Biography
Professor Atkins taught at FSU from 1971 to 2006.
Dr. Burton Atkins is professor emeritus of political science at Florida State University. While at FSU, Professor. Atkins’ teaching and research interests included judicial behavior, with an emphasis on appellate court decision making, constitutional law and politics and UK politics. While most of his research focused on American appellate courts it also included examining the effects of personality on trial court decision making as well as a cross-national analysis of appellate court decision making in the English judicial system.
Professor Atkins’ research has been published in a wide variety of journals, including The American Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Politics, The Western Political Quarterly, Polity, The Social Science Quarterly, Law & Society Review, Judicature, and Law and Politics Quarterly. He is also co-editor of Prisons, Protest and Politics and The Invisible Justice System.
During his career at FSU, Professor Atkins served in a variety of administrative capacities including Chair of the Department of Political Science, Director of the FSU London Study Center and as Director of the International Studies Program. An avid supporter of international education, Dr. Atkins later organized and led study semesters abroad to London, Brussels and Paris for Florida State.
