NEWS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Calendar Year 2008

Political Science Department
San Diego State University

ADDITIONS and SUBTRACTIONS

We are pleased to announce the addition to our faculty of Assistant Professor Adam Branch.  Professor Branch earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University (2007).  A specialist in international politics and human rights, his research examines the politics of humanitarian intervention into internal armed conflict, with a regional focus on Africa, specifically Uganda.  Much of his recent work has focused on the politics and repercussions of the International Criminal Court’s intervention into Uganda’s civil war. He has spent almost two years doing field research in Africa, working closely with Human Rights Focus, a local human rights organization based in Gulu.

With great reluctance, we report the retirement of Professor Brian Loveman.  Professor Loveman was one of the most prominent scholars at SDSU, winner of a lifetime award from the Rocky Mountain Council for Latin American Studies, a former holder of the Hansen Chair for Peace Studies, and a winner of special “Monty” recognition from the College of Arts and Letters and San Diego State University.  He was the author, co-author or editor of 21 books, plus 57 journal articles and chapters, more than 60 book reviews, and dozens of invited presentations and lectures.  His research, often supported by grants from the Ford Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, addressed such topics as the role of the military in civilian society, the dynamics of agrarian protest and revolution, and the reconstruction of the rule of law following regimes of state-terror – those that threaten, oppress, and murder large number of their citizens.  Professor Loveman was mentor and advisor to scores of graduate students and junior faculty members in both Political Science and Latin American Studies. 

We also sadly report the deaths of three Emeritus Professors of Political Science:

Professor Melvin Craine came to SDSU in 1959 with a Ph.D. from the University of California and hands-on experience in the federal government.  He taught American politics, including advanced courses in American political thought and political parties.  He retired in 1988. 

Professor Charles Cutter came to SDSU in 1968 with a Ph.D. from UCLA.  He was a specialist in African Politics and also was a serious student of art and music.  In his later years, he had a joint appointment with the Classics and Humanities Department.  He retired in 2006.

Professor L. Vincent Padgett came to SDSU in 1956 with a Ph.D. from Northwestern University.  He was an expert on Latin America and Mexican politics, and he pioneered in the use of self-paced instruction in introductory political science courses.  He retired in 1992.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Two members of the Political Science faculty were awarded promotion and tenure in 2008 – Associate Professors Brian Adams and Ronnee Schreiber.   These promotions are the consequence of outstanding contributions in teaching, research, and service, and are awarded after a full review by committees at the department, college, and university level.  Tenure is truly an honor, and in these cases was enormously well-deserved.

RECENT ACTIVITIES

Farid Abdel-Nour (Ph.D. Rutgers University 1999, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  Political Theory.  Interim Director of the Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies (Fall).   Gave two invited lectures in 2008, at University of California-San Diego and McGill University.  He also delivered a paper at the Western Political Science Association.

Brian Adams (Ph.D. University of California, Irvine 2003, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  Urban Politics. Undergraduate Studies Director.  Published one journal article in 2008, “Fund-raising Coalitions in School Board Elections (Education and Urban Society), plus two encyclopedia entries.  Delivered papers at annual meetings of both the American Political Science Association and the Western Political Science Association. 

Mikhail Alexseev (Ph.D. University of Washington 1996, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  International Relations, Migration and Ethnic Conflict, Politics of the Former Soviet Union.  Published in 2008 three working papers, “Overcounting Russia’s Muslims: Implications for Security and Society” (PONARS), and two regarding aspects of xenophobia in the Russian Federation (NCEEER).  He gave invited lectures at the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, California State University-Stanislaus, and the University of Washington, and he delivered papers at the International Studies Association and the European Social Science History Association (Portugal).  His developing data set on Inter-Minority Xenophobia in the Russia Federation was supported by a grant from the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research.  He served on the Executive Committee of the Section on Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Migration for the International Studies Association.

