Politics and International Relations

Photo of Rebecca Evans
Photo of Rebecca Evans

Rebecca Evans

Becky Evans got her BA from Purdue University with majors in German and Political Science. She spent a year in Cologne, Germany as a Fulbright fellow where she did research on the Greens, an environmental political party. She returned to Purdue where she completed her MA in Political Science and then went to Harvard University for her PhD. At Harvard, she turned to the study of Latin American politics, focusing on organized labor and the breakdown of democracy in Argentina and Chile. Her current research focuses on human rights policy and women and political leadership in Latin America. She is also working on two projects related to political science education: an article on feminism and zombies and a supplement for a leading IR textbook with active learning exercises and simulations for the classroom.

Department

Politics and International Relations

Degrees

  • B.A., M.A., Purdue University
  • Ph.D., Harvard University

Teaching

  • European Politics
  • Global Health
  • Human Rights
  • International Organizations (Model UN)
  • Latin American Politics
  • Sex, Power and Politics
  • U.S. Foreign Policy
  • War and Peace

Research Interests

  • Gender and Politics
  • Human Rights
  • Latin American Politics
  • Political Science Education
  • Politics, Literature and Film

Recent Work

The Ethics of Torture: Definitions, History and Institutions,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies (updated January 2020).

“The Ethics of Torture in the Context of the War on Terror,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies (December 2019).

“Women’s Rights and Shifting Norms: Changes in Reproductive Health Policy in Argentina and Chile.” Paper presented at annual meeting of the Northeastern Political Science Association Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada (November 2018).

“Explaining Uneven Progress on Women’s Rights in Latin America.” Paper presented at annual meeting of the Northeastern Political Science Association Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA (November 2017).

“Feminist Zombie Hunters: A Contradiction in Terms? Examining Attitudes toward Feminism through Zombie Popular Culture,” Paper presented at annual meeting of the Northeastern Political Science Association Annual Conference, Boston, MA (November 2016).

“Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, and Zombies are from… Feminist Theories of International Politics and Zombies” PS: Political Science and Politics Vol. 39, Issue 3 (July 2016)

“Donut Wars: Making the Bargaining Model of War Easier to Digest.” Paper presented at Annual Teaching and Learning Conference, American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, PA *February 2014).

“Latin America’s Pink Tide: Women and Presidential Leadership in Comparative Perspective.” Paper presented at annual meeting of the International Studies Association Northeast, Philadelphia, PA (November 2013).

“Remembering the Past and Struggling for Justice: The Contested Legacy of Authoritarian Rule in Chile.” Human Rights and Human Welfare, Vol. 11, Annual (2011).

“The Ethics of Torture.” The International Studies Encyclopedia. Ed. Robert A. Denemark. Blackwell Press, 2010.

“South American Southern Cone: National Security State, 1970s-1980s.” Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Vol. IV. Ed. David P. Forsythe. Oxford University Press, 2009.