Rate My Professor Elizabeth Matthews

Elizabeth Matthews serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM), where she also contributes to the Global Studies program. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (2002), with a dissertation examining dispositional versus situational factors in U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union. Matthews earned her M.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1997, a B.A. in Political Science and History from UCLA in 1994 (Summa Cum Laude), and an A.A. in History from El Camino College in 1992. Before joining CSUSM, she was an Assistant Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology (2003-2007) and a Visiting Lecturer in the International Relations/Pacific Studies Program at the University of California, San Diego (2007-2009).

At CSUSM, Matthews teaches courses such as PSCI 350 Global Governance, PSCI 450 Theories of International Relations, PSCI 366 Arab-Israeli Peace Process, PSCI 356 Russia and the World, PSCI 365 International Organization and Law, PSCI 461 International Conflict, War, and Peace, PSCI 465 Genocide and Crimes against Humanity, PSCI 100 U.S. Government and Politics, GBST 300 Perspectives in Globalization, and GBST 400 Global Studies Capstone. Her scholarly work focuses on international relations theory, U.S. foreign policy, human rights, and Middle East politics, evidenced by her extensive publications and conference presentations.

Key publications include co-authoring International Relations Theory: A Primer (Oxford University Press, 2016) with Rhonda L. Callaway; editing The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Parallel Discourses (Routledge, 2011); co-authoring Strategic U.S. Assistance: The Battle Between Human Rights and National Security (Ashgate, 2008); contributing to multiple editions of World Politics in a New Era (Oxford University Press, 2009-2013); and editing The Dynamics of Middle East Nuclear Proliferation (Mellen Press, 2001). She has published in International Studies Perspectives (2015) and presented papers at the American Political Science Association, International Studies Association, and Southwestern Political Science Association on topics like U.S. foreign aid and international negotiations. Matthews secured a $50,000 Leichtag Foundation Grant for Global Studies (2014-2016) and served as Interim Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences. She advises the Political Science Global Studies Club.