myCSUSM
Roni Kay M. O'Dell, Ph.D.
Dr. Roni Kay M. O’Dell is an assistant professor of political science at California State University, San Marcos and currently lives in San Diego, California. Her research, writing, and teaching covers topics at the intersection of human rights, human development, and environmental governance. She specializes in research on how international organizations support environmental governance and human thriving. She holds a doctorate in international studies from the University of Denver, Colorado, and a master’s degree in international policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California. Previous positions include at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania for nine years and Cameron University in Oklahoma for two years.
Roni Kay M. O'Dell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Political Science,
College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences
Published Books (Peer Reviewed)
O’Dell, R. K. M. and D. K. Joshi. (2024). Globalization and Human Development: From Ideology to the SDGs. Rowman and Littlefield.
O'Dell, R. K. M. and S. Breger Bush. (2021). Global Politics: A Toolkit for Learners. Rowman and Littlefield, Lexington Press.
Published Articles and Book Chapters (Peer Reviewed)
O’Dell, R. K. M. (2026). “Sustainable Development Goals and Civil Society: Lessons for Future Negotiation and Decision-Making.” In The Elgar Companion to Global Governance and the Sustainable Development Goals. Pamela Chasek, Ed. Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI: Click here to see the book
O’Dell, R. K. M. and S. Minghini (2026). “Classroom UNSC Simulations for Building Student and Instructor Confidence, Leadership, and Negotiation Skills” Journal of Political Science Education (first published online April 14, 2026). Click here to see the book
O'Dell, R. K. M. (2026). Negotiation and Diplomacy in the Three Body Problem Trilogy. In The Three Body Problem and International Relations, Wesley Hutto and Wendy Whitman Cobb, Eds. University of Florida Press. Click here to see the book
Wierszewski, E. and R. K. M. O'Dell. (2025). “Interdisciplinary Teaching About Refugee and Migrant Policy and Experiences Using Simulation and Story.” Teaching and Learning Inquiry, the Journal of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) 13: 1-19. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/TLI/article/view/79890 (first published online April 30, 2025).
O'Dell, R. K. M., A. Scott, M. Nealon, B. Franzino. (2024) “Training for the United Nations in the Twenty-First Century; Professionalism Training on Leadership, Negotiation, and Gender for Model United Nations Simulations” International Studies Perspectives 25(2): 246-264. https://doi.org/10.1093/isp/ekad011 (first published online May 25, 2023)
O’Dell, R. K. M. (2023). “Global Governance.” In Elgar Encyclopedia of Development, edited by Matthew Clarke and Xinyu Zhao, 279-283. London: Edward Elgar Publishing.
O’Dell, R. K. M. and L. Veazey. (2023). “Is Amnesty International Still a Grassroots, Member-Led Organization? An Assessment of Its Democratic Viability.” Journal of Human Rights Practice, 15 (1): 186-203. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huac059
O’Dell, R. K. M. (2023). “Refugee and Migrant Rights: A Human Rights Perspective.” In Carol Rittner (Ed.), Holocaust Education Today: Confronting Extremism, Hate, and Mass Atrocity Crimes. Greensburg, PA: SHU National Catholic Center for Holocaust Ed.
Breger Bush, S. and R. K. M. O’Dell. (2018). Teaching About Poverty and Inequality; Critical Pedagogy and Personal Experience in the Learner-Centered Classroom. International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education. 9(1-2): 81-105.
Joshi, D. and R. K. M. O’Dell. (2016). The Critical Role of Mass Media in International Norm Diffusion: The Case of UNDP Human Development Reports. International Studies Perspectives, 18(3), 343-364.
Joshi, D. and R. K. M. O’Dell. (2015). UNDP Human Development Reports Changing the World: A Review of the First 25 Years (translated into German: Wie die Berichte über die menschliche Entwicklung die Welt verändern. Vereinte Nationen, 63(1), 15-20.
Joshi, D. and R. K. M. O’Dell. (2013). Global Governance and Development Ideology: The United Nations and the World Bank on the Left-Right Spectrum. Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations, 19(2), 249-275.
O’Dell, R. K. M. (2012). New Perspectives on the Independence of International Organizations: How Do They Influence Peacebuilding and Good Governance? Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations, 18(4), 477-490.