Until June 2019, I was an adjunct professor of International Studies at Southern Oregon University. Prior to this appointment, I taught at Trinity College in Hartford, where I was a member of the International Studies Program and, before that, of the Political Science Department. While at Trinity, I also served as Director of the Trinity Center for Collaborative Teaching and Research, Director of the Tutorial College, coordinator of the African Studies concentration and the Global Studies Concentration.
Recent Courses
Human Rights in a Global Age
Can human rights serve as a moral discourse in an age of globalization? This course examines this fundamental question in light of the dramatic increase in global flows that undermine traditional state boundaries. After an introduction to the fundamental concepts, we will examine a variety of case studies which exemplify the clash between the global and the local in the area of women’s rights, civil war and humanitarian intervention, and the impact of globalizing forces on social, economic, and cultural rights.
Cocoa and Chocolate from a Global Perspective
Cocoa and chocolate will serve as our entry to our global system. Beginning with a historical overview of cocoa’s origin in the Americas, we will approach the topic from the perspective of production, distribution, consumption and thus gain an understanding of the manner in which different parts of the world are connected both through tangible and intangible links. Topics include the pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial organization of cocoa production, the emergence of global commodity regimes and their governance, the centralization and concentration of production of chocolate, and the role of chocolate as a cultural sign in different contexts.
African Political Economy
This course examines the state of African affairs at the beginning of the current millennium, particularly the occurrence of democratic transformation in some cases and state collapse in others. We will begin with an analysis of the nature of structural adjustment during the 1980s and then link that experience to various transitions which have occurred since 1990. Particular focus will be on the interplay of global, regional, and local dynamics during those transitions.
World Politics
This course provides a critical survey of world politics. The goal is to enhance students’ ability to understand and analyze the events and processes taking place in world politics and to make the student conversant with theories of world politics. The course will cover the historical genesis of the global system, investigate global structures and actors and critically engage with “common sense” notions of the world.
