• B.A., Bucknell University
• Ph.D, and M.A., Syracuse University

POL 103:  Introduction to Comparative Politics A comparative analysis of political values governing structures and policy-making styles in selected countries. Investigates the linkage between economic and political development, along with the challenges that poses for democracy.  The course is organized around three big, real world puzzles.  First, why are some states democratic and others not?  Second, why are some states economically developed and others not?  Third, why do people mobilize?  Using the theoretical approaches and the comparative method, we will evaluate the proposed answers to these questions.  In doing so, we will learn about different types of states and adopt a functional vocabulary.

POL 105:  Introduction to International Politcs  syllabus An introductory survey of the major approaches, interpretations, and problems in the field of International Politics. Topics include the balance of power, diplomacy, war, the great powers, civilizational order, international political economy and environmental diplomacy.  The course is organized around three big, real world puzzles. First, how do we explain war and peace among states?  Second, how do we explain economic cooperation between states? Third, how do states confront key issues that know no boundaries (i.e. the environment, human rights, etc.)? Using the theoretical approaches, we will evaluate the proposed answers to these questions.

POL 335:  South Africa and the Politics of Transition  syllabus  The course examines South Africa’s transition to democracy from the breakdown of the apartheid state to current policy issues and debates such as national reconciliation and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.  The multiple dimension of the transition process examined are: social movements, negotiation, conflict resolution, constitutional development, elections, transitional justice, leadership, and international influence.  This course will highlight and question the difference between structural transitions and societal transformations.

POL 491:  Political Internship  syllabus Supervised internships in the Philadelphia area in the offices of elected or appointed government officials. Permission of instructor is required.

“Beyond Norms and Interests: Understanding the Evolution of Transnational Human Rights Activism.”  (With Hans Peter Schmitz).  Forthcoming 2009 in the International Journal of Human Rights.

“South Africa”, in Mary Fran T. Malone ed., Democratization in Theory and Practice (Continuum Books for publication in 2011).

Review of Reconciliation Discourse: The Case of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, by Annelies Verdoolaege.  Biography 32 (2): 363-366.

“More than Truth: Democracy and South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission”.  A book manuscript that explores the impact of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the democratization process.  In the post-Cold War period, states are adopting truth commissions in increasing numbers, yet little is known about the effect of such mechanisms.  My research fills the gap in the literature and traces the six major claims of truth commissions on three levels of society: elite, civil society, and individual.  I argue that South Africa’s truth commission helped foster democratization by creating a narrative history, fostering political reconciliation, and encouraging the rule of law.