Professor DeClair teaches a variety of courses in the sub-fields of International
Relations and Comparative Politics. His teaching focuses on both Europe and Africa,
with special interest on the European Union. DeClair is the author of Politics on the
Fringe: The People, Policies and Organization of the French National Front (Duke University Press, 1999)He is currently working on an undergraduate text about the
European Union.

Professor Harding is a specialist in Latin American politics.
Dr. Harding's teaching and research focus on the
region's politics and society with a special interest in democratization and civil military relations.
Fluent in Spanish, Harding also
teaches introductory Spanish courses. Harding is the author of Military Foundations
of Panamanian Politics (Transaction Publishers, 2001.)

Professor Manian, also a recent addition to the International Relations Program
comes to the LC faculty with teaching and research expertise in the regional politics
and economics of Asiac (both South Asia and East Asia) and Europe. She also
teaches for the History Program. Manian's interest revolve around issues of
international security, the politics of extremist violence, and regional organizations. She
is currently working on a book-length manuscript (Security Politics of China, India, and
Pakistan), while completing an article on Chinese security politics in the Circum-
Caribbean.

Associated Faculty:

Professor Lang teaches courses in political theory, International Relations and US
Foriegn Policy. He is a scholar on the foreign policy of the early republic; he has
published on the topic of presidential transitions; and is currently working on a book on
international commitments and democratic change. As Dean of the School of
Humanities and Social Sciences, he is responsible for facilitating the intellectual life of a variety of academic programs.

A former president of the Virginia Association of Economists and the Piedmont
World Trade Committee, Professor Messerschmidt has a special interst in Japanese
politics and economics. Messerschmidt teaches courses in micro and macro
economics as well as the IR required course on International Economic Policy. His
published work has appeared in a wide variety of peer reviewed journals.

Professor Shull's interest in the International Relations program reflects his
Sociology and Anthropology background and is linked to his academics expertise in
Japanese culture, society and politics. Having traveled and studied in Japan on
multiple occassions, Shull is able to introduce his students to Japan as it is and not
only how it appears. His IR related courses are Japan: Businessmen, Warriors, and
Gods; a Special Topics course, Material Japan; and a team taught course with
Professor Messerschmidt, Contemporary Japan.

Professor Smith-Akubue's participation in the International Relations program
focuses on her unique experiences and training as a scholar on contemporary Africa.
Having lived and taught in Kenya, Smith-Akubue brings a unique and vital perspective
to the students who take her courses on African History and South Africa.