Assistant Professor
Humanities, Arts and Social SciencesEducation
Ph.D., Colorado State University
Brief Bio
Dr. Witlacil received her BA in Political Science and French from the University of Colorado in Denver, her MA in Politics and International Affairs from Northern Arizona University, and her Ph.D. in Environmental Politics and Policy from Colorado State University.
Research Expertise
Dr. Mary Witlacil is an Assistant Professor of Political Science. She is an environmental political theorist who draws on contemporary political thought and Critical Theory. Her research considers the relationship between climate change, progress, consolation, and pessimism to consider how we cope with the climate crisis, and environmental injustice. Thus far, her research has been published in New Political Science. She is a research affiliate with the Center for Sustainable Solutions at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and is open to collaboration on topics related to climate politics, environmental politics, environmental justice, and Indigenous politics.
Teaching
Dr. Witlacil teaches a range of courses, including introductory classes like Political Ideologies, American Political Issues, and Global World Problems. She also teaches upper division courses like Environmental Law and Policy, the History of Political Thought, and will teach the Politics of Nature and Technology in Fall of 2024. In all of her classes, she strives to create an inclusive space to encourage compassionate debate with the goal of showing students that disagreements, conflict, and openness are key elements of democratic engagement. She hopes that by learning about politics students will be inspired to lead more politically engaged and aware lives—whether in their careers as engineers, or if they choose to become public servants, work for NGOs, get involved in activism, or simply become more informed participants in the democratic process.