Natalie Bormann

Natalie Bormann joined the Department of Political Science in 2007, after holding positions with the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University, and the Universities of Manchester and Edinburgh in the UK. Her work centers on the interplay of trauma, memory, and ethics in international relations, which she mostly explores in the context of the Holocaust, and genocide studies more broadly. She is especially interested in promoting and facilitating critical inquiry, reflection and an inclusive pedagogy in the teaching and learning about genocide. Professor Bormann’s most recent book “The Ethics of Teaching at Sites of Trauma and Violence – Student Encounters with the Holocaust” (Palgrave, 2018) reflects on the challenges and opportunities of Holocaust education as it chronicles her time with students of a Holocaust and Genocide Studies program that she leads each summer in Europe.

Based on her experience, she has been selected to participate in a number of competitive teaching programs; they include invitations to the Jack and Anita Faculty Hess Seminar (2015) and the Levine Institute for Holocaust Education (2016) – both at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.

Professor Bormann is currently working on integrating contemplative practices in higher education. Professor Bormann has been a Faculty Fellow with the Center for Advanced Teaching and Learning through Research (CATLR) at Northeastern University (2016 through 2018), exploring the role, impact, and integration of mindfulness practice and inquiry for teaching and learning. She is enrolled in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher Training program with the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.

Professor Bormann is the Undergraduate Program Director for the Department of Political Science.