Where did you grow up?
The suburbs of Denver, Colorado.
What degrees do you have and where did you earn them?
BA in Political Science and Spanish, Middlebury College. MS in European Politics and Policy, London School of Economics. MA and PhD in Political Science, the University of Chicago.
What publications and awards best represent your work?
My next book is The Habsburgs: History of a Dynasty coming out in 2013. My previous book is Croatia: A Traveller’s History, published in 2010. I’ve received various teaching awards and awards for international research in my career that I’m happy about.
What currently fascinates you?
I just finished writing a book on the most important family in European history (the Habsburgs), studying what made them so successful and powerful. Now I’m going to complete a project on global poverty, with a particular focus on how we can improve educational outcomes for children in the developing world. It’s not enough to make sure that kids go to primary school—how can we ensure that they are truly learning, and that their teachers are truly teaching? That’s the problem for which I’m working on solutions.
Have you read any good novels lately?
I’ve been reading one of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe novels, but translated into Croatian.
What classes are you most excited to teach this year?
I’m most excited about my DC Seminar—Money & the Media in American Politics—and HUMT 182.
If you had one piece of advice for students, what would it be?
Know that you know nothing: it’s not how much you know, it’s how incisively you think. In your intellectual life, don’t look for certainty, look for rigor.
What are your office hours this quarter?
Wednesdays, 10:45-12:00