Adriane Fresh
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Adriane Fresh received her PhD from Stanford, and her undergraduate degrees from New York University, where she originally went to study Film and TV production. Her research examines political and economic development from a historical perspective with a particular interest in how political and economic change disrupt the political class, and what strategies political elites use to hold on to their power. She teaches a regular 300-level course on institutions focused on understanding institutions to make social change, and she will be teaching a new course on the politics of police and prisons this coming Spring. Outside of Duke, she enjoys watching sports with fast vehicles, culinary experimentation, listening to Bluegrass music, and visiting the Eno with her daughter. She is originally from Seattle.
What are you most looking forward to as a Faculty Fellow?
I'm looking forward to learning what the cool music is that that the 'yoots' are listening to these days! More seriously, I'm really looking forward to the all that comes with being able to engage with students beyond the classroom environment. I'm excited to learn more about what Duke undergraduates are passionate about; what they're curious about; how they see the world, it's future, and their place in it; and what they need to be prepared to make it the place that they want it to be.
What advice would you give to current undergraduates?
I suppose that I worry about two related things for the undergrads that inform the advice that I typically give. First, I worry that undergraduates' pursuit of externally-validated markers of success crowds out their pursuit of genuine personal and intellectual passions. And second, I worry that mistakes, detours, and about-faces are scrupulously circumvented rather than welcomed and even sought out. It's all-too-easy to miss out on the chance to explore things that you really love at a time in your life when there's likely the most time and space to do so. And so often, mistakes and changes in life course bring you a richer experience than a carefully calibrated progression in a single area. So, the advice I tend to give students is to really reflect on their own passions and pursue them when possible, even if that pursuit doesn't look like what they're "supposed to" be doing. And I advise students to take interesting chances, embrace so-called mistakes, and in general, just get a little messy. If nothing else, a seemingly perfectly lived life offers few good stories to tell at a dinner party.
What is something you think students should know during their time at Duke?
I think students should know that there's more to Duke than campus. Being part of the Duke community is amazing and rewarding, but feeling like you're part of the Durham and broader North Carolina communities can really enrich your college experience. As a close second, I think students should know that reference librarians are a powerful and woefully underutilized resource on campus. When you're looking for just the right database, just the right document, or just the right research material, reference librarians can get you just what you need. I wish I had worked more closely with them when I was an undergraduate.