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Shannon Lindsey Blanton

Professor and Dean, UAB Honors College This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Honors Hall 201
(205) 934-4527

Research and Teaching Interests: International relations, foreign policy, human rights, political violence, international political economy

Office Hours: By Appointment

Education:

  • BA, Georgia College, Political Science & Public Administration
  • MA, University of Georgia, Political Science
  • PhD, University of South Carolina, International Studies

Dr. Shannon Lindsey Blanton specializes in the areas of international relations and foreign policy, with an emphasis on human rights, political violence, and international political economy. In addition to her extensive administrative experience — she is the inaugural dean of the UAB Honors College, past vice provost for undergraduate programs, department chair and undergraduate coordinator — Dr. Blanton has taught courses on foreign policy, international relations, international conflict, and statistics.

Dr. Blanton has published articles on the determinants of U.S. arms transfers, the impact of arms imports on human security in developing countries, human rights as a determinant of U.S. foreign aid, and the role of cognitive images in U.S. foreign policy decision-making. Investigating the significance of human rights concerns in global economic interactions, she has also examined the role that human rights concerns play in shaping foreign direct investment and trade in the global community. Her most recent research examines the impact of international financial institutions, financial crises, and globalization on labor rights and human trafficking in countries around the world.

Dr. Blanton has received several research awards, published her articles in leading academic journals within her discipline, and served on a number of editorial boards. She is also a co-author of multiple editions of a leading textbook, World Politics: Trend and Transformation, and has collaborated with the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs to create a companion guide of pedagogical resources. She is currently the chair (2017-2019) for the Scientific Study of International Processes section of the International Studies Association. Of all her endeavors, she values most highly the opportunity to mentor and support the many outstanding students who pursue greater learning at UAB. More information is available on pdfDr. Blanton’s CV.

  • Recent Courses
    • Socio-Economic and Political Change in Contemporary Cuba (Study Abroad)
    • U.S. Foreign Policy
    • Introduction to International Relations
    • Political Statistics
  • Academic Distinctions & Professional Memberships
    • New Faculty Research Initiation Award, 2000
    • Early Career Research Award, 2001
    • Alumni Association Distinguished Research in the Social Sciences and Business Award, 2007
    • Gamma Beta Phi Society Honor Society, inducted 1987
    • Sigma Iota Rho Honor Society, inducted 1992
    • Phi Beta Delta Honor Society, inducted 2003
    • Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, inducted 2011
    • Pearson Education/Prentice Hall Educational Advisory Board 2001-2009
    • International Studies Perspectives Editorial Board 2004-2010
    • International Studies Quarterly Editorial Board 2009-2013
    • International Interactions Editorial Board 2012-2013
    • Foreign Policy Analysis Editorial Board 2010-2015
    • 2017-2019 Section Chair, Scientific Study of International Processes, International Studies Association
    • American Political Science Association
    • Peace Science Society (International)
  • Select Publications
    • Blanton, Shannon Lindsey and Carla Martinez Machain. Forthcoming. “U.S. Military Aid, Political Risk Insurance, and Foreign Direct Investment: Overcoming Obstacles to U.S. Foreign Policy.” Journal of Political & Military Sociology.
    • Blanton, Shannon L. and Charles W. Kegley. 2021. World Politics: Trend and Transformation. (Seventeenth Edition.) United States: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
    • Blanton, Robert G. and Shannon Lindsey Blanton. 2020. “The Global Economic and Political Causes of Human Trafficking,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies. 30. Oxford University Press.
    • Blanton, Robert G., Shannon Lindsey Blanton, and Dursun Peksen. 2019. “The Gendered Consequences of Financial Crises: A Cross-National Analysis.” Politics & Gender, Vol. 15, No. 4: pp. 941-970.
    • Blanton, Robert G., Shannon Lindsey Blanton, and Dursun Peksen. 2018. “Confronting Human Trafficking: The Role of State Capacity,” Conflict Management and Peace Science.
    • Blanton, Shannon and Robert Blanton. 2018. “Investment, Institutions and IIA’s: Still Gender Blind?UNCTAD Investment Policy Hub.
    • Peksen, Dursun, Shannon Lindsey Blanton, and Robert G. Blanton. 2017. “Neoliberal Policies and Human Trafficking for Labor: Free Markets, Unfree Workers?” Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 70, No. 3, pp. 673-686.
    • Blanton, Robert G. and Shannon Lindsey Blanton. 2016. “Globalization and Collective Labor Rights,” Sociological Forum, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 181-202.
    • Blanton, Robert G., Shannon Lindsey Blanton, and Dursun Peksen. 2015. “Financial Crisis and Labor: Does Tight Money Loosen Labor Rights?” World Development, Vol. 76, pp. 1-12.
  • Student Groups