Peru RPCV David Scott Palmer is Professor of Political Science at Boston University
David Scott Palmer
B.A., Dartmouth College; M.A., Stanford University; Ph.D., Cornell University
Areas of Specialization: Comparative Politics, International Relations, Latin American Studies
Dr. Palmer is a of Professor Political Science and also holds an appointment as Professor of International Relations at Boston University. He received his B.A. in International Relations from Dartmouth, his M.A. in Hispanic American and Luzo-Brazilian Studies from Stanford, and his Ph.D. in Comparative Government from Cornell.
Among Professor Palmer's publications are books -- on Peruvian politics, the Latin American military, and the Shining Path guerilla movement, and scholarly articles on contemporary U.S.-Latin American relations, democratization, local politics and civil society, insurgencies and interstate conflict in Latin America. He travels widely through Latin America lecturing, doing research and project evaluations, and is frequently consulted on policy issues affecting Latin America by various United States government executive and legislative agencies and by the media. His most recent research focuses on the issue of democratic peace and the causes of Peru-Ecuador border dispute (with David Mares), on ethnic cleavages and conflict in Latin America, on the impact of MERCOSUR on political institutions in Argentina, and on "informal politics" in Peru.
At Boston University, Profesor Palmer teaches undergraduate courses and graduate seminars on Latin American politics and U.S.-Latin American relations. Prior to coming to Boston University, he served at the Foreign Service Institute of the US State Department as Chair for Latin American and Caribbean Studies as well as Associate Dean of the School of Area Studies. Professor Palmer returned from a Fulbright Senior researcher/Lecturer award to Peru to take up the Chairmanship of the Department of Political Science. He is also the founding Director of the Latin American Studies Program.
Professor Palmer regularly teaches the following courses:
* Introduction to Political Science (PO 101). Registered Students can access CourseInfo here.
* Introduction to Comparative Politics (PO 251).
* Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations (PO 367).
* Latin American Politics (PO 567)
* United States-Latin American Relations (PO 568).
* Interpretation of Latin American Comparative Politics(PO 767)
* Latin American Policies of the United States (PO 787)
