Stories of individual humans striving to transform the world are the focus of the new book by Seton Hill Associate Professor of Political Science and Global Studies Dr. Roni Kay M. O’Dell.  In “Globalization and Human Development: From Counter-Ideology to the SDGs” (written with Dr. Devin K. Joshi of Singapore Management University) she describes how a variety of everyday people have found ways to engage in global governance to improve human prosperity worldwide. 

People profiled in “Globalization and Human Development” include:

• An 11-year old Palestinian boy who became famous on TikTok in 2020 for rapping about peace and prosperity - things he has not yet experienced in his short life - in videos he created himself.
• A young woman from Pakistan, and her continued advocacy for girls' education more than a decade after she almost lost her life for doing so. 
• A man who brought education on infectious diseases to Nigeria, and whose organization has expanded to promote education awareness across sub-Saharan Africa. 

“The individual human stories help bolster the larger point of the book,” Dr. O’Dell says, “which is to present the history of how and why the idea of human development--that of expanding people's freedom to live the lives they have reason to value--is now crucial to the way that we think and act in the creation of policy, and in international relations and international development more generally.”

In addition to serving as an associate professor of political science and global studies, Dr. O’Dell is also the advisor of Seton Hill’s award-winning Model U.N. Team. Participation in the team is open to all majors.

“The individual human stories help bolster the larger point of the book, which is to present the history of how and why the idea of human development...is now crucial to the way that we think and act in the creation of policy, and in international relations and international development more generally.”

“One of the most exciting things about the book is that I was able to obtain support from students as it was being written,” she says. “Several Seton Hill political science and global studies students acted as research assistants, and are named in the acknowledgements.” 

Students who helped Dr. O’Dell with her research include: Sarah Minghini, political science and communication - integrated marketing and public relations major;  Ryan Dzurko, prelaw-political science major; Jarred Spellman, prelaw-political science major; Sophia Solomon, prelaw-political science major; De'Shawn McClary, prelaw-political science major; Trifol Headman, prelaw-political science major; and Hannah Potter, global studies - human rights, peace and justice major.

An expert in global governance, Dr. O’Dell has published widely on the challenges of war, humanitarian crises, increased migration and refugee flows, and climate change.“Globalization and Human Development” is being published by Rowman and Littlefield and will be available in February 2024. Some of Dr. O’Dell’s other recent publications include: "Global Governance" in the Elgar Encyclopedia of Development; “Training for the United Nations in the Twenty-First Century; Professionalism Training on Leadership, Negotiation, and Gender for Model United Nations Simulations,” in International Studies Perspectives; “Is Amnesty International Still a Grassroots, Member-Led Organization? An Assessment of Its Democratic Viability,” in the Journal of Human Rights Practice; and “Global Politics: A Toolkit for Learners” (with Sasha Breger Bush).

"If humans are to survive, thrive, and protect the Earth’s resources for the present and the future,” she says, “they must respond adequately to current global threats and be ready for challenges of a completely different nature in the centuries to come."

Photo of Dr. O’Dell, above, courtesy of Jarred Spellman.