By Rudo Ellen Kazembe ‘20,
Features Editor
Assistant Professor of Politics Aleksander Jankovski is a lecturer in politics with a specialization in international relations. He is well-known for being a supportive professor. According to one of his former students, Duma Zwane ’18, “Professor Jankovski successfully expresses his passion for his field of study with the goal of bringing students along on the journey. He is a special kind of intellectual caffeine.” The Stentor spoke to Jankovski about his journey from his undergraduate years to Lake Forest College.
Stentor: What did you study in college?
Jankovski: I first studied music. l was a music major, then l had a really wonderful class in political science, which was concentrated in political philosophy with a remarkable professor. I switched my major to political science and international relations after that.
Stentor: What strategies did you use to be successful in college?
Jankovski: I suppose there are two main strategies which one can use to be successful in college. One strategy is to persevere—to never give up and to keep moving forward. You need to make sure that if you have set a goal for yourself, you accomplish it. The second strategy is to try to read the texts as carefully as possible and to try to come to terms with the arguments by the various scholars so that you can understand their strongest arguments and, of course, the counter-arguments, which are advanced by other scholars.
Stentor: How would you describe your journey from undergraduate to Lake Forest College?
Jankovski: Very long. I was an undergraduate student, then l got my master’s of political science in 2004. Shortly after, l started teaching from 2005 to 2007, then l went to the University of Miami in Florida to get my PhD. l was there from 2007 to 2010 before l passed my comprehensive exams. l started teaching at Lake Forest College when l was a ABD PhD candidate in Miami, which was in 2011. l have been here for the past seven years.
Stentor: When did you know that you wanted to be a professor?
Jankovski: When l met that professor whom l took the political philosophy class with, I knew I wanted to be a professor, too. Perhaps l shouldn’t be telling you this, but l wasn’t the best of students—as crazy as that sounds—until l met that professor. She is no longer teaching, but she is still around. Her name is Valerie Simms, and she was very persistent and hard-working. She is the one who instilled in me the importance of reading texts very carefully. She was like a classically trained political philosopher.
Stentor: Have you had any other jobs besides teaching at this College?
Jankovski: l had many jobs of which l am very proud. When l was a music major, l used to teach people how to play the piano, especially younger children. I used to work in a factory and Starbucks. l was once a courier driver. I used to deliver pizzas and l was a business owner. I co-owned a deli with my parents. I delivered newspapers. I also worked as a court-appointed translator for Macedonian and Serbian.
Stentor: What do you like the best about students at Lake Forest College?
Jankovski: They are just so darn bright, talented, and hard-working. All of these things about persevering, working hard, and reading the texts carefully and closely make the students here just a really incredibly talented group of people.
Stentor: Which course do you enjoy teaching the most at Lake Forest College?
Jankovski: Probably Politics 245—the international relations theory course—because that is my main expertise and international political economy. l just enjoy teaching those subjects. When l am done, I will devote myself to international economy.
Rudo Ellen Kazembe can be contacted at kazembere@mx.lakeforest.edu.
