Professor Sean K. Anderson
Teaching and Research Specialties: U.S. Government and Politics, Comparative Politics, International and Domestic Terrorism and Political Violence, Politics of Religion and Culture
While at ISU Anderson has taught Introduction to U.S. Government, Introduction to Politics, Introduction to Comparative Politics, the Politics of Developing Nations, the Politics of Order and Change, Introduction to the Administrative Process, the Politics of the Middle East, an interdisciplinary seminar on Resurgence Movements, and a senior seminar on Religion and Politics. During Semester 1997 he taught a special topics course on Terrorism and Political Violence through the Distance Learning Center reaching classes in Idaho Falls and Twin Falls as well as in Pocatello. This course became the POLS 434/534 Terrorism and Political Violence class that has been regularly offered every semester since the 9/11 attacks except for Fall Semester 2005. This class will again be offered as a Distance Learning class during Spring Semester 2006.
His research interests include domestic and international terrorism and extremist movements, political culture, the impact of religion on domestic and international politics and the Islamic Resurgence in the Middle East. He co-authored the book The Historical Dictionary of Terrorism with Professor Stephen Sloan, which has gone into a second edition and which shortly will be in its third edition. Anderson has conducted quantitative studies of the relationship between state-sponsored terrorism and the warnings and indications present in the state-run mass media of state sponsors of terrorism as well as of the impact of U.S. military interventions on the behavior of state sponsors of terrorism. Recently Anderson has contributed to scholarship regarding Usama ibn Ladin and the al Qa’eda group writing an entry on al Qa’eda for the Routledge International Encyclopedia of International Relations and Global Politics. His research papers on Iranian state-sponsorship of terrorism and on the impacts of U.S. military intervention against state sponsors have been reprinted in anthologies of terrorism research.
With regard to domestic politics Anderson has also researched the relative contributions of changes in the socio-economic environment and political culture of Idahoans in explaining changes in Idahoan voting behavior during the November 1994 and November 1996 state and national elections.
Dr. Anderson participated in the "Terrorism and Beyond: The 21st Century," conference on April 17-19, 2000 which inaugurated the Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism hosted by the RAND Corporation.
Professor Sean K. Anderson Graveley Hall, North Wing 305 Postal Box 8147, Pocatello ID 83209-8147 Tele: 208-282-2540, FAX: 208-282-4833
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