Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science and History
The University of Texas at Tyler
3900 University Blvd.
Tyler, TX 75799

CURRENT ACADEMIC APPOINTMENT

Department of Political Science and History, The University of Texas at Tyler

Visiting Assistant Professor (Fall 2010 to Present).

 

EDUCATION

 

Ph.D.   International Studies, University of Denver—Joseph Korbel School of International Studies, Denver, CO, 2010

·        Field I: International Politics

·        Field II: Political Theory

·        Concentration: International Political Economy

Dissertation:

·        Title: Fostering Global Security: Nonviolent Resistance and U.S. Foreign Policy

·        Dissertation Committee: Jack Donnelly, Alan Gilbert, Rachel Epstein, and Manfred B. Steger

 

M.S. Political Science, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, 2001

~Awarded distinction on Master’s Thesis (April 2001).

B.A. Politics, with minor in Geology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, 1997

 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

·        International Political Theory: The English School, Constructivism, Realism, Sovereignty,

·        Security Studies: Critical Security Studies; National, International, and Global security; The Copenhagen School (Securitization or the “Politics of Security”), terrorism

·        American Foreign Policy

·        Democratic Theory

·        Political Theories of Nonviolence

 

PUBLICATIONS

Forthcoming Review of Arguing the Just War in Islam. John Kelsay. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2009. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 2011

"Gandhi and the British Empire."  in Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace.  Edited by Nigel Young.  Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.

“Henry David Thoreau.” in International Encyclopedia of Political Science. Edited by George Thomas Kurian. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press with the Assistance of the American Political Science Association, 2010.

¨     Review of Regulating Aversion: Tolerance in the Age of Identity and  Empire. Wendy Brown. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006. E-Extreme (Spring 2007): http://webhost.ua.ac.be/extremismanddemocracy/newsletter/News8_2.htm

¨      Review of Terrorism in Western Europe: Explaining the Trends Since 1950. Jan Oskar Engene. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc., 2004. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism Jan/Feb 2006: 99-100.

¨      Review of Violence: A Reader. Catherine Besteman (ed.). New York: Palgrave, 2002. E-Extreme 5.1 (Spring 2004): http://nssc.haifa.ac.il/extreme/news5_1.htm.

¨      “Realism, Security, and Democracy: A 'Sophisticated' Realist Critique of the War on Terrorism,” Critique: a worldwide student journal of politics (Spring 2003): http://lilt.ilstu.edu/critique/archives/spring2003edition.htm

¨      “Jörg Haider and the FPÖ: A Threat to International Security,” Critique: a worldwide student journal of politics (Spring 2001): http://lilt.ilstu.edu/critique/archives/spring2001edition.htm

¨      “In Praise of Grassroots,” Dissent (Winter 2001): 126.

INVITED LECTURES/PANELS

"Africa: Who We Are," Panel Discussion for Illinois State University's African Student Association, April 17, 2009.

"Coffee, Cassiterite, & Coltan: a political Economy of Violence in Rwanda and the Congo," for Global Review, Illinois State University, March 19, 2009.

"Nonviolence and the United States' Promotion of Democracy," for Global Review, Illinois State University, October 9, 2008.

"Defeating Terrorism....with Nonviolence?" for Global Review, Illinois State University, February 14, 2008.

“The New Global Security Agenda,” for The Globalism Institute, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, March 14, 2007.

“The Power of Nonviolent Conflict,” for Global Review, Illinois State University, April 6, 2006.

 

CONFERENCES

“The Goepolitics of Pirates,” Paper presented at the International Studies Association Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, February 17-20, 2010.

“Polyarchy versus Popular Nonviolence,” Paper presented at the International Studies Association Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, February 17-20, 2010.

¨"Defeating Terrorism...with Nonviolence?" Paper presented at the International Studies Association Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA, March 26-29, 2008.     

¨“Global Security Agenda of the 21^st Century,” Paper presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Convention in Chicago, IL April 12-15, 2007.

¨    "The New Global Security Agenda," Paper presented at the International Studies Association annual convention, Chicago, Illinois, February 28 - March 3, 2007.

¨      "Choosing Nonviolence," Paper presented at the International Studies Association annual convention, San Diego, California, March, 2006.

¨      “Internationalizing Nonviolence,” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois, April, 2005.

