Faculty & Staff

Elsa Chen teaches American politics, public policy, and research methods. Her research focuses on criminal justice sentencing policy, including racial and ethnic disparities in sentencing outcomes and the effects of mandatory minimum sentencing policies, the implementation of sentencing reform, criminal record expungement, and prisoner reentry.

408-554-4508 | Vari Hall Floor 2

Anne Baker teaches courses in U.S. politics with an emphasis on political institutions and is the Director of the Program in Public Sector Studies. Her research focuses upon money in politics, particularly its impact on congressional elections and representation as well as the operations and strategies of political parties and interest groups

Fr. Matthew Carnes' teaching and research examines the dynamics of labor and social welfare policy in developing and middle-income countries. A specialist on Latin America, he has conducted field research in Argentina, Peru, Chile, and Bolivia, and he has worked on development projects in Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Ecuador.

Sarah Cheikhali teaches International Law and International Relations. Her research interests include international security, international law, geopolitics and geo-economics. Her research at the University of California, Santa Cruz focuses on military and humanitarian-delivery drone infrastructures.

Greg Corning teaches international relations and comparative politics. His current research explores the politics of trade and investment agreements in East Asia.

Jane Curry has been teaching comparative politics with a special emphasis on democratization, media and ethnic politics, and former communist countries. She has published 11 books in her field. Currently, she is working on a book on the "Colored Revolutions" in Ukraine and Georgia. At Santa Clara, she has served twice as Faculty Senate President and also as head of the University Coordinating Committee. She has received awards for her scholarship and also, in 2012, the Faculty Senate Professor award for her overall contributions to the University.

Kenneth Faulve-Montojo primarily teaches political economy in comparative politics and international relations. His current research project focuses on the role of institutions in monetary politics in Southeast Asia.

Jesi Faust teaches courses in politics and international relations. Her current research explores human rights and the gendered politics of revolutionary social movements.

Dennis R. Gordon teaches courses in international relations, comparative politics (Caribbean and Latin America) and environmental politics. His past scholarship includes a co-authored text book on U.S. politics and articles on conflict resolution, sustainable development, International Relations Theory, and international education. He is the Co-Director of the Center for the Arts and Humanities for the College of Arts and Sciences and is the Faculty Director for the Modern Perspectives Residential Learning Community in Dunne Hall.

Matt Harrigan teaches courses in U.S. Politics, including Congress, Making Public Policy, Sports & Politics in the U.S., and State & Local Politics. His research interests center on questions about the effects of institutional design on political behavior and policy outcomes, including agenda control and leadership powers in the U.S. Congress. He is also a resource for students seeking fellowships and public sector or non-profit internships.

Vivien Leung (she/they) teaches courses in American politics, racial politics, and quantitative methods. Their research areas are in race and ethnic politics, political psychology, immigration, and American politics. More specifically, they are interested in the racialization of Asian Americans and how context shapes identity formation and influences behavior.

Naomi Levy primarily teaches courses in research methods and comparative politics. She has over two decades of experience conducting community-based research in conflict-affected settings around the world. Her research has taken her from the former Yugoslavia to Colombia to her own backyard in Oakland, CA. In all of her work, she strives to understand the forces that shape the relationship between ordinary citizens and the state and seeks to facilitate government responsiveness to community needs by amplifying the voices that are best placed to guide public servants.

Timothy J. Lukes teaches political philosophy, American political behavior, and research methods. His research interests include the Italian Renaissance, American political culture, and contemporary political thought.

Thomas Meredith received his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Toronto in 2019. His research focuses on modern and late modern political philosophy with a special emphasis on the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche.

Peter Minowitz teaches political philosophy and helps run the department's annual banquet

Diana Morlang teaches comparative politics with an emphasis on Europe and women in politics. She also is a university advisor in the Drahmann Center for Academic Advising and Learning Resources.

Eric Mosinger teaches courses on comparative politics, Latin American politics, and research methods. His research focuses on civil war, revolutionary organizations, nonviolent civil resistance, and post-conflict legacies of violence in Latin America.

Terri Peretti teaches constitutional law, judicial politics, and U.S. Politics. Her current research focuses on the role of partisanship in judicial decision making in the field of election law and voting rights.

Farid Senzai teaches Politics of the Middle East. He also teaches courses on U.S. foreign policy, international relations and comparative politics, with an emphasis on the Middle East. His current research explores U.S. democracy promotion in the Middle East, U.S. relations with the Muslim world and a national study of Muslims in America.