I teach the basic introductory courses in comparative politics, international relations, and American government.
My upper division courses focus on the dynamics of civil war, the politics of Central and South America,
and US-Latin American Relations. If you'd like to learn more about the courses I teach, please follow the Teaching link
on the left.
In terms of research, I am currently involved in four separate projects. My primary research focus relates
to the transition of insurgent groups to political parties following negotiated settlements to civil war. At the moment,
this research combines qualitative and quantitative analyses of two Central American insurgent groups that have undergone such
transitions: the FMLN in El Salvador and the URNG in Guatemala.
I am currently working with Paul Hensel on a book project looking at the relationship
between colonial legacies and territorial conflict as part of the Issue Correlates of War project. The third (EU-Latin
American trade relations with Christina Fattore) and fourth (gangs in Central America with Jim Roberts) research areas are
less well developed, but should see some progress during 2009-2010 calendar years. Please check the Research tab
on the left for copies of my publications and working papers in these areas.