¨      “Internationalizing Nonviolence,” International Studies Association annual convention, Honolulu, Hawaii, March, 2005.

¨      "Realism, Security, and Democracy: A 'Sophisticated' Realist Critique of the War on Terrorism," International Studies Association annual convention, Montreal, March, 2004

¨      “Realism, Security, and Democracy: A ‘Sophisticated’ Realist Critique of the War on Terrorism,” International Studies Association-Midwest, St. Louis, Missouri, November, 2003.

¨      “Realism, Security, and Democracy: A ‘Sophisticated’ Realist Critique of the War on Terrorism,” 11^th Annual Illinois Conference for Students of Political Science, Normal, Illinois, April, 2003.

¨      “The Case of Austria: Policing Democratic Values in the Global North,” 30^th Joint Sessions of Workshops, European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), Edinburgh, UK, March 28-April 2, 2003.

¨      “What are the Gender and Feminist Dimensions of the ‘War on Terrorism?’” for the 10^th Annual Illinois Conference for Students of Political Science, Normal, Illinois, April 2002.

¨      “Evolutionary Nonviolence: From Nonviolent Nationalism to a Theory of Nonviolence with a Cosmopolitan Intent,” for the 97^th Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, San Francisco, CA, August 30-September 2, 2001.

¨      “Jörg Haider and the FPÖ: A Threat to International Security?” for the 9^th Annual Illinois Conference for Students of Political Science, Normal, Illinois, April 2001.

¨       “The Ideological War over Globalization: A little Bit Further to the Right,” for the 5^th Annual Border Subjects Conference, Global Disconnections, Normal, Illinois, April 2001.

¨      Discussant:  8^th Annual Illinois Conference for Students of Political Science (Spring 2000).

¨      “Nonviolence or Resistance to Evil? Rethinking the Primacy of Nonviolence in Gandhi’s Search for Truth,” 8^th Annual Illinois Conference for Students of Political Science, Normal, Illinois, April 2000.

 

TEACHING AREAS

·        International Politics: Critical International Security; International Political Theory, Introduction to International Politics, Introduction to the Politics of Latin America, Asia, and Africa, Globalization, US Foreign Policy, International Conflict and Security, Human Rights, Ethics and International Affairs, Sovereignty, International Society, Peace Studies; Early Warning and Conflict Prevention; Conflict Resolution

·        Political Theory: Ancient, Modern, Contemporary, Marx, Rawls, Theories of Violence and Nonviolence, Comparative Political Ideologies

·        International Political Economy: Introduction to International Political Economy, Normative Foundations of Global Political Economy, Theories of Political Economy.

 

AWARDS

¨      Honored by the ISU Student Education Association at its Professor Appreciation Week, February 29, 2008.

¨      Award for Best Graduate Paper at the 11^th Annual Illinois Conference for Students of Political Science, Normal, Illinois, April 10, 2003.

¨      Outstanding Graduate Student, Illinois State University, Department of Politics and Government (May 2001).

¨      Awarded distinction on Master’s Thesis (April 2001).

¨      First Place for Best Graduate Paper at the 9^th Annual Illinois Conference for Students of Political Science, Normal, Illinois, April 2001.

¨      Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Residence Life (Awarded May 1996).

 

UNIVERSITY SERVICE

Illinois State University: Faculty Advisor for Illinois State University Student Veterans Association (Fall 2009 to present).

Illinois State University: Co-Faculty Advisor for Global Review (Fall 2009 to present.

 Illinois State University: Academic Advisor for Students Acting Now: Darfur (STAND) (Fall 2006 to Spring 2009).

Illinois State University: Academic Advisor for Model United Nations (Fall 2006 to Fall 2007).

University of Denver: Served as the graduate student representative for the Promotions and Tenure Committee (2005).

University of Denver: Served as the graduate student representative for the Appointments Committee (2004).

Illinois State University: Served as the graduate student representative for the College of Arts and Sciences Council (Fall 1999 to Spring 2001)

Illinois State University: Served as graduate student representative for the Political Science Department’s Graduate Student Recruitment/Retention Committee (Fall 1999 to Spring 2000).

 

RELATED EXPERIENCE

Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University

Instructional Assistant Professor (Fall 2005 to Present).

