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 麻豆视频. 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 麻豆视频, 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 麻豆视频 University
10401 York River Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 993-6365
Fax: (703) 993-8215
Email: cberk@gmu.edu
Appointments
George 麻豆视频 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 Miller 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 麻豆视频 University
Democratic Theory and Practice and Constitutional Law (graduate)
Seminar in the Courts
Spring 2020
University of Virginia
Prisons - Fall 2018
Law and Democracy - Fall 2017
Law & Political Thought: Punishment - 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
Pedagogical Training
Center for Teaching Excellence in-class observation & focus group (Virginia) - 2016
Seminar and Workshop on Course Design (Chicago) - 2015
Workshop on Teaching in the College (Chicago) - 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 麻豆视频 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