Dept of Political Science and International Relations Email: meganbec@usc.edu
3518 Trousdale Parkway Website: http://dornsife.usc.edu/megan-becker/
CPA 330 Lab Website: http://uscspec.org
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0043 Twitter: @BeckerLabUSC
Academic Appointments
2019- Assistant (Teaching) Professor of International Relations, Unviversity of Southern California
2016-18 Lecturer, School of International Relations, University of Southern California
2014-15 Visiting Lecturer, Department of Government, Dartmouth College
2013 Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Tufts University
2012-14 Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of California, San Diego
Affiliations
2020-22 Principal Investigator, NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, “Data Science and the Political Economy of International Security,” USC
2019-20 Faculty Fellow, Project on Teaching Integrity in Empirical Research (ProjectTIER)
2018- Catalyst, Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences
2017-19 Consultant, (Human) In the Loop Lab, University of California, San Diego
2016-19 Director, SIR Undergraduate Research Program, USC
2016- Principal Investigator, the Security and Political Economy (SPEC) Lab, USC
Education
2015 PhD, Political Science, University of California, San Diego
2008 MA, Political Science, University of California, San Diego”
2006 BA, International Politics and Media Studies, Pennsylvania State University
Teaching Experience
Courses Taught at USC
Introduction to International Relations, International Relations: Approaches to Research, Historical Approaches to IR, Civil Wars, Africa in World Affairs, Introduction to International Security, International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Theories of War, Supervised Undergraduate Research Experience
Advising
Undergraduate Researchers Advised through USC Dornsife SOAR/SURF Program
2020-21: Jillian Glickman, Joseph Jocas, Sarah Orsborn, Hailey Robertson
2019-20: Srividya Dasaraju, Isabelle Nazha, Phuong Nguyen, Sarah Orsborn, Hailey Robertson
2018-2019: J. Benjamin Wu, Douglas Luo, Edith Conn, Isabelle Nazha, Srividya Dasaraju, Emily Wulf
2017-2018: Faizus Amin, Shawn Anderson, Taylor Dufour, J. Benjamin Wu, Emily Heuring
2016-2017: Lauren Cholakian, Naveen Dasari, Molly He, Rohit Madan, Jacob Tucker
Undergraduate Honors Theses Advised:
2021-22: Robert Scalia
2019-20: Srividya Dasaraju, Sarah Orsborn
2018-2019: Edith Conn, J. Benjamin Wu
2017- 2018: Sydney Grace Bandeen
Teaching Awards
2017 Craig L. Brians Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Mentoring from the American Political Science Association
2021 CQ Press Award for Teaching Innovation from the American Political Science Association
Refereed Publications
2021, “The Stewardship Model: An Inclusive Approach to Undergraduate Research” (with Ben Graham and Kelebogile Zvobgo [PhD Student]) in PS: PoliticalScience and Politics https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096520001043
2020, “Qualitative Replication as a Pedagogical Approach to Teaching Research Methods” in PS:
Political Science and Politics
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096520000864
2020, “Importing the Research Lab Model to the Social Sciences: Prospects for Improving Mentoring of Undergraduate Researchers” in Journal of Political Science Education
https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2018.1505523
2020, “Smoothing the Pipeline: A Strategy to Match Graduate Training with the Professional Demands
of Professorship” (with Kelebogile Zvobgo [PhD Student]) in Journal of Political Science Education
https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2019.1577141
Non-Refereed Publications
Forthcoming, “Course-based Undergraduate Resarch Book Review” in Journal of Political Science Education
2021, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” in Politial Science Today 1(1): 18.
2020, “A Semester Interrupted” in H-Diplo/ISSF Roundtable: On Teaching International Relations Amid COVID-19, https://issforum.org/roundtables/PDF/Roundtable-XXI-57.pdf
2020, “Redesigning the Undergraduate Political Science Major” in PS: Political Science and Politics (with Jeremy Bowling, Elsa Dias, Donald Gooch, and John Ishiyama)
2020, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” in PS: Political Science and Politics
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096519001859
2019, “Simulations and Games” in PS: Political Science and Politics (with Lucy Goodhart) https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096518001920
2018, “Disciplinary Curriculum and Assessment” in PS: Political Science and Politics (with Bobbi Gentry, Chad Kinsella, Erin Rowland, Kelebogile Zvobgo [PhD Student]) https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096518000719
2008, “Power-sharing and Peacebuilding in Burundi” (with Åschild Falch) CSCW Paper. Oslo: PRIO
Under Review
“Research for All: Incorporating Research Experiences Across the Political Science Curriculum”
Revise and Resubmit at PS: Political Science and Politics
“Replicating the Resource Curse: A Qualitative Replication of Ross 2004” with Jonathan Markowitz, Sarah Orsborn (UG Student), Isabelle Nazha (UG Alum), Srividya Dasaraju (UG Alum), Lindsay Lauder (UG Alum)
Recipient of the Kendra Koivu Award for Best Paper in Qualitative Methods Presented at APSA 2019 Revise and Resubmit at International Studies Quarterly
“Transparency, Reproducibility, and Replication in International Relations Research”
Under consideration for inclusion in the Handbook of Research Methods in International Relations
“Codebook Critique: Teaching Measurement and Operationalization with Publicly Accessible Data” Under Review at Journal of Political Science Education
Working Papers
“Data Collection as Pedagogical Practice”
Presented at APSA 2020
“Civil-Military Relations and the US Military’s Use of Social Media”
Presented at Annotation for Transparent Inquiry Workshop 2018 and ISA 2019
“Military Privatization and Coup-proofing in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990-2010”
Presented at ISA 2018
In Preparation
