Hello! I am an assistant professor of political science at the University of Southern Maine. Prior to my time here at USM, I was a visiting assistant professor at Dartmouth and Smith. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from Arizona State University in 2008.

My research focuses on critical and historical approaches to international relations theory. I like to engage with perennial, unresolved issues of global politics through unusual entry points, such as reconsidering the politics of energy transitions through the lens of 18th century competition for whale oil; recasting the 21st century global war on terror through the 1917 search for Pancho Villa; or, reconsidering our approaches to sovereignty, research methods, and theoretical development through classic works of literature like Blood Meridian, Middlemarch, and The Peloponnesian War. The connecting line that runs through my research is an ethical commitment to exposing the politics behind the field’s usual core assumptions, and increasing access and participation within the sphere of global politics to more perspectives and voices. I'm increasingly interested in the scholarship of teaching and learning within International Relations. I've published scholarly articles in journals including The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Energy Research and Social Science, International Studies Review, and The Journal of International Political Theory.

I teach courses on a variety of subjects within International Relations, including Terrorism, US Foreign Policy, and Soccer Politics. I also teach our United Nations sequence of courses, which culminates with the Maine Model United Nations Conference (MeMUNC). That program takes place each May on the Gorham Campus. Along with my co-director, we train our university students to plan and host a three day Model UN conference for hundreds of high school students from across Maine. It's incredibly rewarding.

When I'm not working, I like to explore the trails here in Rural Maine. I love to cook. I do a bit of homebrewing. And we love to check out the tiny art museums and antique shops scattered across northern New England.

Please connect with me on Twitter @ProfRuback!