Faculty

	Amel Ahmed Assistant Professor of Political Science Thompson 212 Phone: (413) 545-6187 aahmed@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My main area of specialization is democratic politics, with a special interest in the dynamics of elite vs. popular control over democratic decision-making. I am currently working on several projects which examine the politics of institutional...
	Roberto Alejandro Professor of Political Science Thompson 226 Office Hours: TuTh 3:00-3:50; W 4:45-5:45 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-6177 ralejand@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include Greek philosophy and tragedies, Nietzsche, contemporary liberal theory, and American political thought. Civic Research: As part of my civic work in Puerto Rico, I have written several essays on social issues. These...
	Sonia E. Alvarez Leonard J. Horwitz Professor of Latin American Politics Director, Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies Thompson 424 Office Hours: W 1:30-3:00 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-0455 soniaa@polsci.umass.edu Interests: I am the Director of the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies (www.umass.edu/clacls) and Leonard J. Horwitz Professor of Latin American Politics and Studies. My fields of expertise include Latin American politics, with a focus...
	Ivan Ascher Assistant Professor of Political Science Thompson 436 Phone: (413) 545-6246 ascher@polsci.umass.edu Interests: I specialize in modern political theory with a focus on the relation between political theory and language and my research interests include the works of Karl Marx, Max Weber, comparative politics, European politics and post-soviet studies.
	Maryann Barakso Assistant Professor of Political Science Thompson 332 Phone: (413) 545-4363 barakso@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My primary research interests include interest group governance, U.S. social movements, civic engagement, American political development and women in politics.
	Angelica Bernal Assistant Professor of Political Science Thompson 334 Office Hours: M 4:30-6:00; F 3:30-5:00 or by appt. Phone: (413) 545-2761 abernal@polsci.umass.edu Interests: I write on a wide range of topics, including the political philosophy of Hannah Arendt, the European union, founding historiography, and indigenous social movements.
	John Brigham Professor of Political Science Thompson 434 Office Hours: Tu 2:30-3:30; Th 10:00-11:00 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-1450 brigham@polsci.umass.edu
	Brenda K. Bushouse Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Thompson 340 Office Hours: Fridays 9-12 Phone: (413) 545-1453 bushouse@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include early childhood policy, nonprofit governance, and policymaking processes. In my most recent book, Universal Preschool: Policy Change, Stability, and the Pew Charitable Trusts (2009) I analyze the creation of...
	Charli Carpenter Assistant Professor of Political Science Thompson 432 Phone: (413) 545-6245 rccarpen@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My teaching and research interests include national security ethics, the laws of war, transnational advocacy networks, gender and political violence, war crimes, comparative genocide studies, humanitarian affairs and the role of information...
	Barbara Cruikshank Associate Professor of Political Science Thompson 210 Office Hours: TuTh 11:00-12:30 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-6180 cruiksha@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include modern and contemporary social and political theory, the history of reform, social movements, the politics of sex and sexuality, and relations of power and knowledge.
	Diane Curtis Lecturer and Director of Pre-Law Advising Thompson 122 Office Hours: Mon 11:30 - 2:30 Tues 9:30 - 4:30 Thurs 11:30 - 4:30 Phone: (413) 577-0396 dcurtis@polsci.umass.edu Interests: Law (primarily Constitutional, Family and Poverty); Legal Education
	Carlene J. Edie Professor of Political Science Thompson 206 Office Hours: TuTh 1:15-2:15 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-6172 cjedie@polsci.umass.edu
	Jane Fountain Professor of Political Science and Public Policy; Adjunct Professor of Computer Science Director, National Center for Digital Government; Director, Science, Technology & Society Initiative Thompson 406 Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:30-1:30 Phone: (413) 545-1007 fountain@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My reseach interests include institutional and organization theories; economic sociology; information technology and governance; public policy and management; science, technology and public policy; and gender, race and ethnicity in the context of...
	Sheldon Goldman Professor of Political Science Chief Undergraduate Advisor Thompson 236 Office Hours: M 2:30-4:30; W 2:30-3:30 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-6179 sheldon.goldman@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include the politics of judicial selection and confirmation, the backgrounds and career paths of lower federal court judges,and the politics of constitutional law and civil liberties.