Adam Branch (Ph.D. Columbia University 2007, Assistant Professor).  Specialization:  Comparative Politics (Africa) and International Human Rights.  Published one article in 2008, “Against Humanitarian Impunity: Rethinking Responsibility for Displacement and Disaster in Northern Uganda” (Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding) and a working paper, “Gulu Town in War…And Peace?  Displacement, Humanitarianism, and Post-War Crisis” (Crisis States Research Centre, London School of Economics).  He gave invited presentations at the University of Western Ontario and to the UN Commission on Africa (Ethiopia), and he delivered papers at the American Political Science Association and the Western Political Science Association.

David Carruthers (Ph.D. University of Oregon 1995, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  Comparative Politics (Latin America) and Environmental Politics.  Undergraduate Advisor for the Latin American Studies program.  Published a major edited volume, Environmental Justice in Latin America: Problems, Promise, and Practice (MIT University Press), in which two of his articles appeared.  In addition, he published two articles in refereed journals, "Testing Democracy's Promise: Indigenous Mobilization and the Chilean State” (European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies) and “The Globalization of Environmental Justice: Lessons from the US-Mexico Border” (Society and Natural Resources), and one book chapter, “La política ambiental mexicana: una panorámica” (Del Saqueo a la Conservación: Historia Ambiental Contemporánea de Baja California Sur).  He gave invited talks at Princeton and Illinois Wesleyan Universities and an invited presentation to the Western Political Science Association.  He was awarded a micro-grant from SDSU and serves as the university affiliate representative to School for Field Studies. 

Lyndelle Fairlie (Ph.D. Indiana University 1973, Associate Professor). Specialization:  Comparative Politics (Europe).  Internship Coordinator. 

Jonathan Graubart (Ph.D. University of Wisconsin 2002, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  International Relations and International Law.  Graduate Studies Director (Fall).  Published his first book in 2008, Legalizing Transnational Activism: The Struggle to Gain Social Change From NAFTA’s Citizen Petitions (Penn State University Press).  He also published a refereed book chapter, “NGOs and the Security Council: Authority All Around But For Whose Interest?” (The UN Security Council and the Politics of International Authority).  He gave papers at the American Political Science Association and the International Studies Association, and was honored by the SDSU Mortar Board for his teaching.

Lei Guang (Ph.D. University of Minnesota 1999, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  Comparative Politics (China) and Development Studies.  On Sabbatical Leave in Spring 2008, doing field research in China.  He delivered several invited lectures on social conflict and political controversy at Tsinghua University.

Dipak Gupta (Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh 1977, Professor).  Specialization:  Ethnic Conflict, Public Policy Analysis.  Distinguished Professor of Political Science and holder of the Hansen Chair of Peace Studies.  Director of the SDSU program on International Security and Conflict Resolution.  Organizer of the Hansen Distinguished Lecture Series.  Published a new book in 2008, Understanding Terrorism and Political Violence: The Life Cycle of Birth, Growth, Transformation, and Demise (Routledge), and one journal article,  “Accounting for Waves of International Terrorism:  How Big Ideas Spread” (Perspectives on Terrorism).  He gave invited lectures at UCLA, the National Defense University, and the University of Hawaii.  He is a member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Board, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh and serves on the Editorial Board for the journal, Terrorism and Political Violence.   In 2008, he received the SDSU President’s Award for being one of the top “Transformational Professors” on campus. 

Edward Heck (Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University 1978, Professor).  Specialization:  Public Law and American Politics. 

C. Richard Hofstetter  (Ph.D. Indiana University 1967, Professor).  Specialization:  U.S. Politics and Mass Political Behavior.  Published new seven co-authored articles in 2008, including “The Bishops and Their Flock:  John Kerry and the Case of Catholic Voters in 2004” (Politics and Religion), and a series of papers on smoking risks and social policy (American Journal of Public Health, Nicotine and Tobacco Research, Tobacco Control, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, Asia Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention).  He received important research and mentoring grants from the National Institute on Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the Republic of Korea Civil Service Commission.

