Lisa MacLeod | ��Ů of America

Faculty and Staff

Lisa MacLeod, PhD

Assistant Dean of Student Success

Director of International Studies Concentration

Associate Professor of International Studies

lmacleod@soka.edu

949-480-4049

Is this your profile? Request profile updates.

Additional Information

Collapse All

Education

PhD, Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver
MSc, London School of Economics
MA, Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver
BA, University of Southern California

Courses Taught at SUA

Introduction to International Relations
Introduction to Human Rights 
The United Nations and World Politics
International Law
Peace and Conflict Resolution
Race, Ethnicity, and Human Rights
Learning Cluster
Enduring Questions in Contemporary Context

Research Interests

Security Council Politics
United Nations Peace Operations
Human Rights
International Organization
International Security
Norms and International Relations Theory

Publications and Scholarly Works

MacLeod, Lisa. 2021. “Teaching International Relations as a Liberal Art.” In Signature Pedagogies in International Relations, edited by Jan Lüdert. e-International Relations. .
MacLeod, Lisa. 2017. “China’s Security Council Engagement: The Impact of Normative and Causal Beliefs.” Global Governance 23 (3): 383–401.
MacLeod, Lisa. 2017. “Boundary Disputes in the Pacific Basin.” In The Pacific Basin: An Introduction, edited by Shane J. Barter and Michael Weiner, 130–40. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY: Routledge.
MacLeod, Lisa A. Hall. (2007, Paperback Edition) Constructing Peace: Lessons from UN Peacebuilding Operations in El Salvador and Cambodia. Lexington Books: Lanham, MD.
MacLeod, Lisa A. Hall. (2006, Hardcover Edition) Constructing Peace: Lessons from UN Peacebuilding Operations in El Salvador and Cambodia. Lexington Books: Lanham, MD.

Positions Held

2016-present, Associate Professor of International Studies, ��Ů of America
2006-2016, Professor of International Studies with Continuous Appointment (Unranked), ��Ů of America
2002-2006, Professor of International Studies (Unranked), ��Ů of America
2000-2002, Instructor, United States Air Force Academy
1998-2000, Instructor, University of Northern Colorado

Selected Honors, Awards, & Grants

PBRC Research Fellow, 2020-2023
REHR Center Faculty Fellow, 2019-2020
SUA Faculty Merit Award, 2018-2019

Collage photo of Professor Burns and student Max

Feb 13, 2026 8 Min Read

From Office Hours to Published Book: Faculty-Student Collaboration Spans a Decade

When Max Bieganski ’19 M.A. ’22 walked into Professor of Political Science Peter Burns’ office during their first week at SUA, neither knew that it would be the start of an intellectual partnership cu...

Professor George Busenberg observing the solar panels on the roof

Feb 13, 2026 3 Min Read

Powering the Renewable Energy Transition: George Busenberg Examines Global Solar Policy

“Renewable energy gives us the opportunity for a new global industrial revolution,” said George Busenberg, associate professor of environmental management and policy in the Environmental Studies Conce...

The textbook, “The Pacific Basin: An Introduction" is photographed in front of a white and green bokeh background.

Oct 6, 2025 3 Min Read

SUA Faculty Textbook Reaches New Audiences with Korean Translation

Korean-speaking audiences now have access to a seminal textbook that embodies the cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach to education at SUA. “The Pacific Basin: An Introduction,” originally pu...

Foroogh Farhang crosses her arms and smiles at the camera outside on SUA's campus.

Oct 1, 2025 9 Min Read

Meet Foroogh Farhang, Assistant Professor of Middle East and North African Studies

Assistant Professor of Middle East and North African Studies Foroogh Farhang joined SUA’s faculty this summer. Before teaching in the International Studies Concentration at Soka, Farhang taught anthro...

Composite image of the 6 featured professors, Shane Barter, Ryan Allen, Marie Nydam, Katherine Perry, Sandrine Siméon, and Deike Peters

May 23, 2025 2 Min Read

What Can You Learn in 90 Seconds?: SUA Professors Bring Big Ideas to NPR’s “The Academic Minute”

This May, six SUA faculty members were featured on NPR’s nationally syndicated program “The Academic Minute,” offering bite-sized insights from their latest research to listeners across the country.Th...

Mar 7, 2025 8 Min Read

Igniting Passion for Urban Nature: An Interview with Associate Professor Deike Peters

Deike Peters, associate professor of environmental planning and practice, spent her sabbatical last year researching the proposed ecological restoration of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, the...

Sandrine Siméon, associate professor of French language and culture and director of the Language and Culture program stands in front of various countries' flags in Founders Hall.

Dec 16, 2024 7 Min Read

Cultivating a Global Perspective: An Interview with Assistant Dean of Global Citizenship Sandrine Siméon

How can earning a B.A. in liberal arts at SUA help students become global citizens who are actively engaged with issues in social justice, sustainability, and peace? At the start of this academic year...

Nov 12, 2024 6 Min Read

Supporting Students Beyond Graduation: An Interview with Assistant Dean Lisa MacLeod

How can a liberal arts education at SUA prepare students for living a contributive life? This fall, Lisa MacLeod, associate professor of international studies and director of the International Studies...

Shane Barter poses with scholars during the Association for Asian Studies in Asia annual conference

Sep 3, 2024 3 Min Read

Summer Research in a Special Region

This summer, SUA Professor Shane Barter conducted fieldwork and in Southeast Asia with support from the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS). IHS is a non-profit organization at George Mason University ...

Dean Hamersley poses in front of glass windows on ��Ů of America's campus

Jan 31, 2024 6 Min Read

Translating SUA’s Mission Into Action: An Interview With Dean Hamersley

M. Robert Hamersley, who was named ��Ů of America's dean of faculty in June 2023 after 16 years teaching and serving in a variety of leadership roles at SUA—including two years as assistan...

Eight members of a research team wearing summer attire smile at the camera in front of palm trees, a docked boat, and light blue water in Belize.

Sep 21, 2023 2 Min Read

Faculty Spotlight: Marie Nydam and Biodiversity Research in Belize

Marie was part of an interdisciplinary team funded by a National Science Foundation grant: two professors and a graduate student from University of North Carolina Wilmington in North Carolina, and one...

Professor Hortense J. Spillers gestures with her hand as she speaks into a microphone

Mar 21, 2022 11 Min Read

Transformative Scholarship Beyond the Ivory Tower: A Conversation with Dr. Hortense J. Spillers

In her 1987 essay, "Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: An American Grammar Book,” Hortense J. Spillers, distinguished visiting professor of literature at SUA, dismantled prevailing ideas about gender and Blac...