Bill Harder

Director of Faculty Development and Teaching ExcellenceCAST

Bill Harder, Ph.D., is an educator and social scientist working in a variety of cross-disciplinary spaces that have at their core a focus on critical pedagogies and democratic storytelling. He is the director of 抖陰神器 College鈥檚 Center for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching (CAST) and an assistant professor of political science.

He earned his Ph.D. in political science and public administration and an M.A. in american politics from American University鈥檚 School of Public Affairs in Washington, DC. He earned a B.A. in political science and journalism with a minor in poetry from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

His work and scholarship address how to effectively integrate inclusive and critical pedagogies to further student learning and growth. In addition to his pedagogical work, his work also explores state and local politics, gubernatorial politics, social media, and the documentary film industry. He is also an affiliated researcher at the Center for Media and Social Impact, where he serves as the co-director of the State of the Documentary Field research initiative鈥攁 biennial survey of the global documentary film industry. 

His work has been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, NPR鈥檚 All Things Considered, and Documentary Magazine, among other venues. Outside of higher education he has worked and consulted for a variety of organizations, including International Documentary Association, Distribution Advocates, American Political Science Association, World Wildlife Fund, and Resources for the Future.

Show more or less of the faculty member's bio
Publications

Batts, J. Aumiller, J., Glaser, R.L., Harder, W., Segarra, V.A. (2026) 鈥淒eveloping an adaptable and sustainable model for immersive faculty career exploration at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs)鈥�. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. 27(1).

Borum, C. Weissman, P., Harder, W., Conrad-P茅rez, D. & Coskuntuncel, A. (2026) The State of the Documentary Field: 2026 Study of Global Documentary Professionals. Center for Media & Social Impact, American University School of Communication

Segarra, V., Batts, J., Glaser, R. & Harder, W. (2024) 鈥淒eveloping an Adaptable and Sustainable Model for Immersive Faculty Career Exploration at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs)鈥�. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 300 (3) 

Harder, W. & Mullaney, J. (2021) 鈥淣ever Getting off the Ground or Heading Home Early: Student Perceptions of Study Abroad Disruption in the Context of COVID-19鈥� 60-76 in K. Bista, R.M. Allen & R.Y. Chan (eds.), Impacts of COVID-19 on international students and the future of student mobility. New York: Routledge.

Borum Chattoo, C. & Harder, W. (2021) The State of the Documentary Field: 2020 Study of Documentary Professionals. Center for Media & Social Impact, American University School of Communication with the International Documentary Association.

Harder, W. & McGowan, B. (2020) 鈥淩ecognizing COVID-19 as Trauma: Considerations for Student Affairs Educators and Faculty Developers鈥� Developments. 17(3)

Gan, J., Snegg J., & Harder, W. (2020) 鈥淪wimming Pool Environment and Respiratory Health Issues Experienced by Masters Swimmers鈥� International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education. 12 (4)  No. 7.

Borum Chattoo, C. & Harder, W. (2018) The State of the Documentary Field: 2018 Study of Documentary Professionals. Center for Media & Social Impact, American University School of Communication. Washington, D.C.

Harder, W. (2011) 鈥淲hat do We Expect from Our Elections and Campaigns.鈥� in What do We Expect from Our Government. Lanham Md.: Lexington Books.

Hoffman, S. & Harder, W. (2010) 鈥淔ood Safety and Risk Governance in Globalized Markets鈥� Health Matrix 20, No. 1: 5-54

External Awards, Honors, Grants

鈥淐uriosity, Complexity, Social Justice: Invigorating the Essential Humanities for All鈥� Mellon Foundation (2026-2029) with Antje Rauwerda (PI) and Steven DeCaroli.

鈥淐ommunity-based Learning and Building Community Across Prison Walls鈥� Catalyst Grant. Project Pericles (2026-2027) with Ann Duncan, Maxwell Greenberg, and Lindsay Johnson Walton.

鈥淭eaching Pluralism Across Prison Walls鈥� Teaching and Learning Pluralism Grant. Interfaith America. (2026-2027) with Ann Duncan and Maxwell Greenberg.

Project Pericles Civic and Voter Education Fellow in Deliberative Dialogue (2024-2025)

鈥淓mpowering Student Voices Around the 2024 U.S. Election鈥� Project Pericles 鈥� Back to School for Democracy Collaborative Fellowship Grant. (2024) with Nina Kasniunas, TaChalla Ferris, Dan Marcus, Siobahn Stiles and Jared Paolini.

鈥淒eveloping an adaptable and sustainable model for faculty career exploration at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs).鈥� Burroughs Welcome Fund 鈥� Career Guidance to Trainees Grant. (2023-2024) with Ver贸nica Segarra and Rivka Glaser.

Conference Papers & Panel Participation

鈥淔aculty Development as a Home for the Critical Liberal Arts Renaissance Person: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Being a Generalist鈥�  Leading with Our Values: Community as Resistance (virtual conference), June 2025.      

 鈥淒isrupt Distrust: Fostering Well-Being and Resilience through Democratic Engagement鈥� (with Sanda Balaban, Danielle Lake, Bernadette Ludwig, and Sinda Nichols) American Association of Colleges and Universities Annual Meeting, Washington DC, January 2025.

鈥淟et鈥檚 Talk About Consultations: Thinking Critically About our 1-on-1 Work鈥� POD Network Annual Meeting, Chicago, November 2024.

鈥淐entering Education Abroad in General Education Design and Faculty Development鈥� (with Matt Van Hoose) NAFSA Annual Conference, New Orleans, May 2024

鈥淪how Your Work: A Pedagogy of Transparency鈥� POD Network Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, November 2023.

鈥淔aculties in Conversation: An Argument for Cross-Institutional Faculty Development鈥� POD Network Annual Meeting, Seattle, November 2022.

鈥淪tudent Perceptions of Study Abroad Disruption in the Context of COVID-19鈥� (with Jamie Mullaney) Critical Perspectives on Global Student/Faculty Mobility in Higher Education. Morgan State University, Baltimore MD, April 2022.

鈥淎dopting a Global Education Lens for Faculty Development鈥� Association of International Education Administrators thematic forum on Faculty Leadership in the Changing Landscape of Global Education: Modalities and Curricular Design. Baltimore MD, April 2022.

鈥淔aculties in Conversation: What We Mean When We Say 鈥楪lobal Education鈥欌�� (with Mary Robert) Baltimore MD and London UK, January 2022.

鈥淐ollaboration and Experiential Learning Through Computer-Assisted Qualitative Research鈥� (with Aaron Boesenecker) American Political Science Association, Centennial Center Teaching and Learning Symposium on Research Methods, Washington, DC, March 2019.

Invited Talks

鈥淟iberal Arts and Sciences in the US鈥� at London College Day, US-UK Fulbright Commission, London UK, September 2022.

鈥淎 Pedagogy of Transparency: a Call for Faculty to always 鈥楽how Your Work鈥欌�� at Richmond, the American International University, London, UK, September 2022.

鈥淭oward an Inclusive and Anti-racist Research Methods Curriculum鈥� at Richmond, the American International University, London, UK, September 2022.

鈥淭rumpish Tweets & Trumpish Governors: Two Approaches for Operationalizing 鈥楾rumpishness鈥欌�� at The Corrosion of the Liberal Democratic Order? Transatlantic Perspectives in a Perilous Time: Annual Meeting of the German American Studies Association, University of Heidelberg, Germany, November 2019.

鈥淓merging Methodological Trends in Social Network Analysis for Public Policy Research鈥� Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Washington DC, November, 2018.