I am now officially retired from the university, but taught 1/2 time in the fall 2011 semester under the State's revived Transition to Retirement Program. The two courses I taught were International Relations (POLS202-02, MW 1-2:15), and Contemporary Western European Politics (POLS339-03, M 2:30-5). I will be continuing my 1/2 time status in spring 2012, teaching International Organizations, and Government and Politics of the East European States (details in the online Course Schedule Book, but to be added here soon). My office is no longer the one listed above; I have been sharing Dr. Wishnick's office (DI 210) and I anticipate continuing that arrangement during spring 2012. The best way to contact me by phone during my office hours is through the Political Science and Law Office number: 973-655-4238.

I've taught a wide variety of courses since coming to MSU in fall 1971, with an initial focus on American government and politics and comparative politics. Relatively soon I branched out in to areas studies courses that I introduced into the curriculum: Western European politics, Eastern European politics and he politics in first the Soviet Union and then in post-Soviet states. Along the way I was asked to step in and teach the basic course in international relations, which I have continued to do, particularly in the summer session. To that I added international organizations, which I also teach in one of the early summer sessions and which I love.

As part of my responsibilities, I served as department chair for two terms in the 1980's and more recently have served and continue to serve as deputy chair for political science and as coordinator of departmental academic advisement. I seem to have been particularly good at advisement, in large part because of the web of helpful campus contacts I built up just by being here for so many years.

You can check my attached CV for the details of my research and publications. Here I'll just note that initially I was interested in Hungarian politics in the 1920s, but then became fascinated with Jewish religious politics in Israel. More recently, I have been drawn to issues concerning the nation-state as a type of political arrangement. Along the way I became adept at writing book reviews on a variety of academic topics.

I was trained as a comparative politics specialist, with particular interest in Western and Eastern Europe. I also dabble in international relations and political theory.