Comparative Politics: democratization and political parties in post communist Russian,
European, Eurasian and African (especially Ethiopian) politics, ethnic conflict and
ethnic politics, the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Was editor in chief of the American Political Science Review 2012-2016. Was principal
investigator, along with Joseph Oppong, for the National Science Foundation-Research
Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) grant "UNT Civil Conflict Management and Peace
Science" that funds one of only a few NSF-REU political science sites in the country,
and he was Director of that program (2010-2020).
Past President President of the American Political Science Association