Joel H. Westra
- Dr. Joel H. Westra
- Department Chair
Associate Professor
Director, Pre-Law Program - Politics
- Hiemenga Hall 365 (Map)
- (616) 526-6727
- joel.westra@calvin.edu
- Curriculum Vitae
Education
- B.A., Political Science, University of Houston
- M.A., Social Sciences, The University of Chicago
- Ph.D. Political Science, The University of Chicago
Professional Experience
- Associate Professor of Politics, Calvin University (2012–present)
- Assistant Professor of Politics, Calvin University (2007–12)
- Post-Doctoral Fellow, John G. Tower Center for Political Studies, Southern Methodist University (2005–07)
- Visiting Lecturer, Committee on International Relations, The University of Chicago (2004– 05)
Biography
I grew up in various rural communities within the central United States as the son of a church pastor. Wanting to experience something bigger, I attended the University of Houston, where I received my B.A. in political science in 2008. After briefly considering law school, I went on to study international relations at The University of Chicago and received my Ph.D. in 2004. I joined the Calvin University faculty in 2007 and have served as Pre-Law Advisor since 2008.
Outside of academia, I enjoy traveling, cooking, and dining out with my family, playing the piano, working out, and renovating our historic American foursquare home in Eastown.
Academic interests
My teaching and research interests include international organizations and law, international security, international relations theory, and US foreign policy. My research focuses on multilateral and regional security institutions as instruments of international order, specifically on questions pertaining to institutional design and to mechanisms of legitimation and restraint on the use of armed force within the international system.
Office hours
| by appointment |
Additional open hours and appointments can be arranged, on request.
Research and scholarship
Publications
-
The Role of Bargaining in the Ongoing Process of Institutional Design in International Politics Reviews
by Joel Westra
Published: December 1, 2017
-
International Law and Foreign Policy Decision-Making in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Foreign Policy Analysis
by Joel Westra
Published: May 31, 2017
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Review of Stefano Recchia, "Reassuring the Reluctant Warriors: U.S. Civil-Military Relations and Multilateral Intervention." in H-Diplo | ISSF Roundtable, Volume IX, No. 8 (2016)
by Joel Westra
Contributor(s): Andrew Bennet, Georgetown University, Risa Brooks, Marquette University, Michael Beckley, Tuffs University,
Published: December 16, 2016
-
International Law and the Use of Armed Force First Edition: The UN Charter and the Major Powers (Contemporary Security Studies)
by Joel Westra
Published: June 3, 2007
ISBN: 978-0415495158
-
Cumulative Legitimation, Prudential Restraint, and the Maintenance of International Order: A Reexamination of the UN Charter System in International Studies Quarterly 54, no. 2 (2010): 513–533
by Joel Westra
Published: June 7, 2010
Awards
- Calvin University Advising and Mentoring Award (2019)
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