• Contact Info

Beard, Steven Matthew

Assistant Teaching Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • I use formal models and game theory, along with statistical and qualitative analysis, to help understand how wars begin and end. My dissertation showed that military factors create commitment problems that inhibit negotiations to end wars. I have several ongoing projects examining when commitment problems can cause war, the relationship between uncertainty and war, and whena nd why coercion succeeds and fails.

keywords

  • war, war trends, war termination, causes of war, bargaining model of war, military strategy, coercion, deterrence

Teaching

courses taught

  • IAFS 1000 - Global Issues and International Affairs
    Primary Instructor - Summer 2024
    Introduces the student to the international affairs program. The course examines political and economic development in several countries in many different world regions. Examines historical trends and development as well as current political and economic issues.
  • IAFS 3000 - Special Topics in International Affairs
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024 / Fall 2024
    Junior or senior level umbrella seminar spanning a variety of topics relevant to the study of international affairs. Subjects addressed under this heading vary according to student interest and faculty availability. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours.
  • IAFS 4500 - The Post-Cold War World
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024 / Fall 2024
    Capstone course for international affairs majors. Examines the ways in which the end of the Cold War, the collapse of failed states, and the rise of global terrorism changed the world. Studies how peoples, governments and nongovernmental organizations face new social, political, economic and security challenges in an era of globalization. Includes discussion, oral reports, critical book reviews, and research papers.
  • PACS 3800 - Security Studies
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2022
    Provides an introduction to the academic field of "Security Studies". Focuses on motives, institutions and processes associated with societal defense against threats posed to cherished possessions and the pursuit of stable, autonomous and prosperous existence. Reviews related theoretical traditions associated with militarism, war and conflict. Covers key concerns of (in-)security in post 9/11 global society, including surveillance, terrorism, genocide and insurgency. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
  • PSCI 2075 - Quantitative Research Methods
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2023 / Fall 2024
    Introduces quantitative research methods used in political science. Focuses on basic tools of analysis: data collection, processing, and evaluation, with special attention to survey techniques. Includes elite and case study analysis; aggregate, cluster, and content analysis; and the use of computers in political research.
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