About Me
I am an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Global Studies program at Gardner-Webb University (university website here). I received my Ph.D. and M.S. in Political Science from Florida State University. I received my B.A. in Political Science from Florida Gulf Coast University.
​
My research interests fit broadly within the umbrella of peace studies. I am particularly interested in the violation and protection of human rights within advanced democracies. I study the policy-based and structural mechanisms underlying violations as well as the construction of meta-narratives through media that allow democratic electorates to tolerate and justify violations. Finally, my dissertation studied forced migration in the context of war, attempting to improve upon standing models of migration as well as to provide a material case for intervention in ongoing conflicts.
​
I have covered a wide range of courses as a university instructor, covering the broad fields of International Relations and Comparative Politics. My students are incredible, you should ask about them.
​
My research has been published in Research and Politics and featured in The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Economist, and others. In non-academic life, I'm watching basketball, movies, or cooking.