Albana Dwonch, Ph.D.

Lecturer, Political Science & International Studies

Dr. Albana Dwonch is a Lecturer at Gonzaga Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø, where her research and teaching examines issues of peace, security, and development, with a particular focus in the region of the Middle East. She has studied the social and political impact of...

Albona Dwonch, Ph.D.

Contact Information

  • Office Hours Spring 2025

    Tuesday 3:00pm - 4:30pm

    Thursday 2:00pm - 3:30pm 

  • (509) 313-3611

Education & Curriculum Vitae

Ph.D., Interdisciplinary Studies, Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø of Washington

M.A., Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø of Washington

B.A., Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø of Tirana, Albania.

Courses Taught

POLS 104: Introduction to International Politics.

POLS 359: Third World Development

POLS 372/INST 399: Middle East Politics

POLS 376 : International Organizations

INST 201: Introduction to International Studies

INST 432 : INGOs and International Development

INST 480: The Making of Our Global Order


Dr. Albana Dwonch is a Lecturer at Gonzaga Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø, where her research and teaching examines issues of peace, security, and development, with a particular focus in the region of the Middle East. She has studied the social and political impact of online and offline Palestinian youth activism in the context of the historic popular movements of the Arab Spring and their evolving role in the larger context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Prior and after her doctoral studies at the Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø of Washington, Dr. Dwonch worked and lived over a decade as an international aid worker, in multiple conflict-affected states and societies in the region of the Middle East, where she designed and led projects in youth development and humanitarian emergency sectors. She also was a Visiting Scholar at the Ibrahim Abu Lughod International Studies Institute, at Birzeit Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø in West Bank, where she revised and completed her book “Palestinian youth Activism in the Internet Age”. Currently she is a member of the International Research Group for the FBA (Folke Bernadette Academy) the Swedish Peace, Security and Development agency.

Albana’s goal as a passionate Teacher-Scholar is to integrate these field-driven international development practices and evidence-based peace-building strategies with interdisciplinary scholarly perspectives and innovative assignments in order to create a classroom where experiential learning and empathetic community building can lead to authentic and lasting relationships with her students and their lifelong learning journey at Gonzaga Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø and beyond.

Recent Publications

Book/Monograph

Dwonch, A. (2020) Palestinian Youth Activism in the Internet Age: Online and Offline social networks after the Arab Spring. SOAS Series IB TAURIS/ Bloomsburg. London.
Dwonch, A. (2020). Philip N. Howard, Lie Machines, How to Save Democracy from Troll Armies, Deceitful Robots, Junk News Operations, and Political Operatives. International Journal Of Communication, 14, 3. Available at: