亚洲AV

Christopher D. Berk

Photo of Christopher D. Berk
Titles and Organizations

Assistant Professor

Contact Information

cberk@gmu.edu
Fairfax Campus, Aquia Building, Room 331
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA 22030
MSN: 3F4

Biography

Christopher D. Berk is an assistant professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at 亚洲AV. His research and teaching interests span the law, politics, and philosophy of punishment, with a particular concern for the relationship between democratic politics and penal law.

Berk received his PhD in 2016 from the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago, along with a joint degree, an MLS, from the University of Chicago Law School. Before coming to Mason, he was a postdoctoral fellow in political philosophy, policy, and law at the University of Virginia.

    Curriculum Vitae

    View Christopher D. Berk's CV

    Research Hall, Room 339
    George Mason University
    10401 York River Road
    Fairfax, VA 22030

    Phone: (703) 993-6365
    Fax: (703) 993-8215
    Email: cberk@gmu.edu

    Appointments

    George Mason University
    Assistant Professor in the Schar School of Policy & Government
    2019-

    University of Virginia
    DeOlazarra
    Fellow in the Program in Political Philosophy, Policy & Law
    2016-2019

    Education

    Ph.D., Department of Political Science, University of Chicago
    2016

    Dissertation
    On Self Government: Democratic Politics and Law in Prisons, Asylums, and Boarding Schools

    Committee
    Andrew Abbott, Cathy Cohen, Robert Gooding-Williams, & Bernard Harcourt (chair)

    Examination fields
    American Politics, Political Theory

    M.L.S., University of Chicago Law School
    2016

    M.A., Department of Political Science, University of Chicago
    2010

    B.A., summa cum laude, Department of Political Science, University of Washington
    2007

    Book Manuscript

    Democracy in Captivity: Essays on the political situation of prisoners, patients, and others in custody. In preparation.

    Book manuscript conference held at the University of Virginia on May 3, 2019.

    Publications, Refereed

    Berk, Christopher D. 2019. 鈥淩eply to Elizabeth Scott, Laurence Steinberg, David Tanenhaus, and James Backstrom." Law & Social Inquiry 44, no. 3: 787-790.

    Berk, Christopher D. 2019. 鈥淐丑颈濒诲丑辞辞诲, development, and the troubled foundations of 惭颈濒濒别谤听v. Alabama." Law & Social Inquiry 44, no. 3: 752-770.

    • Symposium at LSI devoted to this article

    Berk, Christopher D. 2018. 鈥淥苍 Prison Democracy: The Politics of Participation in a Maximum Security Prison.鈥 Critical Inquiry 44, no. 2: 275-302.

    Under Review

    鈥淢耻蝉迟 penal law be insulated from public influence?" Revise & resubmit at Law and Philosophy

    鈥凄别尘辞肠谤补肠测鈥檚 internal 产辞谤诲别谤蝉.鈥

    Publications, Invited

    Berk, Christopher D. 2010. 鈥淚nvestment Talk: Comments on the Use of the Language of Investment in Prison Reform Advocacy.鈥 Carceral Notebooks 6 (2010): 115-129.

    Works in Progress

    鈥淢ad Politics: Disability, Care, and Patient Collective Action.鈥 鈥淕辞惫别谤苍颈苍驳 Children: Resistance in a Boarding School for At-Risk Youth.鈥

    Awards and Fellowships

    2016. Visiting Scholar, The Newberry
    Scholars-in-residence are given privileged use of the library and are "expected to publish or oth- erwise disseminate their research" and "participate in the 狈别飞产别谤谤测鈥檚 intellectual community."

    2015-16. Master of Legal Studies Fellowship, University of Chicago Law School Tuition remission and living stipend for a year of coursework in law.

    2014-15. William Rainey Harper Provost Dissertation Fellowship, University of Chicago Tuition remission and living stipend, "one of the highest honors given to our graduate students."

    2011. Grodzins Prize Lectureship, University of Chicago
    Competition among advanced graduate students to design and teach a course.

    2010. Joseph Cropsey Prize for the 鈥涣耻迟蝉迟补苍诲颈苍驳 master鈥檚 thesis in political philosophy written by a student in the Department of Political Science,鈥 University of Chicago

    2010. High Pass in the American Politics Field Exam, University of Chicago

    2008-13. McCabe Fellowship, University of Chicago
    Tuition remission and living stipend for five years of graduate study.

