Organization and Contributing Faculty

The International Relations program is governed by an executive committee, and has a dedicated team of faculty advisors (see below).

The home of the International Relations program is the Department of Political Science. As an interdisciplinary program, International Relations courses are taught by faculty from the following departments:

• Area Studies
  • African and African American Studies
  • Women and Gender Studies
  • East Asian Studies
  • Latin American Studies
  • Middle East Studies
  • Environmental Studies
• School of Communications
• Geography and Planning
• History
• Hospitality and Tourism Management
• Political Science
• Seidman College of Business 
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
• Sociology

Staff and Program Contact Information

Academic Office Coordinator
Ashley Savage
(616) 331-2320
[email protected]

[email protected]

Fax: (616) 331-3550

International Relations
1121 AuSable Hall
1 Campus Drive
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI 49401-9403

Polly Diven

Ph.D. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Director, International Relations Program
Department of Political Science
1107 AuSable Hall
(616) 331-3282
[email protected]
Fields: International Relations, U.S. Foreign Policy, American Politics

profile

Chad Lingwood

Ph.D. (University of Toronto)
Department of History
D-1-122 Mackinac Hall
(616) 331-8697
[email protected]
Fields: Middle East, Islamic Civilization, Iran, Persian Literature

profile

Heather Tafel

Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Department of Political Science
1125 AuSable Hall
(616) 331-1131
[email protected]
Fields: Democratization, Federalism, Russia and Eastern Europe
profile

Jim Penn

Ph.D. (University of Florida)
Department of Geography
B-4-205 Mackinac Hall
(616) 331-8522
pennji@gvsu.edu
Fields: Amazonia, Latin America, Non-timber Forest Products, Ethnobotany, Natural Resource Use and Indigenous Communities, Agriculture and Farmers, Rural-to-urban Migration, Globalization and Development, Railroads and Freight Transportation.
profile

Gerry Simons

Ph.D. (University of Kansas)
Department of Economics
3044 L. William Seidman Center
(616) 331-7419
pennji@gvsu.edu
Fields: International Economics, Emerging Markets

profile

Polly Diven

Ph.D. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Director, International Relations Program
1107 AuSable Hall
(616) 331-3282
[email protected]
profile
Fields: International Relations, U.S. Foreign Policy, American Politics

Heather Tafel

Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
1125 AuSable Hall
(616) 331-1131
[email protected]
profile
Fields: Democratization, Federalism, Russia and Eastern Europe

Thomas Walker

Ph.D. (Rutgers University)
1105 Au Sable Hall
(616) 331-8713
[email protected]
profile
Fields: International Relations, History of International Political Thought, Causes of War