Dr. Barry Edwards Rolls into UCF
Earning his Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Political Science from Stanford, his J.D. from NYU Law School and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, Dr. Barry Edwards joined the department this past fall.
Currently teaching Constitutional Law, Scope and Methods of Political Science, and Judicial Process and Politics, Dr. Edwards has made a comfortable adjustment to the campus. “I’ve been surprised at how friendly, diverse and engaging the students are here. I can’t believe how many students ride skateboards and how many different types of skateboards there are now.” He goes on to comment on all the academic tools the school has to offer, “It’s been great to learn about UCF’s commitment to innovative teaching methods and I’ve been surprised to discover all the resources the university makes available for online classes.”
With his dedication to his area of expertise, Dr. Edwards has made it clear on how passionate he is about being a political science professor. “It is a luxury to spend one’s time contemplating important legal and political issues in order to teach and research. It’s great to have the opportunity to pursue these interests with the support of a great university.” Even if he hadn’t become a political scientist, he would have still dabbled in the field by continuing to practice law like he did in Atlanta, Georgia before going to graduate school.
In his leisure time, you can find Dr. Edwards doing something that corresponds with his practice. Crediting Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father as the last nonacademic book he read, he comments, “I study U.S. presidents so I read it partly for work, but it was still a fun book to read. Barack Obama actually went by ‘Barry’ until he went to college”. Currently, the professor is working on a major project: “Letters and shapes with my son. He just turned six. I love being a dad and outside of work, that’s what I do with most of my time”.
You can tell passion runs through Dr. Edwards’ core no matter if it’s related to his profession or being a family man at home. He takes on many roles and lives to fulfill them all by his dedication. It is only fitting that when asked what song he would choose to represent his life, he selected Green Day’s “Time of Your Life” because it embodies everything he aims to do.
As Dr. Barry Edwards takes another turning point into his life as he makes a home at the University of Central Florida, we welcome him to the Knight family!