Classes Taught at ISU

POL 101:  Individuals and Civic Life: Citizens and Governance

“Individuals and Civic Life: Citizens and Governance,” examines the nature and purposes of democratic government, the role of political ideologies, the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and the political impact of societal cleavages, such as those based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and class, from theoretical, historical, and comparative perspectives.  The goal of the course is to provide students with the basic knowledge and critical thinking skills they need as democratic citizens to understand and participate productively in civic life in our globalized and multicultural world.

 POL 140: Politics Of Africa, Asia, And Latin America

“Politics of Africa, Asia, and Latin America” examines the politics and cultures of the peoples Africa, Asia, and Latin America.  Its purpose is to provide an understanding of the major problems confronting these nations and to give insight into the various tools and strategies that their political leaders can use in dealing with those problems.  The course will also investigate some of the major implications of Africa, Asia, and Latin America on global politics.

POL 255: International Conflict and Security

This course explores four areas relating to security: 1) the history of US foreign policy; 2) traditional views of security; 3) the current global security agenda; and 4), in the last section of the class we will discuss the potential of institutional and feminist conceptions of security.  Throughout this course, students will be challenged to discover the relationship between theory and practice, means and ends. Ultimately, this class seeks to answer the question, “what is the best means for achieving security?”

POL 344: Topics in Global Studies (International Terrorism)

Over the last century, the term terrorism has been applied most often to the illegal use of violence aimed at governments—directly or indirectly—in an attempt to influence policy or to topple an existing regime.  Terrorist acts are designed to create widespread fear across an audience far beyond their immediate victims in order to weaken the general sense of security in society, and to mobilize publics and pressure leaders toward political change.  Historically, terrorism has been practiced by political organizations on the right and on the left, used by nationalist and religious groups, by revolutionaries, and by state institutions including military forces and intelligence services.  Numerous definitions of terrorism have been proposed.  Many are confusing and controversial owing to the value laden basis of the concept and its intense stigma. We will examine terrorism from several points of view:  definitional disputes, political and social causes,  and the psychology of individuals who commit terrorist violence; and discuss selected problems of terrorism facing policy-makers in the current conflict atmosphere:  challenges of Al Qaeda, Suicide bombing, nuclear threats, and new opportunities in skyjacking. At the close, perspectives on counter-terrorism policies will be evaluated. Seminar sessions combine short lectures with class discussion.

POL 363: Political Theories of Nonviolence

Focusing on the political and social thought of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., this course will introduce students to a frequently neglected theme in the history of modern political theory: nonviolence & civil disobedience. Indeed, one of the central paradoxes of the “long” twentieth century of genocidal wars, concentration camps, urban riots, and ethnic strife, is the paucity of imaginative reflection on the conceptual meaning, causes and effects, and political implications of violence. Seeking to blend political, ethical, and sociocultural concerns, the course is designed to encourage students to embark on a personal examination of the connections between political power, violence, and ethically motivated forms of nonviolent resistance.

 

 

Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver

Instructor, INTS 1700: Introduction to International Politics, (Fall 2004).

Discussion Group Leader, INTS 4900: International Political Theory, (Fall 2003; Winter and Fall 2004; Winter 2005).

Teaching Assistant, INTS 4324: International Political Economy, (Winter and Fall 2004; Winter 2005).

Research Assistant, Dr. Micheline Ishay (March 2002 to Summer 2002).

~Conducted research relating to the history of human rights.

Research Assistant, Professor Jack Donnelly (November 2001 to February 2002).

~Conducted research relating to International Human Rights and the ‘War on Terrorism.’

 

Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University

Graduate Assistant, Susan Craig (Spring 2001).

~Co-planned and implemented Illinois State University’s Department of Politics and Government’s online journal: Critique (http://lilt.ilstu.edu/critique).

Research Assistant, Dr. Manfred Steger (Fall 1999 to Spring 2000; Spring 2001).

~Ordered books, conducted research via the Internet and library, and edited and formatted manuscripts.

Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant, Dr. Richard Payne (Fall 1999 to Spring 2000).

~Graded papers and conducted research.

Discussion Group Leader, POS 101: Citizens and Governance (Fall 2000).

 

Referee/Reviewer

• Pearson Longman

• Sage/Pine Forge

• Rowman & Littlefield

REFERENCES