H. Gibbs Knotts

H. Gibbs Knotts was appointed the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in October 2020. The School of Humanities and Social Sciences is comprised of the following academic departments: communication, English, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious studies and sociology and anthropology.

Before assuming the role of dean, Knotts served as the department chair of the College's Department of Political Science from 2012 to 2019. In the area of political science, he teaches undergraduate courses in American politics and graduate courses in the public administration program.

Knotts has published works on political participation, Southern politics, public administration and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Articles have appeared in a variety of outlets including the Journal of Politics, Public Administration Review, Political Research Quarterly, The American Review of Public Administration, State Politics and Policy Quarterly, PS: Political Science and Politics, Social Science Quarterly, Southern Cultures, Southeastern Geographer and Social Forces. He also co-edited The New Politics of North Carolina (University of North Carolina Press, 2008). He has two co-authored books: The Resilience of Southern Identity: Why the South Still Matters in the Minds of Its People (University of North Carolina Press, 2017) and First in the South: Why South Carolina’s Presidential Primary Matters (University of South Carolina Press, 2019). He received the College of Charleston’s Distinguished Research Award in 2017.

Prior to arriving at the College of Charleston, Knotts worked at Western Carolina University, where he served in a variety of administrative roles including MPA director, graduate school and research associate dean, political science and public affairs department head and College of Arts and Sciences interim dean. While at WCU, he also received the 2004 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the 2010 Board of Governor’s Teaching Award and the 2010 University Scholar Award.

Knotts is a frequent contributor to various media outlets, including the BBC, France24, Global TV News (Canada), Al Jazeera American, Agence France-Presse, National Public Radio, FOX News, FOX Business, MSNBC, KUT News, CNN, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today and The Washington Post, among many others.