Kieran Williams has been teaching at Drake since Spring 2004. Previously he taught at University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies, where he was an associate professor in politics and a frequent consultant to the UK Foreign Office. He received his A.B. from Princeton and DPhil from Oxford.
A comparativist and specialist in the politics of Central and Eastern Europe, he has authored or co-authored four books, including a prize-winning account of the1968 eventsin Czechoslovakia, studies of the creation of newintelligence agenciesandelectoral systemsin post-Communist countries, and a biography of the writer-statesmanVáclav Havel. He is also the co-editor of a collection ofessays on Havel, a regular reviewer for theTimes Literary Supplement, and occasional blogger onMedium.
Courses Taught
POLS 065: Comparative Politics
POLS 130: Transitions to Democracy
POLS 134: Comparative Political Parties and Interest Groups
POLS 135: Supreme Courts and Elections
POLS 136: Intelligence Agencies
POLS 137: Politics and Parliaments
POLS 144: Modern European Political Systems
POLS 146: Politics in Russia and Former Soviet Union
