Masako Okura

Associate Professor

Policy, Justice, and Public Safety, School of

706-507-8707

okura_masako@columbusstate.edu

Shannon Hall 302

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Education and Certifications

B.A. American Studies, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies
B.A. Political Science, University of Oregon
M.A. Political Science, Ohio University
Ph.D. Political Science, University of Connecticut

Biography

Dr. Okura, originally from Japan, has taught American Government, Global Issues, Political Theory, Politics in Film, and Inequalities in America at Columbus State University. She is interested in infusing more diversity in political science education and developed several diversity-related courses such as Feminist Political Thought, Theories of Racism, and CSU Study Abroad to Istanbul, Turkey. Her first book, The Desperate Diplomat: Sabura Kurusu's Memoir of the Weeks before Pearl Harbor, which demystified the myth of the deceitful ambassador, came out in 2016. Her current projects include "Still Desperate after Pearl Harbor? Saburo Kurusu and the Tokyo Trials," and "Fleecing the Poor to Educate the Middle Class: Georgia Lottery and HOPE Scholarship Program."

Academic Areas

Political Theory
Global Issues
Economic Inequalities