Carole Kennedy (Ph.D. University of California, Riverside 1998, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  U.S. Politics, including Women’s Politics and Electoral Politics.  Elected member of University Senate.  President, SDSU Chapter of the California Faculty Association. President, SDSU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

Ronald King (Ph.D. University of Chicago 1981, Professor).  Specialization:  U.S. Politics and Public Policy, Politics of Democratization.  Chair of the Department.  Elected member of the University Senate.  Published three articles in 2008, “Narratives of American Politics,” (Perspectives on Politics), “Defining Political Science: A Cross-National Survey,” (European Political Science), and “The Politics of Democratic Expansion and Contraction,” (Studia Politica).  Awarded a Fulbright Senior Specialist grant to Romania to teach an invited short-course on research methods and advise on curriculum development.  He sits on the Board of the Fulbright Association of San Diego and the Program Committee for the Western Political Science Association.  

Ahmet Kuru (Ph.D. University of Washington, Seattle 2005, Assistant Professor).   Specialization:  Comparative Politics, Politics of Religion.  Spent 2008 at Columbia University on a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration, and Religion.  He published three articles during the year, “Secularism, State Policies, and Muslims in Europe: Analyzing French Exceptionalism” (Comparative Politics), “Secularism in Turkey: Myths and Realities” (Insight Turkey), and “Apolitical Interpretation of Islam: Said Nursi's Faith-Based Activism in Comparison with Political Islamism and Sufism” (Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations).  His first book, Secularism and State Policies toward Religion: The United States, France, and Turkey, is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.

Kristen Hill Maher (Ph.D. University of California, Irvine 1999, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  U.S. Immigration and Border Politics, Nationalism.  Graduate Studies Director (Spring).  On Sabbatical Leave, Fall 2008.  Gave invited presentations at Cornell University and at Central European University (Budapest).  Presented papers at the American Political Science Association and the Western Political Science Association, for which she serves on the Executive Committee.  Was awarded an SDSU university grant for fieldwork research about social relations across the San Diego-Tijuana region. 

Madhavi McCall (Ph.D. Washington University 1999, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  Public Law and Judicial Behavior.  Pre-Law Adviser.  Elected Member of University Senate.  Published two articles in 2008, “Structuring Gender’s Impact: Judicial Voting Across Criminal Justice Cases” (American Politics Research) and “Criminal Justice and the 2006-2007 Supreme Court Term” (University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review).  She also gave an invited lecture at the Thomas Jefferson School and Law and delivered a paper at the Western Political Science Association.

Emanuele Saccarelli (Ph.D. University of Minnesota 2005, Assistant Professor).  Specialization:  Political Theory.  Published in 2008 his first book, Gramsci and Trotsky in the Shadow of Stalinism: The Political Theory and Practice of Opposition (Routledge Press).  He also delivered a paper at the Western Political Science Association.

Ronnee Schreiber (Ph.D. Rutgers University 2000, Associate Professor).  Specialization:  U.S. Political Institutions, Women and Politics.  Published her first book in 2008, Righting Feminism: Conservative Women and American Politics (Oxford University Press).  The contemporary relevance of the book led to numerous on-air and print interviews, including National Public Radio, Pacifica News, KPBS, Sirius Radio, The New York Times, and U.S. News and World Report.  She gave invited presentations at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law and to local chapters of the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women.  She also delivered a paper at the annual meeting of the Western Political Science Association. 

Latha Varadarajan (Ph.D. University of Minnesota 2004, Assistant Professor).  Specialization:  International Relations and Conflict Resolution.  Published one article in 2008, “Out of Place: Re-thinking Diaspora and Empire,” (Millennium: Journal of International Studies).  She delivered a paper at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association and was awarded an SDSU research grant for her project on the politics of population diasporas.