Resume

• 1992

  Ph.D.

  International Law

  History

  Comparative Politics

  University of California

  Berkeley

• Research

  Higher Education

  International Relations

  University Teaching

  Politics

  Teaching

  Program Development

  Community Outreach

  Policy Analysis

  Qualitative Research

  Program Evaluation

  Stata

  Theory

  International Human Rights

  Grant Writing

  Law School: A Guide for the Perplexed

  Whether you are an undergraduate contemplating your next step in life

  or a hard-working professional contemplating a career change

  the decision to go to law school is not one to be taken lightly. Far too many people stumble into the decision to go to law school without having any real idea of what law school is all about or what kind of career might await them after they finish. Law can be a fascinating field of study and an exhilarating career path

  but only if you know it is the right choice for you. So

  how do you know if it is the right choice for you?

  Law School: A Guide for the Perplexed

  Although most people think first of politics when they think of diversity

  history plays a surprisingly powerful and influential role in the creation of diversity as well. Identity is to a certain extent a narrative we tell about who we are and where we came from

  and since diversity is primarily a group-based competitive process

  group-based historical narratives become expressive claims to the spoils of diversity. This has lamentably created a debilitating sensitivity to any outside criticism of these group-based historical narratives

  as any criticism is interpreted as a denial of all of part of the group’s identity. Writing the Past Imperfect

  which is Part 3 of the four-part series Ourselves Among Others: The Extravagant Failure of Diversity in America and An Epic Plan to Make It Work

  shows how the rejection of critical perspectives on the past works to create a form of collective censorship in the present. Diversity is supposed to allow us to talk about and ask questions of our identities

  in the hope of fostering inter-cultural understanding

  but the excessive sensitivity toward the recounting of the past has made this all but impossible.

  Writing the Past Imperfect (Part 3/4)

  In spite of decades of diversity policy and practice

  America is in many ways more divided than ever when it comes to issues of identity. Critics from the political left argue that we simply need more diversity to overcome the division

  while critics from the political right argue that diversity has devolved into an unworkable set of unfair entitlements that are themselves the cause of the division. Understanding the Misunderstanding

  the first part of the four-part series Ourselves Among Others: The Extravagant Failure of Diversity in America and An Epic Plan to Make It Work

  explains the sources and causes of the social divide in America

  and also shows how neither the political left nor the political right have understood the problem or offered meaningful solutions. As this book shows

  the short answer is that we’ve been doing diversity wrong all along. What is needed is not more diversity

  but rather a different diversity

  one that works fairly and equally for all of us.

  Understanding the Misunderstanding (Part 1/4)

  A novel set in New Mexico

  based on the premise that the hardest thing to do in life is to believe in something. A journalist from New York is on a road trip to Los Angeles to reinvent himself anew

  but ends up unexpectedly falling in with a group of street theater actors in New Mexico. Told with a sense of humor as dry as the New Mexico desert

  this is a story about how becoming how becoming lost is the only way to find the road we were supposed to be on all along.

  The Cedars of Lebanon

  Diversity was supposed to offer us respect and understanding. Yet somehow we ended up with so much resentment and confusion

  so much division and discord

  that for many

  the project is ruined. The well of diversity has been poisoned. With a bit of effort and introspection

  however

  there is still great hope to pull off the impossible and unpoison the well and let diversity do the wonderful things it was supposed to do in the first place. Unpoisoning the Well

  which is Part 4 of the four-part series Ourselves Among Others: The Extravagant Failure of Diversity in America and An Epic Plan to Make It Work

  offers a game-changing plan to do exactly that. Drawing on real-world scenarios and offering a set of rules and guidelines that can be applied equally and fairly to ourselves and to others

  this book concludes the series by offering an epic plan to reset diversity and push it in the direction it was always meant to go.

  Unpoisoning the Well (Part 4/4)

  One of the unfortunate by-products of our current approach to diversity has been the creation of an enclave society. Since the benefits of diversity are apportioned by group identity

  diversity encourages us to find our own group and then “stick with our own kind.” The result is inter-group rivalry and a deeply-divided society

  one based on separate enclaves of identity that rarely if ever interact. If diversity is supposed to provide a way for us to understand each other

  then the rise of an enclave society is perhaps the central example of the extravagant failure of diversity in America. Liberating the Enclave

  which is Part 2 of the four-part series Ourselves Among Others: The Extravagant Failure of Diversity in America and An Epic Plan to Make It Work

  offers a critical tour of several of these enclaves and also provides a different version of diversity that helps lead us out of our enclaves rather than

  as we currently have it

  sheltering within them.

  Liberating the Enclave (Part 2/4)

  Part 1/5 of a short film series about diversity. This film explains why diversity isn't working. The short answer is: we're doing it wrong.

  The Problem with Diversity: Part 2

  Part 2/5 of a short film series on diversity. This film explains the difference between active and passive diversity. Active diversity is what we need; passive diversity is unfortunately what we have.

  The Problem with Diversity: Part 3

  Part 3/5 of a short film series about diversity.This film explains why diversity works best as a peer-to-peer process

  and not as a package of government policies and programs.

  The Problem with Diversity: Part 4

  Part 4/5 of a short film series on diversity. This film explains why tolerance is not the essence of diversity

  as is often suggested.

  The Problem with Diversity: Part 5

  Part 5/5 of a short film series on diversity. This film explains why \"not getting it\" is a problem we all share

  and suggests a few ways to fix it.

  Zook

  I've got years of experience doing research and field-work in some of the most complex political environments in the world. My professional experience has taken me all throughout Asia

  ranging from India

  where I lived for nearly three years

  to North Korea

  to which I have made two trips to date. In 2012

  I spent most of the year living in Singapore

  working on a project on emerging cybersecurity threats in the Asia-Pacific region.\n\nMy work tends to focus on issues relating to law

  legal reform

  and human rights

  and also includes conflict resolution initiatives in crisis zones and deeply-divided societies. I have a unique portfolio of expertise

  having worked in a number of remote and difficult-to-reach parts of the world

  and I very much enjoy sharing my expertise and experience with anyone and everyone who holds an interest or who might be searching for a new perspective to open up a creative path in their own work.\n\nEducation for me is the most powerful form of activism there is

  and I approach my professional craft with a spirit of engaged and constructive energy to push things as far as I can take them. I don't consider it naive when people say they want to make the world a better place. I consider it defiantly courageous.\n\nAside from academic articles and an ever- growing number of online essays meant for a more general audience

  I have recently published six books

  all of which are available from all major online retailers (Amazon

  iBooks

  B&N

  etc.):\n\nOurselves Among Others: The Extravagant Failure of Diversity in America and An Epic Plan to Make It Work (a four-volume series - (1) Understanding the Misunderstanding

  (2) Liberating the Enclave

  (3) Writing the Past Imperfect

  and (4) Unpoisoning the Well)\n\nLaw School: A Guide for the Perplexed\n\nThe Cedars of Lebanon (a novel)

  Darren

  Zook

  University of California

  Berkeley

  Berkeley

  California

  USA

  International Human Rights

  International Law

  International Relations

  Politics of Asia-Pacific Islands

  Diversity and Identity Politics

  Music and Politics

  Professor

  University of California

  Berkeley