Professor Wayne Gabardi
Teaching and Research Specialties: Political Philosophy, Modern and Contemporary Social Theory, History of Western Political Theory
Administrative Duties: Department Chair
Born and raised in New Jersey, Wayne Gabardi received his doctorate in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1986. He worked with the late political philosopher Raghavan Iyer and his dissertation was on the contribution of Erich Fromm to the early work of the Frankfurt School and Critical Theory.
He arrived at Idaho State University in 1990 and is currently professor and department chair. His areas of professional expertise include Western political philosophy, modern and contemporary social theory, existentialist, postmodern, and democratic thought, and the history of Western political theory.
While at ISU he has taught a variety of courses and seminars ranging from Introduction to Political Philosophy to Contemporary Political Theory, Feminist Thought, Politics and Literature, Philosophy of the Social Sciences, Classical Political Thought, Democratic Political Thought, Post-Communist Politics, and Senior Seminar.
His recent published work includes the book Negotiating Postmodernism (University of Minnesota Press, 2001) and “Contemporary Models of Democracy” published in the scholarly journal Polity (Summer 2001). The book explores the legacy of the modern-postmodern debate and its impact upon sociological theory, political philosophy, and contemporary democratic thought. The article profiles and critiques communitarian, deliberative, postmodern, and complexity models of democracy in relation to a world increasingly shaped by high-tech, neoliberal, globalizing forces.
His current research projects are largely historical. They include (1) a re-examination of how Western history has been portrayed in the canon of Western political philosophy; (2) a reinterpretation of narratives of modernity, and (3) an examination of the return of grand narratives and new global ideologies after postmodernism.
Dr. Gabardi was selected as Idaho State University “Master Teacher” in 2003 and began his appointment as Chair in 2005.
Wayne Gabardi
Professor and Chair
Department of Political Science
Graveley Hall, North Wing 308
Postal Box 8236, Pocatello, ID 83209-8236
Tele: 208-282-4536, FAX: 208-282-4833gabawayn@isu.edu
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