Assistant Professor

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Aaron Boesenecker Assistant Professor Global Inquiry

Additional Positions at С��Ƶ: SIS Undergraduate Research Coordinator; SIS Faculty President (2019-2020)
Languages Spoken: German
Book Currently Reading: Notes from a Young Black Chef (Kwame Onwuachi);
Small Teaching Online (Flower Darby, w/ Jams M. Lang)
Bio: Dr. Aaron P. Boesenecker joined the SIS faculty in the fall of 2009. He teaches across various SIS programs, including the Undergraduate Program, the Online M.A. in International Relations Program, and the SIS Ph.D. Program. As the SIS Undergraduate Research Coordinator, Dr. Boesenecker works with SIS undergraduates to foster their research and to find research, presentation, and publication opportunities. He also advises students on major national scholarships and fellowships such as the Boren and Fulbright. In 2017 Dr. Boesenecker was awarded the F. Gunther Eyck Award from the School of International Service in recognition of his dedicated service to students and his commitment to excellence in teaching.

Dr. Boesenecker's research interests include European politics, comparative political economy, religion and politics, research methods & methodology, and pedagogy. His current research focuses on social policy development and reform in Europe and the United States. He is also engaged in an ongoing collaborative research project concerning the role of religion in post-conflict societies. Dr. Boesenecker has received funding for his research from the American Consortium for European Union Studies, the Max-Planck Society (Germany), and Georgetown University. Prior to joining the SIS faculty, Dr. Boesenecker taught at Georgetown University. Prior to returning to academic life, he worked in the field of community planning and development for a mid-sized Midwestern town.

Dr. Boesenecker's latest publication is: Aaron P. Boesenecker and Leslie Vinjamuri, "Charting the Path of Justice in Peacebuilding," in Restorative Justice, Reconciliation, and Peacebuilding, ed. Jennifer J. Llewellyn and Daniel Philpott, 37-76, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.

See Also
For the Media: To request an interview for a news story, call С��Ƶ Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.; С��Ƶ Experts

Teaching

Summer 2024

SISU-206 Intro to Int'l Studies Rsrch

Fall 2024

SISU-206 Intro to Int'l Studies Rsrch
SISU-206 Intro to Int'l Studies Rsrch

Spring 2025

SISU-306 Adv Int'l Studies Research: Lang, Symbols, Pract & Ident
SISU-306 Adv Int'l Studies Research: Case Study Research

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Research Interests

Dr. Boesenecker’s research interests include European politics and European integration, comparative political economy, social policy, qualitative methods, transitional justice and postconflict resolution, and the intersection of culture, religion and politics.

Selected Publications

Lost in Translation? Civil Society, Faith-Based Organizations and the Negotiation of International Norms," (with Leslie Vinjamuri) International Journal of Transitional Justice 5 (2011).
“Religious Actors in Transitional Justice,” (with Leslie Vinjamuri), in The New Religious Pluralism, ed. Tom Banchoff, Oxford University Press, 2008.
Review of Social Enterprise: At the Crossroads of Market, Public Policy, and Civil Society, ed. by Marthe Nyssens, London: Routledge, 2006, in Democracy & Society 4, no. 2 (Spring 2007).
"Peace Agreements and Accountability Since 1980," (with Leslie Vinjamuri) Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Geneva, Switzerland, 2007.
“The Power of Defining Work,” Mortara Center for International Studies, Georgetown University, Working Paper C-02-0708, 2007.
Review of Solidarity in Europe: The History of an Idea, Steinar Stjernø, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006, in German Politics and Society 24, no. 2 (Summer 2006).

Professional Presentations

“A Crisis Wasted: Explaining the Return to National Patterns of Socio-Economic Governance in Europe," 18th International Conference of Europeanists, Barcelona, 2011.
“A Collaborative Teaching Strategy in Undergraduate Research Methods,” (w/ Elizabeth Cohn), APSA Teaching and Learning Conference 2011, Albuquerque, New Mexico
“Academic Research and Writing Across Disciplines,” 22nd Annual Ann Ferren Teaching Conference, С��Ƶ, 2011.
“Germany and the Financial Crisis: Constructing a Success Story,” Workshop “What’s Up with Germany?” 2010, Georgetown University.
“Mapping the Actors in Transitional Justice” (w/ Leslie Vinjamuri), Workshop for Restorative Justice, Reconciliation, and Peacebuilding Project, University of Notre Dame, 2010.
The Road Less Taken? A Discourse-Theoretic Analysis of the European Response to the 2008 Economic Crisis,” “Diskurse im Institutionellen Wandel,” Otto-Friedrichs Universität, 2010, Bamberg, Germany.
“Religious and Secular Actors: The ‘Doers’ of Transitional Justice,” (w/ Leslie Vinjamuri), ISA 2009, New York.
“The Power of Defining Work: Politics and Discourse in European Welfare State Reform,” ECPR 2008, Barcelona, Spain.
“The Power of Defining Work and Welfare: Politics and Discourse in European Welfare State Reform,” Council for European Studies, 2008, Chicago.
“Religious Actors and Transitional Justice,” (w/ Leslie Vinjamuri), APSA 2007, Chicago, IL.
“Learning to Work Together: The Impact of the European Employment Strategy on European Integration and Capitalism,” CES 2006, Chicago, IL.
“New Modes of European Union Policymaking: Local Cooperation and Cross-border Learning within the Open Method of Coordination,” ECPR 2005, Granada, Spain.

Media Appearances

Panelist, “The Wall,” documentary produced by Deutsche Welle, recorded at the Newseum, Washington DC, August 10, 2008.

Honors, Awards, and Fellowships

Alumni Achievement Award, College of Arts and Sciences, Western Michigan University (2010)
Jill Hopper Memorial Fellowship, Department of Government, Georgetown University (2008)
Northeast Political Science Association, Best Paper Award (2007)
Distinction awarded on Ph.D. Major Field Comprehensive Exam (Comparative Government) (2005)
Distinction awarded on Ph.D. Minor Field Comprehensive Exam (German and European Studies) (2004)
Best Paper in Comparative Government, Department of Government, Georgetown University (2004)
Presidential Scholar Award, Department of Political Science, Western Michigan University (1999)
Western Michigan University Rhodes Scholarship nominee (1999)
Steckelberg German Award, Western Michigan University (1999)
D.C. Schilling Award in Political Science, Western Michigan University (1998)

Grants and Sponsored Research

American Consortium on EU Studies (ACES) Curriculum Development Grant, Summer 2011
С��Ƶ, Online Learning / Distance Education Curriculum Development Grant, Spring 2011
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Visiting Doctoral Fellow, August 2006-August 2007
American Consortium on EU Studies (ACES) Pre-Dissertation Research Grant, Summer 2005

Professional Certifications

Qualitative Methods, Consortium for Qualitative Research Methods (CQRM), Arizona State University, January 2006.

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