Faculty Expertise
Throughout your time at Washington College, you will work with faculty in classes, lab and field work, internships, and more. Faculty serve as teachers and mentors, and as advisors for your Senior Capstone Experience (SCE). Explore the research interests of our faculty below.
Political Science Faculty

Christine Wade
Chair of Political Science
Professor of Political Science and International Studies
Louis L. Goldstein ’35 Chair of Public Affairs
Director of Latin American Studies Minor
Christine Wade
Chair of Political Science
Professor of Political Science and International Studies
Louis L. Goldstein ’35 Chair of Public Affairs
Director of Latin American Studies Minor
Areas of Expertise
International and comparative politics of Latin America
Research
I am a specialist in the international and comparative politics of Latin America, with a focus on Central America and the Caribbean. Much of my field research is conducted in El Salvador and Nicaragua, interviewing public officials, analysts and members of civil society. I have also served as an accredited election observer for various presidential, legislative and local elections in El Salvador.

Andrew Oros
Professor of Political Science and International Studies
Director International Studies Program
Director of Peace and Conflict Studies Minor
Andrew Oros
Professor of Political Science and International Studies
Director International Studies Program
Director of Peace and Conflict Studies Minor
Areas of Expertise
International and comparative politics of East Asia
Research
I am a specialist on the international and comparative politics of East Asia and the advanced industrial democracies, with an emphasis on contending approaches to managing security and on the linkage between domestic and international politics.

Joseph Prud'homme
The Burton Family Chair in Religion, Politics, and Culture
Associate Professor of Political Science
Affiliated Faculty in Religious Studies
Joseph Prud'homme
The Burton Family Chair in Religion, Politics, and Culture
Associate Professor of Political Science
Affiliated Faculty in Religious Studies
Areas of Expertise
Political philosophy, legal theory, intellectual history, religious studies
Research
I work in the areas of political philosophy, legal theory, intellectual history and religious studies.

Carrie Reiling
Associate Professor of Political Science & International Studies
Faculty Advisor to Model United Nations Program
Carrie Reiling
Associate Professor of Political Science & International Studies
Faculty Advisor to Model United Nations Program
Areas of Expertise
International political economy, gender, African politics, peace and conflict, global environmental politics, humanitarianism
Research
Politics and lived experiences are intertwined, so I encourage students to apply politics to their own experiences. I practice a feminist participatory pedagogy that pushes students to acknowledge their assumptions about themselves and about international politics to promote awareness of the richness and complexity of political issues, cultures, and groups. I aim to lead students to understand the actors and mechanisms in international politics and to develop knowledge and empathy as citizens in a globalized world. My classroom is open and inclusive, and I adapt my teaching techniques to students’ diverse learning styles and backgrounds while cultivating their interest about the world. Furthermore, I design my classes with students’ interests in mind to ground their knowledge in an understanding that politics is embedded in the world around them.

Flavio Hickel Jr.
Associate Professor of Political Science
Flavio Hickel Jr.
Associate Professor of Political Science
Areas of Expertise
American political institutions and development, identity politics, and public opinion.
Research
My research and teaching interests are in American political institutions and development, identity politics, and public opinion. My current research explores the exclusionary and polarizing potential of national identity politics with a substantive focus on the Latinx community and Immigration policy. Drawing upon Social Identity Theory, I seek to better understand the conditions under which individuals prioritize one social identity over the other and the impact of such decisions on political attitudes and behavior.