Associate Professor Debora Halbert
Background
I completed my B.A. (1989) and M.A. (1992) at Western Washington University and my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (1996). Upon graduation from UH, I accepted a tenure track job at Otterbein College, a small liberal arts college outside of Columbus, Ohio where I taught in the Department of History and Political Science for twelve years. Since 1996, I have taught courses across the discipline. I am especially interested in offering courses on technology law and policy, public policy, futures studies, legal studies and alternative methodologies. In 2008, I returned to the Political Science department where I now teach courses in futures studies, public policy, and law and society.
My scholarship focuses on the politics of intellectual property and I have published two books on the subject, Intellectual Property in the Information Age: The Politics of Expanding Property Rights (Quorum, 1999) and Resisting Intellectual Property (Routledge, 2005). Given my critical approach to copyright issues, I try, whenever possible, to publish my work in open access journals that do not rely upon copyright. Aside from my ongoing work on intellectual property issues, I have begun a new project that seeks to map the myriad ways people undermine the nation–state through participation in temporary autonomous zones, virtual worlds, intentional communities, or as expatriates.
In the summer of 2009, I began my tenure as the Graduate Chair. I have an open door policy regarding advising. Thus, if you see my door open, please feel free to stop by. Aside from academic life, I am an avid rock climber and have taken up competitive sailing.