Jennifer Disney

Dr. Jennifer Leigh Disney is a **Professor and Chair** of the Department of Political Science, Philosophy, Religion & Legal Studies at Winthrop University. She also serves as **Director of the Model United Nations Program** and **Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program**. Previously, she was the founding director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards (ONCA) from 2006 to 2012.

**Education**:

• Ph.D. with Distinction, Political Science, CUNY Graduate Center (2002)
• M.A. and M.Phil., CUNY Graduate Center
• B.A., Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College)

**Research & Scholarship**: Focuses on comparative politics, feminist theory, development/underdevelopment, intersectional feminisms, and global women’s movements. Her book *Women’s Activism and Feminist Agency in Mozambique and Nicaragua* (Temple University Press, 2008) was derived from her award-winning dissertation. She co-edited *New Political Science: A Journal of Politics and Culture* (2014–2018).

**Awards**: Recognized with over a dozen honors, including Winthrop’s 2024 Advising Award and distinguished alumni awards from her alma maters (McDaniel College and CUNY).

**Teaching**: Instructs courses in Comparative Politics, African/Latin American Politics, Women and Global Politics, Social Movement Politics, and Model UN. She actively integrates service-learning and global perspectives into her pedagogy.

**Leadership**: A trailblazer in interdisciplinary programs, she has shaped policy on national scholarships and advocacy for women’s rights through academic and community initiatives.