Dara Kay Cohen

Areas of Expertise

International security; civil conflict; the logic of wartime violence; gender and international relations; wartime sexual violence

Biography

Dara Kay Cohen is an assistant professor of political science in the global policy area at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Her current book project examines the variation in the use of sexual violence during recent civil conflicts; the research for the book includes eight months of fieldwork in Sierra Leone, East Timor and El Salvador, where she interviewed more than 200 ex-combatants and noncombatants. 

Other research interests include the participation of female combatants in armed groups, the politics of homeland security, and the response of government agencies to international crises. Her research has appeared in the Stanford Law Review and International Security.

Dara graduated with an A.B. in political science and philosophy with honors from Brown University in 2001, and served as a paralegal in the Outstanding Scholars Program in the Counterterrorism Section of the U.S. Department of Justice from 2001-2003. She received her Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University in June 2010.

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Personal website

Courses Taught

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For syllabi for the current or upcoming semester, please visit the University of Minnesota's Course Guide and look for the syllabus icon. If the syllabus is not there, contact the instructor directly. Syllabi are available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact Jeremy Gordon at gord0215@umn.edu or 612-624-7095 for assistance.

Fall 2011

• PA 8991: Independent Study

 

Spring 2012

• PA 5041: Qualitative Methods for Policy Analysis
• PA 5822: International Security
• PA 8991: Independent Study