Placement Candidates
department of political science
The Department of Political Science at the Boston College is delighted to announce its current candidates for academic appointments. Most have their Ph.D. in hand or will have completed their degree by August of this academic year.
Political Philosophy
Shilo Shadid Brooks
Modern and Ancient Political Philosophy; American Political Thought; Security Studies; Leadership Studies; American Political Development
Rebecca Rudman Clark
Early Modern, Enlightenment, and American Political Thought; Constitutional Democracy and the Biblical Traditions; Nature and the Environment in Political Philosophy; American Constitutional Development and National Institutions; Security Studies
Allison D'Orazio
Classical Political Thought; Foundations of Modern Liberalism; American Founding; American Political Thought and Development; International Politics
Kazutaka Kondo
Classical Political Philosophy; History of Political Thought; Contemporary Political Theory; American Political Thought
Dustin Sebell
Classical, Early Modern, Modern, and Late Modern Political Philosophy; American Political Thought
Nicholas C. Starr
Religion and Politics in Modern Political Philosophy; Spirit of Modern Republicanism; Ancient and Modern Conceptions of Justice; American Political Thought
Kimberly Joy Stewart
Classical and Modern Political Philosophy; American and Canadian Political Thought
Brenna R. Strauss
Ancient and Early Modern Political Thought; Women in Political Thought; American Political Development and Political Thought
American Politics
Annette M. McDermott, S.S.J.
American Political Institutions; Religion and Politics; Democratization; Public Policy; International Politics and Ethics
Comparative Politics
Elitsa Molles
Immigration; Immigrant Integration, Exclusion, and Inclusion; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; European Union; Democratization; Human Rights; International Politics
International Politics
Kerem Öge
Introduction to International Relations; International Organizations; International Political Economy; Politics of Energy; Turkish Politics; European Integration
Shilo Shadid Brooks (ABD)
Dissertation: "Cultivating Modern Man: Nietzsche's Untimely Observations and the Crisis of Modern Culture"
Subfields: American Politics, International Politics
Awards and Fellowships: Boston College Teaching Fellowship, Boston College Dissertation Fellowship, Jack Miller Center Summer Fellow, Hertog Program Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center (intern), The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Grant, Ernest Fortin Memorial Fellowship
Teaching Interests: Modern and Ancient Political Philosophy; American Political Thought; Security Studies; Leadership Studies; American Political Development
Committee: Nasser Behnegar, Christopher Kelly, Susan Meld Shell, Michael Grenke
Rebecca Rudman Clark, Ph.D.
Dissertation: "Montesquieu on the history and geography of political liberty"
Subfields: American Politics, International Politics
Awards and Fellowships: John Marshall Visiting Research Fellowship – University of Richmond, Jepson School of Leadership Studies; Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy Graduate Research Grant; Jack Miller Center – Veritas Foundation Fellowship; Earhart Fellowship; Ernest Fortin Memorial Foundation Grant for Summer Language Study; The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Grant for Summer Research
Teaching Interests: Early Modern, Enlightenment, and American Political Thought; Foundations of Constitutional Democracy; Nature and the Environment in Political Philosophy; American Political and Constitutional Development; Leadership Studies
Committee: Christopher Kelly (Advisor), Susan Shell, Nasser Behnegar, Robert Faulkner
Allison D'Orazio (ABD)
Dissertation: "Athenian Imperialism in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War" (working title)
Subfields: American Politics, International Politics
Awards and Fellowships: Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award, Boston College Teaching Fellowship, Earhart Fellowship, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Grant, Ernest Fortin Memorial Foundation Grant for Summer Study
Teaching Interests: Classical Political Thought; Foundations of Modern Liberalism; American Founding; American Political Thought and Development; International Politics
Committee: Robert Bartlett, Robert Faulkner, Christopher Kelly
Kazutaka Kondo, Ph.D.
