Craig Arceneaux (Department Chair)
Fields
- Latin American Politics
- Comparative Political Institutions
- Democratic Transitions
- Civil-Military Relations
Contact Information
- Office: Building 47, Room 11A
- Phone: 805-756-2842
- E-mail: carcenea@calpoly.edu
I have been Chair of the Department since Fall 2009. I joined the faculty in 2001 after completing my M.A. at The Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes!) and my Ph.D. and University of California, Riverside. My specialties rest in Latin American Politics, Democratization, and Civil-Military Relations. I have published three books, one on military regimes and democratic transitions in South America (Bounded Missions: Military Rule and Democratization in the Southern Cone and Brazil (Penn State Press, 2001)) and another on the impact of international influences on political change in Latin America (with David Pion-Berlin, Transforming Latin America (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005)). I have a forthcoming book through Pearson Publishing entitled Democratic Latin America that examines political institutions in the region. Other work I have done on various Latin American issues has been published in Comparative Political Studies, Bulletin of Latin American Studies, Latin American Politics and Society, Armed Forces and Society, and the Journal of Political and Military Sociology. I have also contributed chapters on Latin American Politics to edited books, such as The Other World (Longman, 2011), a volume first published some time ago by Cal Poly faculty here in the Department of Political Science.
Students at Cal Poly see me in classes such as Politics of Developing Areas, Peace and War, Comparative Political Regimes, and Introduction to International Relations. But some of the most gratifying educational experiences (for me and the students alike!) come outside of the classroom. I coordinate the Model United Nations program, and have brought students to MUN conferences in Long Beach, San Francisco, Ottawa, Boston, and New York. I have even taken students to international MUN conferences in China and Ecuador. I have participated in Cal Poly Study Abroad programs in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and Valladolid, Spain, and worked with Jim Keese in Social Sciences to develop a new Study Abroad program in Cusco, Peru. This program is part of a larger effort to develop a Latin American Studies Program. Jim and I have already developed a minor in Latin American Studies, some internship opportunities for students in Latin America, and have invited several speakers to campus to speak on Latin American issues. Programs such as these complement and extend the educational experience for students, and it has been my pleasure to participate in them.
Beyond the university, I make every effort to take advantage of the outdoor opportunities offered on the Central Coast. I hike, bike, kayak, run, fish and bird. I am also an avid Dodger fan, and never think twice about taking the 200 mile journey south for a bite to eat in Chinatown or a French dip sandwich at Philippe's before an afternoon game on the weekend. And I really enjoy listening to Blue Oyster Cult.
Click to download Craig Arceneaux's Curriculum Vitae