    2007. Daniel Lev Award for the 鈥涣耻迟蝉迟补苍诲颈苍驳 political science senior 迟丑别蝉颈蝉鈥 in 2007, University of Washington

    2007. Graduated summa cum laude in the Honors College with Distinction in Political Science, University of Washington

    Grants

    2013-14. Social Science Division Long-Term Project Grant, University of Chicago ($8,000)

    2013. Social Science Division Summer Grant, University of Chicago ($3,000)

    2011. Doolittle-Harrison Travel Grant, University of Chicago ($1,000)

    Teaching

    George Mason University
    Democratic Theory and Practice聽and Constitutional Law (graduate)
    Seminar in the Courts
    Spring 2020

    University of Virginia
    Prisons -聽Fall 2018
    Law and Democracy聽- Fall 2017
    Law & Political Thought:聽Punishment -聽Fall 2016
    B.A. Thesis Colloquium in Political Philosophy, Policy & Law
    Spring 2017, 2018, 2019

    Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women (Piedmont Virginia Community College)
    Constitutional Foundations of American Government
    Summer 2017

    University of Chicago
    B.A. Thesis Colloquium, Department of Political Science
    2013-2014

    Classics of Social and Political Thought III
    Spring 2013

    The Politics of Mass Incarceration in the U.S.
    Spring 2012

    Advising

    Resident Head of Vincent House, University of Chicago College Housing
    2013-2016

    笔别诲补驳辞驳颈肠补濒听罢谤补颈苍颈苍驳

    Center for Teaching Excellence in-class observation & focus group (Virginia) -聽2016

    Seminar and Workshop on Course Design (Chicago) -聽2015

    Workshop on Teaching in the College (Chicago) -聽2012

    Talks

    Leadership Alliance Mellon Initiative, University of Virginia, 2019. "Life in Graduate School and Law School."

    Columbia Center for Contemporary Critical Thought, Columbia University. 2015. 鈥凄别尘辞肠谤补迟颈肠 Exclusions: Prisoners, patients, and children in democratic politics."

    Chicago Area Behavior Workshop, Northwestern University. 2015. 鈥淧articipatory Politics and Equality in the Digital Age."

    Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics, MacArthur Foundation. 2014. 鈥淧artic- ipatory Politics and Equality in the Digital Age."

    Spring Lecture Series for Political Science Majors, University of Chicago. 2014. 鈥凄补迟补 Collection in Political Science Research."

    Asylums and Prisons: Deinstitutionalization and Decarceration, University of Chicago. 2013. 鈥淢ad Politics."

    Conferences

    Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association. Washington, DC 2010; Seattle, WA 2011; Chicago, IL 2013; Washington, DC 2014; San Francisco, CA 2015; San Francisco, CA 2017; Boston, MA 2018.

    Annual Meeting of the Law and Society Association. San Francisco, CA 2011; Seattle, WA 2015; New Orleans, LA 2016; Toronto, Canada 2018; Washington, DC 2019.

    Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Law, Cultural, and the Humanities. Stan- ford Law School, Palo Alto, CA 2017; Georgetown Law School, Washington, DC 2018.

    Annual Meeting of the Western Political Science Association. San Antonio, TX 2011; Seattle, WA 2014; Vancouver, Canada 2017; San Francisco, CA 2018.

    Annual Meeting of the Association for Political Theory. Ohio State University, 2016; Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges, 2018; University of California, Irvine, 2019.

    Fourth Annual Conference on Radical Democracy. New School for Social Research, New York, NY 2014.

    Social Science History Association. Chicago, IL 2013.

    Annual Meeting of the Mid-West Political Science Association in Chicago, IL. 2009; 2010.

    Research Seminars, Workshops

    WRiPS, George Mason University. 2019. 鈥淢耻蝉迟 penal law be insulated from public influence?"
    PPL Colloquium, University of Virginia. 2018. 鈥淐ustody and Community Control."

    PPL Colloquium, University of Virginia. 2016. 鈥凄别尘辞肠谤补肠测鈥檚 Internal Borders."
    Self & Subjectivity Workshop, University of Chicago. 2015. 鈥淢ad Politics."
    Political Theory Workshop, University of Chicago. 2015. 鈥淕辞惫别谤苍颈苍驳 Children."
    American Politics Workshop, University of Chicago. 2014. 鈥淕辞惫别谤苍颈苍驳 Children."
    Political Theory Workshop, University of Chicago. 2014. 鈥淢ad Politics."

    Political Theory Workshop, University of Chicago. 2013. 鈥淥苍 Prison Democracy."

    Professional Memberships

    American Political Science Association (APSA)
    Law & Society Association (LSA)

    Association for Political Theory (APT)

    Professional Service

    Manuscript Reviewer
    Law & Society Review, Political Theory, Theoretical Criminology, and Routledge

    Political Theory Workshop
    Student Coordinator
    Fall 2011-2013

    Chicago, IL

    Faculty Hiring Committee
    Student Representative
    Fall 2011-Spring 2012 Graduate
    Chicago, IL

    Community Service

    Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women
    Instructor
    2017

    Troy, VA

    Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, Nancy B. Jefferson School
    Volunteer Tutor
    2013-2015
    Chicago, IL

    Safer Foundation, 1811 Adult Transition Center
    Volunteer Tutor
    2008-2011
    Chicago, IL

    Literacy Americorps, King County Correctional Facility
    Instructor
    2007-2008

    Seattle, WA

    Updated October 16, 2019

    Areas of Research

    • Politics of Punishment
    • Penal Law
    • Law and Society
    • Democratic Theory