Benjamin Peterson

Visiting Assistant Professor

History and Political Science

PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2016

MA, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2008

BA, Willamette University, 2004

AA, Yakima Valley Community College, 2000

I am happy to be at Alma! I deeply value the commitment of both my students and my colleagues to making this place special. 

2018

I am an expert in the labor politics of the United States, urban political theory and practice, and the intersection of communications, history, and politics. I also work with computer-aided text analysis of historical documents and newspapers.

With an academic background in history and a professional background in political advocacy and management, I combine both theoretical and practical approaches to a variety of topics. 

As the internship coordinator for political science and history, I also work to find students internships in a wide-variety of fields from law to museum studies to public administration.

I also have a passion for–but little expertise in–bicycle repair, painting, 3D printing, home automation, and photography.

Political Science 280 (Politics in the Age of Facebook), History 180 (Public History), History 280 (Corruption in America), History 299 (Quantitative History)