David Faris
David Faris
Asoc Prof Political Science
College of Humanities, Education & Social Sciences
» Political Sciences

About Me

I’m an Associate Professor of Political Science at Roosevelt University, where I focus my research on American political institutions, elections and foreign policy. My most recent book is The Kids Are All Left: How Young Voters Will Unite America (Melville House Publishing, 2020), which explores how long-term trends in voting by different generations will benefit Democrats. In April 2018 I published a book on progressive power and American institutional reform called It’s Time To Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics. The New York Times called it "a short, bracing polemic." The Guardian  wrote, "American democracy could disappear altogether within our own lifetimes. 

My first book, Dissent and Revolution in a Digital Age: Social Media, Blogging and Activism in Egypt (I.B. Tauris, 2013)– focused on the use of digital media by Egyptian opposition movements. With Babak Rahimi, I am the co-editor of and contributor to Social Media and Iran: Politics and Society After 2009 (SUNY Press). My academic work has been published in the International Journal of Middle East StudiesMiddle East PolicyArab Media & Society and Politique Etrangèr,

In addition to my academic work, I am a contributing writer at The Week, an international journal of news and opinion, as well as the Middle East-focused blog Informed Comment. I’ve also published op-eds with The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, The New Republic, Washington MonthlyUSA TodayU.S. News & World ReportNPR.orgthe Chicago Sun-Times, the Christian Science Monitor, the Daily News Egypt, the Philadelphia Citypaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer and more. I've made television appearances on MSNBC, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Lincoln Project TV, Fox News, Chicago Tonight and Politics Tonight. I've also appeared on dozens of podcasts and radio shows, including Chapo Trap House, The Mitch Albom ShowThe Battleground, Background Briefing, The Brad Friedman Show and The Ben Joravsky Show, and have been interviewed by Vox, Five Thirty Eight, Politico, Al-Jazeera English, NBC NewsChicago Monthly, Texas Monthly, Pacific Standard and more. 

Outside of the classroom, you can probably catch me hanging out with my wife and 3-year-old son, seeing a baseball game, playing Texas Hold ‘Em, making stews, seeing a concert, toying with my fantasy baseball teams, galavanting around the world, or spending my spare money on food.

Topic of Expertise
  • U.S. elections

    Election processes, voter rights, midterm and presidential election trends, democratic backsliding, Constitutional hardball

  • Comparative electoral systems

    Proportional representation, presidential and parliamentary systems, voting procedures

  • American foreign policy in the Middle East

    The Arab-Israeli conflict, Saudi-Iranian rivalry, Egyptian politics, Syrian civil war

Education
  • PhD Political Science — University of Pennsylvania
Degree Program Affiliations