In each issue, Redbird Impact highlights a faculty or staff member who exemplifies Illinois State University’s core value of civic engagement. The spring 2025 Campus Hero is Dr. Noha Shawki, professor in the Department of Politics and Government.
Shawki grew up in Cairo, Egypt, and was educated in Europe and at Indiana University where she earned her Ph.D. in political science. She was teaching in Minnesota when she got the offer to come to Illinois State. She’s happily been a member of the Redbird community since August of 2007.
In addition to her academic work, Shawki is also co-director of the Center for a Sustainable Water Future, which was founded by a group of faculty and staff at Illinois State to facilitate interdisciplinary approaches to research and teaching that reflect the complexity of water as a global issue. She said she believes in the importance of this work as the world faces serious water-related challenges that are, in part, a result of climate change.
Shawki’s research, writing, and teaching interests, which are extensive, include: transnational social movements and activism; human rights; sustainable development; and global governance. Over the course of her career in the classroom, her teaching has been recognized with a variety of awards.
The following Q&A with Shawki was conducted in the fall. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
How did you make your way to Illinois State?
In the fall of 2006, I was teaching at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. While completing my dissertation and applying for tenure-track jobs in my field, I saw a job ad for an assistant professor position in the Department of Politics and Government, and the job description in the ad seemed like a good fit with my research and teaching interests. I applied for the job, completed a phone interview, and was invited to a campus interview that took place on November 16, 2006. It’s hard to believe that was 18 years ago! I received a job offer shortly after that campus interview.
Your interests are wide ranging, from the environment and human rights to the plight of refugees, how did you become so passionate about some of the world’s most critical challenges?
I grew up in the Middle East, went to college in Europe, and then moved to the United States for graduate school. This personal and educational journey shaped my outlook and career in very profound ways and sparked my interest in studying global challenges that impact our world and the transnational social movements that have mobilized to address these challenges. In high school and college, I was mostly interested in human rights and global justice issues, but the more I learned about human rights and global justice, the more I realized that environmental sustainability was essential to promoting a fairer and more equal world and a global order that leaves no one behind. Studying one global issue (and one transnational social movement) led me to studying another, and that is how I came to develop research and teaching interests in different areas.
What concerns you most about the world that your students are entering?
I worry that we live in a world where there is little (cross-cultural) dialogue and understanding between people on different sides of political, ethnic, religious, and cultural divides. I do not think I exaggerate when I say that the consequences of this lack of understanding and dialogue can be far-reaching, and in some cases tragic, for people on different sides of these divides.
I also worry that our students’ generation will bear the brunt of climate change and its environmental, economic, and public health impacts. I feel the same way about other environmental problems, and I worry that the environmental crises we are facing will negatively impact our students’ quality of life as they begin to build their personal and professional lives.
At the same time, many of our students are so passionate and have such a deep commitment to the causes they believe in that they give me hope that their generation will be successful in effectively responding to some of these challenges. Many of them bring so much energy, dedication, and passion to everything they do, and it is not possible to spend a lot of time with these students and feel too dejected or discouraged about the state of the world, despite the enormity of some of the challenges our world is facing.
What lasting impact do you hope to have on your students?
The vast majority of students who take my classes will not have careers focused on global or on human rights, sustainable development, or global justice issues. But I believe it is very important to introduce them to the wider world, to some of the critical challenges our world faces, and to help them develop a global outlook and a sense of global citizenship and of belonging to a global community and to reflect on their place in that community. In some of the experiential learning opportunities that I have designed, there has been an emphasis on encouraging students to intentionally seek meaningful intercultural encounters with people from very different walks of life, which I believe is very important. I strongly believe that since we live in an increasingly interdependent world, it is important to foster global awareness and a global mindset and help students reflect on how their lives impact and are impacted by the wider world. The impact I hope to have on my students aligns with some of ISU’s values and strategic directions including diversity, belonging, and global engagement.
You’ve taken students on many trips over the years, has there been a favorite and why?
It is really hard to identify a favorite program. All of the programs I have designed and taught are different, and they are all special and deeply rewarding for me in their own unique ways. They have all offered me opportunities to be involved in activities that reignite my commitment to centering global citizenship, human rights, and sustainable development in my career and my teaching.
The Model United Nations program has been central to my career. Teaching this course, which prepares students to participate in a Model United Nations simulation that brings together students from around the world, really shaped the way I approach teaching.
The study abroad experience in Costa Rica, which focuses on fair trade, has allowed my students to stay with host families several times, which was a wonderful experience. It has also presented wonderful opportunities to meet and interact with people who do inspiring work to foster global justice. Hearing their stories is always so inspiring.
The study abroad experience organized around Terra Madre, a global gathering of individuals involved with the global Slow Food movement that is held every other year in Italy, is special because Terra Madre is one of the most global and most diverse settings I have ever experienced.
The study-abroad experience for World Water Week, an event that takes place in Sweden every year, is a wonderful opportunity to meet and learn from different stakeholders around the world.
These have all been opportunities to build strong relationships with students. Building relationships with students and having the opportunity to be part of their journey at ISU have truly been some of the most rewarding aspects of my career. So many of our students remind me every day of the reasons I chose teaching as a career, and I am grateful for all the opportunities I have had to share meaningful and immersive experiences with them.
