- Keynote Presentation, “The Illegality of the War in Ukraine,” Aquinas College Model
United Nations Conference, April 21, 2023;
- Panelist, “War Crimes and International Law,” The War in Ukraine: An Interdisciplinary
Faculty Panel Discussion, Aquinas College Faculty Panel, Donnelly Center, March 22,
2023;
- Recipient, Summer Research Grant, with Grahm Staib, “Neo-Nationalism, Religion, and
Authoritarianism: The Case of Putin’s Russia,” Aquinas College, March, 2023;
- Keynote Presentation, “War in Ukraine: An Application of International Law and Just
War Theory, Annual Meeting of the Institute for Global Education, Grand Rapids, MI,
November 20, 2022;
- Chair, Panel on “International Humanitarian Law,” Michigan Political Science Association,
Ferris State University, Friday, October 21, 2022;
- Presentation, “Operationalizing Fascism and Neo-Fascism,” Fascism in the Modern World
Roundtable Discussion, Michigan Political Science Association, Friday, October 21,
2022;
- Paper, “Addressing Climate Change: An Analysis of the Impact of Local Governance,”
Co-Authored with Aidan Raffaele, Aquinas College 2022 Summer Research Grant, August
23, 2022;
- Presentation, “International Response to Atrocity Crimes in the 21st Century: 15 Years
of Patterns of Behavior,” Dominican Colloquium, June 8, 2022;
- Presentation, OLLI Class, “War in Ukraine: Analysis and Discussion,” April 13, 2022;
- Recipient, Summer Research Grant, “Addressing Climate Change: An Analysis of the Impact
of Local Governance,” with Aidan Raffaele, Aquinas College, March, 2022;
- Panelist, “International Relations and Law of the War,” War in Ukraine, Aquinas College
Faculty Panel, Donnelly Center, March 30, 2022;
- Presentation, OLLI Class, “International Human Rights,” October 20 and 27, 2021;
- Presentation, “Understanding the German Elections” with Christopher Fuchs, Deputy
German Consul General, September 21, 2021;
- Paper, “Responsibility to Protect: Fifteen Years of Patterns of Behavior,” Co-Authored
with Mathew Maloney, Aquinas College 2021 Summer Research Grant, August 30, 2021;
- Panelist, “Natural Security Discussion with US Representative Peter Meijer,” Roundtable
with Congressperson Peter Meijer, Harbor Strategic Public Affairs in Michigan, June
2, 2021;
- Recipient, Summer Research Grant, “Responsibility to Protect: Fifteen Years of Patterns
of Behavior,” with Mathew Maloney, Aquinas College, March, 2021;
- Paper in progress, “The Authoritarian Consequences of Trump’s Cult-Like Following,”
Co-authored with Juan Heredia, 2021;
- Presentation, OLLI Class, “Trump Foreign Policy: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,”
March 10, 2021;
- Presentation, OLLI Class, “From Brexit to Building Walls: New Nationalism in the 21st
Century,” September 10, 17, and 24, 2019;
- Presentation, “Ireland and the EU: Brexit and Contemporary Politics,” Muskegon Irish
Festival, September 14, 2019, Muskegon, MI;
- Presentation, “US Immigration Policy: Critique of Trump,” Panel of Immigration, February
26, 2019, Aquinas College Moose Café;
- Presentation, “North Korea, Trump, and Escalating Tensions,” Panel on North Korea,
Aquinas College, Tuesday, January 30, 2018;
- Presentation, OLLI Class, “Vigilantes,” Team-Taught with Dr. Deb Wickering, January
3, 10, and 17, 2018
- Presentation, OLLI Class, “Trump Foreign Policy,” September 20, 27, and October 4,
2017;
- Moderator, “German Elections Panel,” September 19, 2017, Aquinas College, with a)
Fredrick Hoffman, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in the State
of Michigan, b) Dr. Gunther Hega, Associate Professor, Western Michigan University,
and c) Christian Jetzlsberger, Deputy Head of the Political Department of the German
Embassy, Wash., DC.
- Presentation, “KKK as a Terrorist Organization,” Panel on the Alt-Right, Aquinas College,
September 19, 2017;
- Presentation, OLLI Class, “Six Years of Overt War: Syria, Human Rights and Political
Stability,” January 11, 2017;
- President, Michigan Political Science Association, 2015-2016;
- TV Interview, “Presidential Election 2016,” WZZM, Grand Rapids, MI, November 9, 2016;
Presentation, “Brexit: Implications for European and International Relations, Michigan
Political Science Association Conference, Central Michigan University, Thursday, October
20, 2016;
- Presentation, “Just War and Responsibility to Protect: An Application to ISIL,” Dominican
Colloquium, June 10, 2016;
- Presentation, “Just War Theory in the 21st Century” World War II Lecture Series, Silversides
Museum, Muskegon, MI, March 14, 2016;
- Moderator, “COP-21 Paris: An Analysis of the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference,” Aquinas
College, February 25, 2016;
- Presentation, “Responsibility to Protect in the World in Crisis,” Rotary East, Watermark
Country Club, Grand Rapids, January 19, 2016;
- Publication of “Expanding the Scope of Policy Leadership through Networks: Grand Rapids,
Michigan,” chapter 9 in the text "The Facilitative Leader in City Hall: Reexamining
the Scope and Contributions," James H. Svara, Editor, Arizona State University, CRC
Press, 2009. Co-Authored with Eric S. Zeemering, Ph.D., San Francisco State University.
International Relations:
- International Humanitarian Law with a focus on Responsibility to Protect;
- Counter-Terror Politics in the broader context of American foreign policy;
- Just War Theory;
- Integration versus disintegration;
- Post-Cold War relations between the North and South particularly how strong states
intervene (and at what level) crisis situations in weak states;
- International political economy, international regimes, development and dependency:
South (third world) political economy - particularly linking international regimes
with dependency structures and measuring levels of dependent relationships, multilateralism
and transnational activity;
- International Human Rights and US Foreign Policy.
Comparative Politics:
- Authoritarianism and neo-fascism;
- Neo-nationalism and the impact on democracy;
- Political Economy of MENA;
- War and conflict in MENA;
- At the macro level is the issue of development and trying to measure it both quantitatively
and qualitatively;
- In a comparative public policy sense I have been looking at nationalism as a primary
force that motivates in this Post-Cold War era;
- Haitian Political Economy and the political instability therein;
- Caribbean development;
American Politics:
- Anti-democratic / extremist movements;
- Political cult-like behavior;
- Domestic political economy;
- Inequality and participation, power and democracy;
Dissertation Topic
- "Post Cold War Relations Between the North and South: Studying the Effects of International
Regimes on Less Developed Countries", G. Zaninovich (chair), P. Southwell, G. Fry
and A. Hawkins.
Other Political Science Discipline Activity
- Reviewer for Prentice-Hall
- Reviewer for Westview Press
- Member: American Political Science Association, International Studies Association,
World Affairs Council of West Michigan, United Nations Association, Michigan Conference
of Political Scientists
- Reviewer for Rourke Text
- Reviewer for Pine Forge Press
Favorite Links
Roger Durham Vita
