Professor of Political Science

Professor Willis received her Bachelor’s of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University (1977) and her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin (1986).

Before joining the Grinnell College faculty in 1991, Professor Willis taught political science and political economy at Boston College and Tulane University.

Her research focuses on Latin American politics and her work has appeared in the Journal of Latin American Studies, Latin American Research Review and World Politics. Her current research focuses on the impact of decentralization and intergovernmental relations in Latin America and the politics of trade negotiations in Central America. Ms. Willis teaches courses on Latin American politics, global development, international political economy, and the political economy of developing countries. She is strongly committed to fostering interdisciplinary studies at Grinnell and currently serves on the committees for the concentrations in Latin American Studies, Global Development Studies, and Environmental Studies.

Ms. Willis is an avid birder, and passionate traveler (most recently to Costa Rica, China, England, Ireland, Japan, Nicaragua, and the Brazilian Amazon). She served as the director of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest’s study-abroad program in Costa Rica in 2002-2004.

• Pol-101: Introduction to Political Science
• Pol-251: International Political Economy
• Pol-261: State and Society in Latin America
• Pol-354: Political Economy of Developing Countries