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Chair, Department of Political Science...and Broncos Quarterback?

What do you need to know about ����������’s political science chair? Ask him yourself, and you may get an answer like this:

“I’ve got something in common with Peyton Manning.” David Brown, who works as both the political science department chair and a professor at ����������, sustained plantar fasciitis last year – just like the former Broncos quarterback.

“I’m getting over it, but I look to Peyton Manning for inspiration,” he said.

Beyond his similarities to Peyton Manning, David Brown brings his personality, intelligence, and unique experiences to the department. First as a student and then as an educator, Brown fostered vast knowledge in the areas of Latin American studies and the politics of economic development.

“I thought I wanted to do a Latin American studies and business degree at UCLA, but I quickly decided that the business school was not for me. I was too underdressed,” said Brown. In place of business classes, he chose to take courses in history, economics, and political science.

“It was the political science classes that were asking the most interesting questions,” he said.

While majoring in political science and Latin American studies, Brown learned Portuguese in order to fulfill a requirement. To give himself some context, he took a class on Brazil’s history, which inspired him to go to Brazil for his dissertation in 1992. 

Brown joined the ���������� faculty ten years later, but even as a professor, he’s always learning new things and applying them to his work.

“The most important change that I’ve had here is when I took the stats class that I’m teaching and I flipped it,” he said. “It’s active, we have in-class assignments, and people are getting into groups.”

Brown hopes to find a way to incorporate these newfound values into different classes throughout the department.

“It’s really changed the way I think about teaching,” he said, “and I’m having a ball doing it.”