Professional Scope
I serve as Chair and Professor of Politics and Global Affairs in CUPA and Director of the Middle East Studies Center (MESC) in OGEI. In my role as director, I support the operations of MESC, which hosts academic lectures, provides scholarships for PSU students, and offers a Middle East Studies certificate. In my role as Chair of Department of Politics & Global Affairs, I am responsible for curricular issues in Political Science and International Studies and oversee the department’s operations. I teach courses in Middle East politics and serve as the advisor for the Middle East Studies certificate.
I joined Portland State University in 2009 after earning a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Political Science from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and serving as a doctoral fellow at Yale University and post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University. From 2018-2019 I served as a fellow in the Middle East Program and the Global Women's Leadership Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, DC, where I also served as a Public Policy Fellow in 2022. In 2016, I also served as Kuwait Visiting Professor at SciencesPo in Paris. I have conducted surveys in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Jordan and my research has appeared in Perspectives on Politics, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Governance, and Foreign Affairs, among other journals. To learn more about my research, see https://pdx.academia.edu/LindsayBenstead
How I Can Help
- I can speak with students about the Middle East Studies certificate or applying for related scholarships.
- I can answer questions about the Department of Politics and Global Affairs, which offers degrees in Political Science and International Affairs, and help students encountering a concern in their courses.
- I can speak with students about career readiness and internships related to political science and international development.
Global and Cultural Engagement
- I moved to Bangkok to teach English after earning a BA in Psychology in 1999. I spent approximately five years teaching or conducting field research in Morocco, Algeria, France, and Thailand. I have taught COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) courses and am deeply engaged in intercultural networks in my area.
- Languages Spoken: English (birth language); French (conversational)
- Global Experience: Lived and worked in Morocco, Algeria, France, and Thailand, as well as Washington, DC. Travelled to 60 countries.
Educational Background:
- Ph.D., University of Michigan
- M.A.E., University of Michigan
- B.A., Trinity Western University