Sedef Topal

• Ph. D. Washington State University
• M.A., University of Szeged, Hungary 
• B.A., Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey

I specialize in International Relations and Comparative Politics. My research centers on civil conflict processes, rebel group behavior, and Middle East and African politics. Here are some courses I teach: POL 105 Introduction to International Relations, POL 240 Political Psychology, POL 241 Civil War and Conflict Resolution, POL 256 Middle Eastern Politics, POL 258 African Politics, 259 Islam, Secularism, and Nationalism in the Middle East, POL 260 Iron Fist, Velvet Glove: The Psychology of Authoritarianism, POL 261 Drama, Deals & Deception: A History of Diplomacy (1648–Present), and POL 262 Migration and Refugee Policy in a Global Context. My courses are often based on active discussions and in-class activities where students learn how to apply political science theories to a wide range of real-life cases.

My work has been published in Political Psychology, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Civil Wars, and the Afrobarometer Working Papers Series. My research has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Carnegie Foundation of New York, and Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy. I have conducted fieldwork in Zimbabwe, focusing on ethnic communities to examine whether external interventions can reshape post-conflict social trust in southern Africa. I have also worked on a USAID-funded project regarding armed group recruitment and mobilization in northern Ghana. I am currently working on several co-authored and solo-authored manuscripts for publication and am developing my dissertation into a book project.