Karen Alter


Karen J. Alter is an American academic, well known for her interdisciplinary work on international law's influence in international and domestic politics. Alter is a leading authority on comparative international courts and the politics of international regime complexity. Her early work focused on the European Court of Justice, a topic on which she published two books and many articles. Karen Alter is a Guggenheim Fellow, and the winner of a Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin. Alter has a courtesy appointment at Northwestern Law School. Fluent in French, Italian and German, Alter has conducted research throughout Europe, Africa and Latin America.
Alter is well known for integrating the study of international relations and law. Although she never pursued a JD, Alter spent a year as an Emile Noel Fellow at Harvard Law School, and she has been a visiting scholar at Northwestern Law School and the American Bar Foundation. Alter is a permanent visiting professor at the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Law, where she participates in the iCourts Center of Excellence, and she is a frequent co-author with Laurence Helfer of Duke Law School. Alter is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the editorial board of the , and the Journal of International Dispute Settlement.

Early life

Karen Alter grew up in Los Angeles, where she attended Pacific Palisades High School. She attended Cornell University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, with distinction in all subjects, and worked with Peter J. Katzenstein. Alter received her doctorate in political science at MIT, where she worked with Suzanne Berger and Anne-Marie Slaughter.

Career

Karen Alter began her career at Smith College, after which she moved to Northwestern University. She teaches courses at the graduate and undergraduate level, and on occasion at Northwestern Law School. Alter has been a visiting faculty member at University of Copenhagen Faculty of Law, American Academy, Northwestern Law School, Institute d'Etudes Politiques, American Bar Foundation, Universität Bremen, Germany, Seikei University, Harvard Law School, and the European Union Center, Harvard University.
Alter is also a frequent commentator on international relations. Her commentary has appeared in the Boston Globe, CNN, U.S. News & World Report, the Chicago Tribune, and the Huffington Post.

Honors

Books