Eric Drummond

Smith

Education

Doctor of Philosophy – 2007 – The University of Tennessee in Knoxville
Political Science – Tested in international Relations and comparative politics with specializations in the origins and causes of warfare, the origins and causes of regime change, political-economic development, democratization, and east Asian politics 

• Dissertation: The Origins of a War of Secession: A Comparison of Namibia and Botswana

Master of Arts – 2000 – The University of Virginia in Charlottesville

• East Asian Studies – specialized in Chinese politics, history, and political philosophy
• Thesis:  The Evolution of Visual Symbolism and Iconography in Beijing Review: 1970-1990

Bachelor of Arts – 1998 – Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia

• Political science, art, and geography majors with minor equivalents in international relations and comparative politics
• Political Science Honors Thesis:  On War: A Study of War and Warfare in the Platonic
• Geography Thesis:  A Malthusian Model of Desertification and Desiccation 

Current Research Interests

Dr. Smith is currently researching a text on the logic of regimes and regime change in early Chinese political thought (Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han Dynasties).  His recent interests include Han dynasty texts including the synthetic work The Garden of Eloquence (說苑/Shuoyuan), compiled by Liu Xiang, and the Huang-Lao tradition works The Four Classics of the Yellow Emperor (黃帝四經/Huangdi Sijing). 

Courses Taught

Comparative Politics

• East Asian Politics (2009 to present)
• Korean Politics (2010)    Independent Study
• Latin American Politics (2012 to present)
• Northern European Politics (2009 to present)
• Middle Eastern Politics (2010 to present)
• Southern European Politics (2008 to present)
• Feminism and Terrorism in the Context of Middle Eastern Politics (2012) Independent Study
• Advanced Politics of the Middle East (2013) Independent Study
• Disestablishmentarian Warfare (2013) 
• Globalization and Middle Eastern Ideology (2014) Independent Study
• Topics in Political-Economics (2012)
• Post-Colonial African Politics (2014) Independent Study
• Regime Change in Britain and the United States (2015) Independent Study
• Violent Non-State Actors (2015) Independent Study
• Violence and Officers of the State (2014) Independent Study

International Relations

• American Foreign Policy (2008 to present)
• Being Diplomatic: Introduction of International Law and Institutions (2024) Honors
• Comparative Foreign Policy (2007) Independent Study
• Comparative Judicial and Legal Sources and Traditions (2024) Independent Study
• European Intergovernmental Organizations (2010) Independent Study
• Globalization (2005 to 2006)
• International Political Economy (2012) Independent Study
• International Relations (2005 to 2007; 2008 to present)
• Interstate and Disestablishmentarian Warfare (2013) Independent Study
• Politics of the United Nations (2005 to 2007)
• Politics of European Intergovernmental Organizations (2010) Independent Study
• Soft Power (2022) Independent Study
• Universal Human Rights (2020) Independent Study

Political Philosophy, Theory, and Thought

• Advanced Political Philosophy and Theory (Ancient and Medieval) (2019 to present)
• Advanced Political Philosophy and Theory (Modern) (2020 to present)
• Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (2013-2019)
• Classical Chinese Philosophy (2019) Honors
• Contemporary Political Philosophy and Theory (20^th and 21^st Centuries) (2020 to present) 
• Fascism (2010)   Independent Study
• International Public Administration and Policy (2024) Independent Study
• Introduction to Western Political Philosophy and Theory (Ancient and Medieval) (2010 to present)
• Introduction to Western Political Philosophy (Modern) (2010 to present)
• Logic and Methods of Social Science (2018, 2023) Honors and Independent Study
• Political Philosophy of Zhou Dynasty China (2012) Independent Study
• Political Thought of Machiavelli (2020) Independent Study
• Political Thought and Philosophy of Bakufu Japan (2023) Independent Study
• Readings in Non-Western Political Thought (2023) Honors

Interdisciplinary, American Politics, and Other Courses

• Introduction to American Politics (2005 to 2006; 2008 to present)
• Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (2013 to present) 
• Politics of Sport (2010)   Independent Study
• Propaganda (2011 and 2012) Independent Study & Honors
• Public Administration (2015) Independent Study
• Science Fiction and Politics (2017) Honors
• State and Local Politics (2009) 
• Violence and Officers of the State (2015) Independent

Artwork 

Eric Drummond Smith is a resident artist in the George Chavatel Studio of the William King Museum of Art in Abingdon, Virginia.  His work has been featured in a variety of venues, including his first major museum exhibition, The Big Ugly Hullabaloo, which ran in 2023 at the WKMA.  He generally characterizes his work as pop expressionist-surrealist.