Dan Nataf, Ph.D.

Dan Nataf obtained his Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley.  Both his Master's and Doctorate in Political Science were obtained at the University of California, Los Angeles.  He specialized in comparative politics, political sociology and research methods.

He has taught at several colleges and universities including UCLA and UMBC.  Since 1995, he has been with Anne Arundel Community College.  He has presented papers at several major conferences, both nationally and internationally.  His major academic publication is Democratization and Social Settlements: The Politics of Modern Portugal (New York: SUNY Press, 1995).

Since coming to AACC, he has been the director of the Center for the Study of Local Issues.  He is frequently quoted by the local press and often invited as a guest speaker to local entities such as political clubs and service organizations.  He has provided color commentary during both the 2002 and 2004 elections on Annapolis-based radio station, WNAV.

His course offerings include:

PLS 111 "Introduction to American Government" which is offered both as a web-assisted lecture course and an entirely online course.

PLS 131 "Comparative Politics," a course which explores themes such as "what is political development" and "how can countries be compared" along with a review of the political systems of France, Britain, Russia, China, Brazil and Iran

PLS 151 "Political Behavior and Analysis," which focuses on the interplay between public opinion, voting behavior, elections, parties, and campaigns.  It includes hands-on experience working with CSLI and national datasets using SPSS statistical program.

PLS 200 "International Relations," devoted to presenting the major concepts and theories found in this political science subfield and showing how these bear upon the analysis of current events involving U.S. foreign policy.