Associate Professor
Department of History, Political Science, Philosophy, and Religious Studies
405J Humanities and Social Science Building
981 Grant Street
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA 15705-1069
724-357-2290
724-357-3810 (fax)
ras@iup.edu
Rachel Sternfeld is a political scientist who specializes in comparative politics, with a regional focus on the Middle East and North Africa.
Her current research explores the relationship between media and politics in authoritarian contexts. Sternfeld argues that the space for a freer press emerges when economic reforms create the opportunity for a new class of entrepreneurs, interested in funding media ventures, to enter government. This research sheds light on the political and economic context under which economic liberalizations can lead to political liberalizations.
Sternfeld received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in August 2014. She lived in Cairo, Egypt, for field research and language training and received additional language training at Damascus University in Syria. Additionally, she holds a master's degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and a bachelor's degree from New York University.
Sternfeld regularly teaches World Politics (PLSC 101), Terrorism (PLSC 344), Political Systems-Middle East (PLSC 384/584), and International Law and Organizations (PLSC 422/522).