Professor, Politics and Government
Chris Kendall is Professor of Politics and Government. His research explores how legal and political institutions endure, adapt, and sometimes fail under conditions of political conflict and pressure on the liberal international order. He studies these questions through the lens of courts, international law, and global governance. Before entering academia, he practiced law in New York City and now serves as the university’s pre-law advisor.
His book, Between Possibility and Peril: Domestic Courts and the Selective Enforcement of Human Rights (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2024), examines how domestic courts in Colombia, Mexico, and South Africa shape the enforcement of international human rights while navigating the competing demands of law and politics. His current research extends these questions to regional human rights institutions, transitional justice, and the resilience of legal institutions under political pressure.
Professor Kendall is committed to experiential learning that challenges students to grapple with complex political and legal problems from the perspective of real-world decision makers. His courses regularly feature negotiations, simulations, moot courts, and crisis scenarios that develop students’ skills in critical thinking, advocacy, and collaborative problem-solving. He is also the co-author of Seeking Justice: Colombia 2012, a Reacting to the Past simulation on transitional justice and the Colombian peace process.
In addition to teaching, Professor Kendall serves as faculty advisor to the Model United Nations program and the Lawgers, the university’s student pre-law society. He also co-directs the department’s Amsterdam study abroad program, “Nationalism and Internationalism,” which gives students an immersive introduction to European politics and international law through visits to institutions such as the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the European Union.
Students interested in the Politics & Government major or minor, pre-law opportunities, Lawgers, Model UN, or the Amsterdam program are encouraged to visit Professor Kendall in Wyatt Hall 224 or contact him at ckendall@pugetsound.edu.