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| hope college > academic departments > political science |
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Dr. Virginia
Beard
Dr. Beard joined the Political Science faculty in the fall of 2007. Originally from both Texas and Mississippi, she earned a B.A. in political science with a focus on African Politics and Third World Development from Calvin College in 2000. After a year living in Dallas, Texas as an AmeriCorps VISTA working on affordable housing and microlending projects, Dr. Beard returned to Michigan where she earned a masters degree in public policy and administration from Michigan State University in 2005, and her Ph.D. in political science with a focus on International Development and African Politics from Michigan State University in 2006. She has also previously taught international relations at MSU. As a graduate student, Dr. Beard also worked on the Afrobarometer Survey Research Project, a nationally recognized and awarded dataset that covers economic and political opinions among citizens across 18 African nations. Dr. Beard spent time in Kenya and Uganda as a student, development intern, Afrobarometer data collection observer and as a graduate researcher. Prior to joining the Hope faculty, Dr. Beard worked for a year at Public Policy Associates, Inc, and Lansing-based policy research and evaluation firm. She also serves as a commissioner on the Greater Lansing Commission on Race and Diversity. Dr. Beard's areas of specialization are comparative politics, focused on Africa, as well as public policy. Her research interests are in the areas African political development, democratization, the role of women in politics with a focus on Africa, the interplay between gender and politics, religious interaction with the political sphere and political ideology, public policy in political development, international political and economic development, human rights and justice and global studies. Dr. Beard has spent much time in Kenya and has language experience in both Swahili and German. Dr. Beard enjoys running, strength training, running in 5K events, kickboxing and has a passion for investing in women's lives to see them be all they are able to be. Dr. Beard lives between Holland and Lansing, spending time with her husband who is pursuing a law degree focused on international justice and human rights from the University of Michigan. Courses |
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