Petros Vamvakas

I like to think of myself primarily as a teacher, because "he who teaches learns and he who learns teaches." I teach all of the comparative politics courses as well as courses in political theory and the introductory courses in international relations. I am also the advisor to the Emmanuel College Model United Nations club.

Teaching Experience

I teach courses in Comparative Politics, International Relations and Political Theory in the Department of Political Science. I have developed a number of courses in the subfields of International Relations, Comparative Politics and Political Theory, among them Street Democracy, European Politics, International Law and Organizations, and a Travel Course: In the Steps of Thucydides. I have also taught in the RISE program at Emmanuel every summer term since 2007. I have served as the Co-Coordinator of the Global Studies and International Affairs program since 2009 and as Academic Advisor to the Emmanuel College Model United Nations Club since 2004. I sit on a number of faculty committees, to include Academic Affairs, Curriculum, Scholarship & Fellowship and more recently have been elected by my peers to be President of the Faculty Senate, a committee on which I have served since 2007 as a member. In the summer of 2010 I applied for and was accepted to be Coordinator of the new ecEdge program, aimed at increasing retention and academic success for first generation college students.

Advising + Mentoring

• 2004 to Present - Academic Advisor, EC Model United Nations Club: Since 2004, I have collaborated with students to build the ECMUN Club from a start-up club to a very active and competitive team. ECMUN has competed annually in the Harvard Model UN (Boston), University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), and Midwest (Chicago), representing Emmanuel with distinction. The team and individual members have won awards for individual as well as team.
• Undergraduate Research Assistants: Since 2005, I have supervised and/or collaborated with a number of Undergraduate Research Assistants which have been instrumental in my work and have gone on to present their work. In the past five years six undergraduates student researchers have presented their work at professional conferences at: New England Political Science Association; Midwest Political Science Association; and Northeastern Political Science Association.
• Directed Studies: During the last six years I have supervised independent studies for seven students.
• Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellowship: As Emmanuel College coordinator of the Carnegie Endowment Jr. Fellowship on campus and as a member of the Fellowship and Scholarship Committee, I have advised and assisted five students during the last three years submit their respective applications as the Emmanuel College-sponsored applicants for the national award.
• Spring 2006 - Academic Advisor, Emmanuel College Republican Club: Agreed to serve as interim Academic Advisor to the EC Republican Club while they sought a permanent advisor.