Spencer Bakich
Assistant Professor of International Affairs

{P} 434.381.6552
{E} sbakich@sbc.edu
{W} http://www.faculty.sbc.edu/sbakich

Spencer Bakich specializes in international relations theory, international security studies and American foreign policy. His particular interests center on the relationship between political and military objectives in limited warfare.

Bakich is currently preparing a book-length manuscript that examines how information flows within national security bureaucracies influenced strategic outcomes in four American wars: Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf and Iraq. He is the co-author of "Storming to Partition: Croatia, the United States, and Krajina in the Yugoslav War" (Small Wars & Insurgencies, 2009).

At Sweet Briar, Bakich teaches courses on American foreign policy, military force in international relations, decision-making and conflict resolution.

Bakich earned a Ph.D. in politics and an M.A. in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. from James Madison University.

Steve Bragaw
Associate Director of the Center for Civic Renewal
Professor of Government

{P} 434.381.6460
{E} bragaw@sbc.edu
{W} http://bragaw.blog.sbc.edu

Padmini Coopamah
Assistant Professor of International Affairs

{P} 434.381.6728
{E} pcoopamah@sbc.edu

Padmini Coopamah is originally from the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in French from the University of Mauritius (1999) and a Master of Arts (2005) and doctorate (2009) in political science from the University of Arizona.

Her research and teaching interests lie in international development and the political economy of developing areas, especially sub-Saharan Africa.

Coopamah's dissertation research examined African states' responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, focusing on the role of democratic institutions and identifying several pathways to aggressive action.

Her current research on public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Africa seeks to understand under what circumstances these ventures are most likely to succeed and how their outcomes differ from previous development paradigms.

Coopamah joined the Department of Government and International Affairs at Sweet Briar in 2008. In addition to general comparative politics courses, she teaches seminars focusing on African politics as well as courses with a worldwide focus, such as Identity Politics in Cross-national Perspective.

Larry Janow
Adjunct Instructor of Government

{P} 434.381.6703
{E} ljanow@sbc.edu

Barbara Perry
Director of the Center for Civic Renewal
Carter Glass Professor of Government

{P} 434.381.6177
{E} perry@sbc.edu
{W} http://www.baperry.com

Barbara A. Perry, the Carter Glass Professor of Government and founding director of the College's Center for Civic Renewal, came to Sweet Briar in 1989.

In 1994-1995, she served as a judicial fellow at the U.S. Supreme Court, where she received the Tom C. Clark Award as the outstanding fellow. In 2006-2007, Perry was senior fellow for civics education at the University of Louisville's McConnell Center and is a non-resident fellow there.

At Sweet Briar, Perry teaches Introduction to American Government; Media and Politics; Women, Law and Politics; The Supreme Court; Civil Rights and Liberties; The American President; and Senior Seminar in Government.

She has written the following eight books:

• "'The Supremes': An Introduction to the U.S. Supreme Court Justices," second edition (Peter Lang, 2009)
• "The Michigan Affirmative Action Cases" (University Press of Kansas, 2007)
• "Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier" (University Press of Kansas, 2004)
• "Freedom and the Court: Civil Rights and Liberties in the United States," with Henry J. Abraham, eighth edition (University Press of Kansas, 2003)
• "The Priestly Tribe: The Supreme Court's Image in the American Mind" (Praeger, 1999); winner of a 2001 Choice Award
• "Civil Rights and Liberties Under the Constitution," with M. Glenn Abernathy, sixth edition (University of South Carolina Press, 1993)
• "A 'Representative' Supreme Court? The Impact of Race, Religion, and Gender on Appointments" (Greenwood Press, 1991)
• "Unfounded Fears: Myths and Realities of a Constitutional Convention," with Paul J. Weber (Greenwood Press, 1989)

Perry's forthcoming books are "Catholics and the Supreme Court" (Georgetown University Press) and "Rose: Mother of the Kennedy Image" (Norton).

The author of more than 30 articles, Perry has lectured throughout the United States and is a frequent media commentator on public affairs. She is a regular guest on Wisconsin Public Radio's program, "At Issue."

She earned a doctorate in government from the University of Virginia; a Master of Arts in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford University; and a Bachelor of Arts in political science, with highest honors, from the University of Louisville. She is a fan of classic films, college basketball, and the Kentucky Derby.