Faculty Research Interest for Thesis Topics

Faculty Research Interests

Your choice of thesis topic should be guided by the expertise and interests of our faculty. Each of us has identified topics that we would welcome advising.

Professor Amrita Basu 

  • Social Movements
  • Religious Nationalism
  • Human Rights Activism
  • South Asian Politics

Professor Kristin Bumiller

  • Poverty and inequality in the United States, and issues related to race and gender discrimination.
  • Disability Rights and Activism
  • Sexual Violence

Professor Javier Corrales

  • Democracy and Political Institutions
  • Latin American Politics
  • Political Economy of Development
  • U.S-Latin American Relations
  • All about Cuba
  • Comparative LGBT Politics

Professor Thomas Dumm

  • Contemporary Political Theory
  • European Social/Political Theory
  • American Political Culture
  • American Political Thought

Professor Jared Loggins

  • Black Political Thought
  • American Political Thought
  • Contemporary Political Theory
  • Democratic Theory
  • Marxist Theory
  • Religious Studies
  • Aesthetics

Professor Pavel Machala

  • American Foreign Policy
  • International Relations Theory
  • World Politics
  • Globalization
  • Marxist Theory
  • Populism

Professor Eleonora Mattiacci

  • Civil Wars, Inter-state Wars
  • Military and Rebel Organizations, Insurgencies
  • Technologies and Strategies of Conflict (nuclear weapons, drones, COIN, cyber weapons, social media)
  • The Security and Political Implications of Climate Change and Climate Change Negotiations
  • Studies of International Leaders

Professor Jonathan Obert

  • American Politics and Political Development
  • Institutions
  • Violence and Conflict
  • Co-Evolution of States and Markets
  • Political Geography

Professor Ruxandra Paul

  • International Migration
  • Cyberpolitics
  • Citizenship & State-Building
  • European Politics and European Integration
  • Democratization (esp. Communist and Post-Communist Politics and Societies)

Professor Kerry Ratigan

  • Chinese Politics
  • Social Policy
  • Politics of Authoritarianism and Democratization
  • Social Movements
  • Decentralization and Governance

Professor Austin Sarat

  • Punishment
  • Death Penalty
  • Politics and Popular Culture