	Peter M. Haas Professor of Political Science Thompson 216 Office Hours: on leave fall 2009 Phone: (413) 545-6174 haas@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include international relations, international relations theory, international political economy, international environmental politics, international institutions and global governance.
	John A. Hird Professor and Chair Thompson 316 Office Hours: Mondays 10-12 and 2:30-3:30, and by appointment Phone: 413.545.6184 jhird@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include policy expertise and advising, the use of information in policymaking, policy analysis, and environmental policy.
	Ray La Raja Associate Professor, Undergraduate Program Director Thompson 330 Office Hours: Tu 2:00-4:00; W 1:00-2:00 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-6182 laraja@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include political parties, interest groups, elections, campaign finance, political participation, American state politics, public policy and political reform. I am also the co-editor of The Forum: A Journal of Applied...
	Rahsaan Maxwell Assistant Professor of Political Science Thompson 328 Office Hours: W 10:00-12:00 and by appt. rahsaan@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include ethnic minority migrant integration and political behavior, with a particular focus on West Europe.
	Tatishe M. Nteta Assistant Professor of Political Science Thompson 238 Office Hours: Th 3:00-5:00 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-3546 nteta@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My current research interests lie at the intersection of the politics of race and ethnicity, public opinion, and political behavior. More specifically, my work examines the impact of changing demographics and shifts in the sociopolitical...
	MJ Peterson Professor of Political Science Thompson 326 Office Hours: Tu 11:00-12:00; W 2:30-3:30; F 2:00-3:00 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-6171 mjp@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include world politics, international institutions, international political economy, technology, and technological change.
	Laura Reed Lecturer, Director of International Relations Program Thompson 224 Office Hours: M 11:00-1:00; Th 11:15-5:00 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-3678 lreed@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include U.S. national security policy; implications of globalization for peace and security; nuclear security, nonproliferation, and disarmament initiatives; emerging norms of humanitarian intervention and collective...
	Jesse Rhodes Assistant Professor of Political Science Thompson 310 Office Hours: TuTh 4:00-5:30 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-6185 jrhodes@polsci.umass.edu Interests: The central axis of my research agenda is the study of modern conservativism and its reckoning with the liberal state. My research extends to American political development, social policy, institutions, parties and social movments, education...
	Dean E. Robinson Associate Professor of Political Science Thompson 214 Phone: (413) 545-0406 deanr@polsci.umass.edu
	Srirupa Roy Associate Professor of Political Science Graduate Program Director Thompson 302 Phone: (413) 545-6194 srirupa@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My primary research interests include state-formation and nationalism;postcolonial politics; media and politics; and economic transformation and democracy.
	Frederic C. Schaffer Assistant Professor of Political Science Thompson 324 Office Hours: Tu 3:45-4:45; Th 12:45-1:45 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-0725 schaffer@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My area of specialization is comparative politics. Substantively, I study the meaning of democracy, the practice of voting, and the administration of elections. What sets much of my work apart from other empirical research on democracy is a...
	Brian F. Schaffner Associate Professor of Political Science Thompson 422 Office Hours: TuTh 1:00-2:30 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-0416 schaffne@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research focuses on public opinion, campaigns and elections, political communication, political parties, and legislative politics. I am currently Editor of the journal Congress & the Presidency.
	Jillian Schwedler Associate Professor of Political Science, Honors Program Director Thompson 308 Office Hours: Tu 2:00-4:00 and by appt. Phone: (413) 577-0688 jschwedler@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My current research interests include political culture, protest and policing in Jordan, contentious politics, and state repression.
	Stuart Shulman Assistant Professor of Political Science Director, Qualitative Data Analysis Program Thompson 428 Office Hours: TuTh 11:00-12:30 and by appt. Phone: (413) 545-5375 stu@polsci.umass.edu Interests: My research interests include electronic rulemaking, human language technologies, manual annotation, digital citizenship, and service-learning efforts in the United States.
	Nicholas Xenos Professor of Political Science Thompson 306 Phone: (413) 545-6183 xenos@polsci.umass.edu