work coaching gymnastics. This has been further enriched by the classical learning coursework I’ve studied with him, which has taught me more about the virtue and character of the human person through reading great minds."
Teresa Overholser, Senior, Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science