Dr. Kenneth W. Foster

Chair/Professor, Political Science; Director, Community Engagement Political Science, Global Studies, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Social Activism, Community Engagement

Education 

Ph.D., Political Science, University of California, Berkeley
M.A., East Asian Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington
B.S., Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca

Expertise

Comparative politics, Chinese politics, NGOs and citizen activism, environmental politics and policy, politics of socioeconomic development 

Background

Ken Foster came to Concordia College in 2007 after several years teaching at University of British Columbia in Canada. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. He was drawn to Concordia by the college's emphasis on providing an outstanding liberal arts education for undergraduates. The opportunity to help students to learn and grow is what he values most in his role as professor.

Dr. Foster brings an interdisciplinary perspective to the study of politics and environmental issues. He believes that communication and collaboration across the traditional academic disciplines is essential if we as individuals and as part of the global community are to thrive in the extraordinarily complex world in which we live. Specializing in the politics of China, democracy and authoritarianism, and environmental politics and policy, Dr. Foster ranges widely across areas of knowledge as he and his students work together to engage with the issues of our time. He has lived in China, Taiwan, and six different states/provinces and speaks Chinese (Mandarin).

At Concordia, Dr. Foster serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Chair of the President's Sustainability Council. In the wider community, he is currently leading the Moorhead Community Resilience Task Force, which he and a collaborator founded in 2019. In all of this work, Dr. Foster creates opportunities to get students engaged in community-based learning.

Contact

Dr. Kenneth W. Foster

Chair/Professor, Political Science; Director, Community Engagement Old Main – 310