“Every time I walk into class it’s a rewarding experience,” says Karl Schonberg, associate professor of government and associate dean for faculty affairs.  Schonberg is always challenging his students and inciting strong opinions among them.
 
Schonberg’s areas of study include U.S. foreign policy, international relations, international security and globalization.  In July 2009 he published a book about the Bush administration and how dominant ideas of the administration came to affect foreign policy, specifically the invasion of Iraq.  His research and his book, Constructing 21st Century U.S. Foreign Policy: Identity, Ideology and America’s World Role in a New Era, tie in to the First-Year Seminar class Schonberg is teaching this spring.  “Iraq Wars” is about the history of the United States in the Middle East with a focus on Iraq. 

“Doing the research for my book helped enable me to teach this class,” Schonberg says.  “Students have very personal perspectives on the Iraq War because this generation is living and experiencing the effects of the war.  I have learned a lot from the students hearing about their perspectives on the war.”

Schonberg taught for a semester on the St. Lawrence program in the Francophone world.  Schonberg says, “Teaching about World War II and being able to take students to the beaches of Normandy was really powerful.”  On campus, Schonberg creates experiential learning.  In a course he taught about the Vietnam War, he brought local veterans to the class to experience the material of the course with the students.  “That had a very powerful effect, both on the veterans and on the students,” he says.  “It was moving for them and for me too. The days when I can see students engaged in the material and grappling with difficult questions are when I know what I am here for.”