After 25 years teaching political science at the University of Mary Washington, Steve Farnsworth knows how to juggle emails and phone calls from reporters on deadline who want to tap into his mind. This spring semester – in the midst of a race for the presidency he’s been quoted as calling “unprecedented” – he added another layer, sharing his sought-after expertise from the other side of the globe.
In Poland on a prestigious Fulbright Award to teach a course called “U.S. Presidential Communication” at the University of Warsaw (UW), he worked both inside and outside the classroom to unravel misconceptions about politics in the United States. Now fresh off his third – and, as a “distinguished scholar” this time around, his most illustrious – Fulbright experience, he’ll share with UMW the knowledge and perspectives he gained overseas.
“It was a great opportunity to look at America’s place in the world through outsiders’ eyes,” he said of his stint in Warsaw and the time he spent on the course, a mix of the “Mass Media and Politics” and “American Presidency” classes he teaches at UMW. “I learned a lot about how America is viewed, and that will be really useful when it comes to teaching about the presidency and the media.” Read more.