“Fueling Conflict: Natural Resources and the Duration of Civil War” with Sarah Orsborn (UG alum) “Case Selection and Medium-N Qualitative Research Design: Lessons from a Universe of Cases” “Start It Up: How the Exploitation of Natural Resource Wealth Leads to Civil Conflict”
with Sarah Orsborn (UG alum)
“Show Your Work: Teaching Research Transparency in an Undergraduate Methods Course”
“School is Out, Research is In: Creating Meaningful Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates” with Alix Ziff (PhD Student)
Grants
2020-22, NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, “Data Science and the Study of the Political Economy of International Security and Development” with co-PI Ben Graham: $312,967
2020-21 Dornsife Dean of Undergraduate Studies Undergraduate Research Funds (with Ben Graham): 2020: $18,000, 2021: $15,000
2020, USC Center for International Studies Undergraduate Research Grant: $3,000
2019-20, USC Ahmanson Lab Collaboratory Grant, “Climate Change, Natural Resources, and Pathways to Conflict”: $10,000
2019-20, Faculty Fellowship, Project on Teaching Integrity in Empirical Research (ProjectTIER): $7,500 2019, USC Center for International Studies Undergraduate Research Grant: $3,000
2019, International Studies Association Travel Grant: $500
2019, Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research Training Grant: $500 2018, USC Center for Excellence in Research Workshop Grant: $1,500
2018, Research Transparency and Reproducibility Training Grant, Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences: $1,500
2017-20, USC Undergraduate Research Asssociates Program, “Sustaining the Security and Political Economy Lab” with co-PIs Ben Graham and Jonathan Markowitz, 2017: $7,000; 2018: $10,000; 2019: $8,000; 2020: $6,000
2017-18, USC Zumberge Diversity and Inclusion Grant, “Fixing the Pipeline Problem: The Impact of Undergraduate Research Experience on First-Generation and Students of Color” with co-PIs Ben Graham and Ange-Marie Hancock-Alfaro: $30,000
Teaching Workshops Facilitated
2021, “Working Effectively with Undergraduate Researchers,” APSA Annual Meeting
2021, “Managing Research Teams,” Women in Conflict Studies Professional Development Series 2020, “Promoting Transparency, Reproducibility and Replication in Undergraduate Research” with
Richard Ball, National Meeting of the Council on Undergraduate Research
2020, “Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers,” Gettysburg College Department of Political Science
2019, “Teaching Experimental Methods to Undergraduates” with Cheryl Boudreau, James Druckman, Daniel Nielson, and Jaime Settle, APSA Annual Meeting
2019, “Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers,” WPSA Annual Meeting
2019, “Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers,” Vanderbilt University Department of Political Science 2018, “Building Research Labs in the Social Sciences” with Ben Graham,
USC Center for Excellence in Research
2018, “Starting an Undergraduate Research Laboratory Outside of the Laboratory Sciences,” National Meeting of the Council on Undergraduate Research
2018, “Bringing International Policy Issues into the Classroom,” Council on Foreign Relations’ University Educators’ Workshop
2018, “From Data Consumers to Producers: Crowdsourcing as a Tool for Research In and Out of the Classroom,” APSA Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC)
2018, “The Stewardship Model: An Inclusive Approach to Undergraduate Research” with Ben Graham, USC Dornsife Diversity and Inclusion Week
2017, “Pedagogy Workshop for PhD Students” with Maureen Feeley, APSA Annual Meeting
Other Invited Presentations and Roundtables
2021, “Creating a Curriculum Centered on Reproducible Research,” moderator, Project on Teaching Integrity in Empirical Research Spring Symposium
2020, “Replicating the Resource Curse,” invited talk, University of Georgia Center for International Trade and Security
2020, “Mentorship during the Era of Covid-19,” invited roundtable participant, ISA-Midwest
2020, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Political Science Education,” moderator, TLC at APSA Annual Meeting
2018, “Qualitative Replication,” invited talk, Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences Annual Meeting
Professional Development
2019, Entering Research Facilitators’ Workshop, University of Wisconsin
2018, Research Transparency and Reproducibility Training, Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences
2017, Council on Undergraduate Research Dialogues Grant Writing Workshop 2016, Council on Undergraduate Research Pre-ISSOTL Workshop
2016 and 2018, Council on Foreign Relations’ University Educators Workshop
School of International Relations Service
2018-19, School of International Relations Advisory Committee 2017-19, Director of Undergraduate Research Program
University Service
2019- present, Fulbright Mentor
2019, Diversity, Inclusion, and Access Jumpstart Program Mentor 2017-present, Campus Boren Scholarship Committee
2016-present, Campus Fulbright Committee 2016-present, Trustee Scholarship Committee
Disciplinary Service
2022, Selection Committee for the Kendra Koivu Award, Qualitative and Multi-Method Research Section, APSA
2021-2022, President, Active Learning in International Affairs Section, ISA
2021, Selection Committee for the Craig L. Brians Award, Political Science Education Section, APSA
2020-21, Vice President, Active Learning in International Affairs Section, ISA 2020, Program Committee for the Teaching and Learning Mini-Conference, APSA 2019-22, Executive Committee, Political Science Education Section, APSA
2019-21, Program Chair, Active Learning in International Affairs Section, ISA
2019-21, Taskforce for Re-designing the Undergraduate Political Science Major, APSA
Outreach
2017, Moderator, Pacific Council on International Policy Panel on US Military Engagement in Africa 2017, Faculty Director for the SIR International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise
2016, Faculty Lecturer for the SIR International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise
Professional Memberships
American Political Science Association International Studies Association Peace Science Society
Council on Undergraduate Research