Name: Chris Van Aller
Title: Professor Emeritus of Political Science
Education: Ph.D., International Relations, University of Virginia
M.A., International Relations, University of Virginia
B.A., English and History, Hamilton College
Office: 342 Bancroft Hall
Phone: 803/323-4667
E-mail: vanallerc@winthrop.edu
Web: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/vanallerc
Area(s): Civil Military Relations, Environmental Security, U.S. Foreign Policy, Literature
and Politics
Dr. Chris Van Aller taught at the college level for more than 30 years after receiving degrees from Hamilton College and the University of Virginia. He began his career at Winthrop University in the Department of Political Science in 1990. Dr. Van Aller is perhaps most well-known for serving as the Director of the Winthrop University Model United Nations (WUMUN) Program for a quarter century. Dr. Van Aller won the prestigious Kinard Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2019. He is an exceptional teacher whose dedication to student learning and development both inside and outside the classroom is matched by his reputation both on and off campus. He taught a wide variety of courses in the Department of Political Science, including International Relations, Environmental Politics, and Collegiate Model United Nations, taking Winthrop students on yearly delegations to regional MUN competitions in the Southeast. He also has served as a national coordinator for several American Political Science Association Conferences on pedagogy in the discipline. He has published a monograph called The Culture of Defense as well as articles on "European Security," "Missile Defense," "Alexis de Tocqueville on the Military," "Jefferson on American Defense Policy," and "Contrasting European Policies on the Iraq War." He also has written on the Holocaust in the Netherlands and the development of the Mosquito Bomber.” Dr. Chris Van Aller became a Winthrop University Emeritus Professor of Political Science in 2021.