daviddessler

A Pioneering Correlational Study of War and Its Critique

For more than 30 years, David Dessler, PhD, taught in the Department of Government at The College of William & Mary. The recipient of a Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award from the school while still an assistant professor, he soon achieved tenure and was elected faculty president by his colleagues. Dr. David Dessler’s expertise in international relations enabled him to build a strong archive of scholarly publications, including the groundbreaking article Beyond Correlations: Toward a Causal Theory of War, published in a 1991 issue of International Studies Quarterly.

Dr. Dessler used a classic — and still ongoing — body of research as the jumping-off point for his survey of the academic study of war. He began by noting the real contributions that have come out of the Correlates of War (COW) project, which first developed under political scientist J. David Singer at the University of Michigan and continues at The Pennsylvania State University (PSU). This distinguished project works to amass in one place the full range of systemic, scientific studies of war. The COW project anchors its work in accepted principles of meticulous documentation, data reliability, and replication.

The COW project continues to focus on systematizing the previous less-structured assemblage of its original materials and supporting its robust collection of cross-border datasets, even as it develops partnerships with scholars across the globe. The project and its holdings moved under PSU’s direction in 2001.

Dr. Dessler’s article noted the dogged, forward-looking work of the COW project with gratitude, citing it as among the most ambitious projects of its time in the arena of social science research. His article then proceeded to place it at the opening of a critique demonstrating how modern researchers’ correlational study of war had as yet failed to become a consolidated, easily accessible system and missed opportunities to achieve its potential for explaining the true underlying causes of war within a rigorous framework like that of the natural sciences.

College of William and Mary’s Summer Study in St. Petersburg Program

David Dessler holds a bachelor’s in physics and history from the University of Oklahoma and a PhD in government from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. An award-winning professor, David Dessler taught in the Department of Government at the College of William & Mary (W&M) from 1984 to 2017. He recently visited St. Petersburg, Russia, to check out Herzen State Pedagogical University, where W&M students can participate in a six-week summer study abroad program.

One of Russia’s most prestigious universities, Herzen State Pedagogical University is based in the heart of St. Petersburg’s historic core. It was founded in 1797 by Emperor Paul I and named after Russian author and political thinker Alexander Herzen in 1920.

While the W&M six-week program at the university is heavily focused on the Russian language, it also features a course on St. Petersburg literature and culture taught by a W&M professor. In addition, students are required to complete a multimedia research project. They stay with Russian billet families, and aside from their studies, get to spend seven days in Moscow. Those who need financial assistance for the program can apply for a study abroad scholarship through the W&M Global Education Office. More than $300,000 in scholarship funding is awarded to students each year for this and similar programs.

Understanding Russian History and Culture through Engrossing Books

The recipient of a Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award, David Dessler built a 30+ year career at the College of William & Mary, where he served as a leading professor in government studies. David Dessler is also an avid traveler who has visited Russia for personal and professional purposes.

Several popular and well-written books discuss Russian history and culture. One of these books is Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural History of Russia. This 1993 book by Orlando Figes begins in the early 1700s with Peter the Great’s establishment of St. Petersburg and continues through the Soviet period. Figes focuses on the many creative individuals who put their multifaceted ideas about Russia and Russianness into their art.

The 2017 book Bears in the Streets: Three Journeys Across a Changing Russia, is non-academic author Lisa Dickey’s lively travelogue about her three trips across Russia, made 10 years apart from 1995 to 2015. The format allowed her to get to know and photograph everyday people from all backgrounds and to explore the nuances of their lives set against the upheavals of their time.

Cambridge University Press’s A Concise History of Russia, written by Paul Bushkovitch and published in 2012, is well-suited to both students and general readers. The book provides a sweeping overview of the country and its culture from early medieval times to the present, concentrating in part on how the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 opened up new sources and avenues of scholarly understanding.

Published: St. Petersburg’s Historic, UNESCO-Recognized Palace Square

“St. Petersburg’s Historic, UNESCO-Recognized Palace Square” on @Medium https://ift.tt/3nx1q53