Joel E. Oestreich
| Position: | Associate Professor & Director of IAS |  |
| Field: | International relations | |
| Office: | 2024 MacAlister | |
| Phone: | (215) 895-6794 | |
| Email: | jeo25@drexel.edu | |
| Office Hours: | click here for current office hours |
Personal Statement
I am an associate professor of Political Science at Drexel University specializing in international relations. My primary areas of research include international organizations, international finance, development, and human rights. Most recently, I published a book with Georgetown University Press on human rights programming in international organizations. I have also published on the rights of indigenous peoples; the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child; and on the goals and impact of anti-globalization movements. Classes that I've taught include courses on international relations theory and practice, United States foreign policy, and ethical issues in international affairs.
My current research continues my interest in international organizations (IOs). I have put together a workshop and roundtable discussion at the International Studies Association annual conference dealing with the concept of IOs as independent, effective agents in international affairs, and will soon produce an edited volume on that topic. In a separate project, I am writing on the concept of “neutrality” as it is used by the United Nations, looking specifically at what it means to be “neutral” in the pursuit of human rights norms. I am also in the early stages of co-writing a book on anti-globalization movements.
Since September of 2007, I am also the Director of the International Area Studies program at Drexel University.
When not teaching, reading, or writing, I enjoy rowing on the Schuylkill River and am a member of the Vesper Boat Club.
Education
- B.A., magna cum laude, History and Government, Cornell University, 1987
- M.Phil., International Relations, Oxford University, 1990
- Ph.D., Political Science, Brown University, 2001.
Recent Publications
- "UNICEF: A Human Rights Agency?" Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Oxford University Press, forthcoming.
- Power and Principle: Human Rights Programming in International Organizations, Georgetown University Press, 2007.
- "The Impact of War On Children: What Do We Know? What Can We Know?" in War and Children: Impact, University of Alberta Press, forthcoming.
- "The Human Rights Responsibilities of the World Bank: a Business Paradigm," Global Social Policy 4 (1) April 2004.
- "What Can Businesses Do To Meet The Demands of Anti-Globalization Protestors?" Business and Society Review 107 (Summer 2002).
Courses Usually Taught
- PSCI 150 -- International Politics
- PSCI 255 -- International Political Economy
- PSCI 250 -- American Foreign Policy
- PSCI 557 -- Globalization & Transition
- PSCI 571 -- Science & Technology Policy
