Andrew P. Owsiak

I am a Professor of International Affairs and a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of International Affairs at the University of Georgia. At the moment, I also serve as the Undergraduate Program Coordinator for the department.

My research falls within the field of political science -- in particular, the subfield of international relations -- and focuses on the causes, management, and resolution of international conflict. Along the way, it touches upon topics that fall under the broad headings of territorial conflict, international border disputes, interstate rivalries (or protracted conflict), crisis diplomacy, the interstate-intrastate conflict nexus, democratization, human rights, international law, and various conflict management methods (e.g., negotiations, mediation, arbitration, adjudication, and peacekeeping). Over the years, numerous sponsors have supported my research, including the University of Georgia's Faculty Research Grant, the Minerva Research Initiative (Department of Defense), the United States Institute of Peace, and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, located at the University of Notre Dame. In 2017, I received the School of Public and International Affairs' (SPIA) Excellence in Research Award.

At the University of Georgia, I teach both undergraduate and graduate courses, including a First-Year Odyssey seminar for first-semester undergraduate students. These courses often employ simulations or similar activities (e.g., the Reacting to the Past pedagogy). I also advise and mentor students through a variety of programs on campus. For my work both inside and outside the classroom, I was named a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in 2020. Prior to that, I received the 2015 Richard B. Russell Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award, the 2018 School of Public and International Affairs' (SPIA) Excellence in Teaching Award, the 2017 First-Year Odyssey Teaching Award, the 2014 Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) Research Mentoring Award, and the 2015 SPIA Student Union Teacher of the Year Award---and was named a 2017-2018 Student Veterans' Resource Center Distinguished Faculty Fellow. In 2017, I was inducted by invitation into the university's Teaching Academy, and I co-facilitated the Academy's Fellows Program, a mentorship program for early-career faculty, from 2016-2022.

A more detailed explanation of my research---including the research questions in which I am interested, publications, working papers, and replication data---appears on my Research page. The Instruction page contains information on the courses I teach (including sample syllabi), my mentoring/advisory roles, teaching honors, and evidence of my teaching effectiveness. Student resources (for example, the list of materials I need to write a letter of recommendation) appear on the page For Students.

To contact me, please email me at aowsiak[at]uga[dot]edu.

Curriculum Vitae

Photo credit: Stephanie Schupska