Dissertation: "Socrates' Understanding of His Trial: The Political Presentation of Philosophy"
Subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics
Awards and Fellowships: Summa Cum Laude (Masters degree, Waseda University, Tokyo), Japanese Government Support for Long-term Study Abroad (declined), Ernest Fortin Memorial Foundation Fellowship
Teaching Interests: Classical Political Philosophy; History of Political Thought; Contemporary Political Theory; American Political Thought
Committee: Robert Bartlett, Christopher Kelly, Robert Faulkner, Charles Ahern
Dustin Sebell (ABD)
Dissertation: "The Socratic Turn and the Philosophic Foundations of Classical Political Science"
Subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics
Awards and Fellowships: Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Grant, Ernest Fortin Memorial Fellowship
Teaching Interests: Classical, Early Modern, Modern, and Late Modern Political Philosophy; American Political Thought
Committee: Robert Bartlett, Nasser Behnegar, Robert Faulkner, Devin Stauffer
Nicholas C. Starr (ABD)
Dissertation: "Educating the Passions: The Moral Imagination in Rousseau's Emile"
Subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics
Awards and Fellowships: "The Moral Imagination in Rousseau's Emile" Nominated for Best Graduate Student Paper Award at the 2011 Northeastern Political Science Association Meeting (decision pending), Boston College Dissertation Fellowship, Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award, Ernest Fortin Memorial Fellowship
Teaching Interests: Religion and Politics in Modern Political Philosophy; Spirit of Modern Republicanism; Ancient and Modern Conceptions of Justice; American Political Thought; Liberalism and its Critics
Committee: Christopher Kelly, Robert Bartlett, Susan Meld Shell
Kimberley Joy Stewart (ABD)
Dissertation: "Promises in the Works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau"
Subfields: American Politics, Comparative Politics
Awards and Fellowships: Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy Graduate Fellowship, Boston College Teaching Fellowship, Fortin and Bradley foundation summer grants
Teaching Interests: Classical and Modern Political Philosophy; American and Canadian Political Thought
Committee: Christopher Kelly, Susan Meld Shell, Robert Bartlett
Brenna R. Strauss, Ph.D.
Dissertation: "Disharmony in the Constitution: Aristotle and Plato on the Education of Women and the Spartan Regime"
Subfields: American Politics, International Politics
Awards and Fellowships: Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award, Jack Miller Foundation-Veritas Fellowship, Ernest Fortin Memorial Fellowship, Tikvah Fund Fellowship for the Study of Biblical Hebrew
Teaching Interests: Ancient and Early Modern Political Thought; Women in Political Thought; Liberalism and Its Critics; American Political Thought; American Political Development
Committee: Robert Bartlett (2010-present), Christopher Bruell (2008-2010), Christopher Kelly, Nasser Behnegar
Annette M. McDermott, S.S.J. (ABD)
Dissertation: "The Public Square and American Catholic Sisters since Vatican II"
Subfields: International Politics, Comparative Politics
Awards and Fellowships: Thomas P. O'Neill Fellowship, Cushwa Center Research and Travel Grant, Siemens Research Grant
Teaching Interests: American Political Institutions; Religion and Politics; Democratization; Public Policy; International Politics and Ethics
Committee: Alan Wolfe, David Hollenbach, Shep Melnick
Elitsa Molles (ABD)
Dissertation: "Identity Politics in Local Markets: Exclusion and Inclusion in the 'New' Europe"
Subfields: International Politics, American Politics
Awards and Fellowships: Bucerius Ph.D. Dissertation Scholarship in Migration Studies, Ernest Fortin Memorial Foundation Summer Grant, The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Summer Grant, Distinction in Comprehensive Examinations, Phi Beta Kappa (Trinity College), W.H. Russell Fellowship for Graduate Study (Trinity College), President's Fellow in the Department of Political Science (Trinity College)
Teaching Interests: Immigration; Immigrant Integration, Exclusion, and Inclusion; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; European Union; Democratization; Human Rights; International Politics
Committee: Gerald Easter, Jonathan Laurence, Peter Skerry
Kerem Öge (ABD)
Dissertation: "External and Domestic Remedies to the Resource Curse: Promotion of Good Governance in the Caspian"
Subfields: Comparative Politics, American Politics
Awards and Fellowships: Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy Research Grant, Visiting Fellow at ICAMES (McGill University), Boston College Dissertation Fellowship, Fortin and Bradley foundations research fellowship, Jean Monnet Scholarship
Teaching Interests: Introduction to International Relations; International Organizations; International Political Economy; Politics of Energy; Turkish Politics; European Integration
Committee: David A.Deese, Gerald M. Easter, Timothy Crawford, Jonathan Laurence