Brian Bernhardt PhD

Biography

Classes Taught

• HWTR 100: Local Food in the Gunnison Valley
• POLS 117: Introduction to Political Ideas
• POLS 180: Introduction to American Politics
• POLS 250: Politics of the Environment
• POLS 255: Introduction to Comparative Politics
• POLS 300: Constitutional Law I
• POLS 310: Political Theory II – Late Modern and Contemporary
• POLS 340: Politics of Social Movements
• POLS 370: Political Economy
• POLS 376: American Political Thought
• POLS 485: Studies in Political Theory – Democracy and the State

Research and Teaching Interests

• Anti-Authoritarian Social Movements
• Democratic Theory and Practice
• Environmental Politics, Extractive Industries, and Food Systems
• The Political Economy of Capitalism, Neoliberalism, and Globalization
• The State and the Politics of Non-State Peoples

About Me

Working at Western is a dream come true and I am thrilled to call this beautiful area home! You’ll often find me exploring the Gunnison Country’s vast public lands on foot, bike or skis–frequently with my dogs running along.

I am also a devoted short-season vegetable gardener and passionate about cooking with locally-sourced ingredients. One of my great joys in life is spending hours in the kitchen, turning home-grown food into a rich–and, inevitably, really spicy–home-cooked meal.