Lunch with Our Professors Series

Wednesday, February 24 at 1PM

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Dr. Daniel Green: “The US as a Great Power: Policies and Impacts across History”

This talk will be a quick survey of the past 200 years, to discuss first what the US did to become a great power in the nineteenth century and, second, what it did to exert its power, influence and export its values to shape the international system in the twentieth century, up to today.  The US impact has been world-transforming since 1917, but the challenge it has faced in the last few years is a very new one - to grapple with a global system not seen before in history, with many great powers, each with a very different cultural and historical background.

Wednesday, March 24 at 1PM

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Dr. Stuart Kaufman:
"The G​rand Strategy of Donald Trump"

Like its predecessors, the Trump Administration published a National Security Strategy document outlining its priorities, goals, and grand strategy for achieving national security.  The strategy aimed to "advance American influence" and "protect the homeland" (pandemics were specifically mentioned) among other top goals.  How did Trump do according to his own benchmarks?  What is the state of American national security and its influence in the world?  From handling C​ovid to the Iran nuclear deal to managing the rise of China, let's take a look.

Stuart J. Kaufman is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware.  Before coming to Delaware, he spent 1999 working as Director for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affairs on the U.S. National Security Council staff.  Dr. Kaufman specializes in ethnic conflict, international security affairs and international relations history, and he is the author of two award-winning books on nationalism and ethnic conflict: Nationalist Passions (2015) and Modern Hatreds (2001).  Dr. Kaufman’s other honors include a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, a Fulbright scholarship, and an Excellence in Scholarship award from the University of Delaware College of Arts and Sciences.  Additionally, Dr. Kaufman is co-editor of The Balance of Power in World History (2007), and he has published dozens of articles in a wide array of scholarly journals. ​Dr. Kaufman earned his B.A. (1983) from Harvard University, and his M.A. (1985) and Ph.D. (1991) from the University of Michigan.

Wednesday, April 28 @ 1PM

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Dr. Joanne Miller:

“Why Do People Believe Conspiracy Theories?”

In this talk, Dr. Miller will discuss the political and psychological determinants of belief in conspiracy theories in general, as well as the findings of her research regarding belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories more specifically. She will also touch on the consequences of belief in conspiracy theories and how to mitigate conspiracy theory beliefs.​

Joanne M. Miller is Associate Professor of Political Science & International Relations and Psychological & Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware. She is a political psychologist who studies public opinion and political behavior. Her recent research, which has been featured in media outlets such as National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, focuses on the psychological and political determinants of belief in conspiracy theories. She has received grants from the National Science Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, and her research has been published in academic journals such as The American Journal of Political Science, Public Opinion Quarterly, the British Journal of Political Science, and Political Psychology.

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