THIS MONTH'S HEADLINES:

  1. DR. SHUM TO SPEAK ON CAMPUS ABOUT TAIWAN ELECTION
  2. “UNISSUED DIPLOMAS” EXHIBITION IN LILLEY LIBRARY TO COMMEMORATE UKRAINIAN STUDENT LIVES LOST
  3. BEHREND STUDENTS CAN COMPLETE PENN STATE LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES MINOR
  4. BEHREND STUDENTS CAN COMPLETE ONLINE PENN STATE HOMELAND SECURITY MINOR
  5. OTHER RELATED MINORS OFFERED AT PENN STATE BEHREND
  6. FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE NEWS
  7. STUDENT GROUP NEWS
  8. NEW BEHREND POLITICAL SCIENCE INSTAGRAM PAGE
  9. FACEBOOK PAGE

1. DR. SHUM TO SPEAK ON CAMPUS ABOUT TAIWAN ELECTION

Dr. Maggie Shum, assistant professor of Political Science, will present “The Impact of Taiwan’s Election in 2024 and Beyond” on Monday, February 26, 5:00-7:00 p.m., at the Metzgar Center. Join the Public Policy Initiative and the Behrend Political Society in the Metzgar Lobby for a discussion about the impact of Taiwan's election in 2024 and beyond. Dr. Maggie Shum will share her observations and experiences based on the week-long Electoral Observation Tour in Taipei organized by the Friends of Hong Kong and Macau Association and sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (Taiwan). She will also assess the implications of the recent election results on the U.S.-China-Taiwan triangle moving forward, as well as how Taiwanese people understand and perceive their stakes amidst the geopolitical dynamics.

2. “UNISSUED DIPLOMAS” EXHIBITION IN LILLEY LIBRARY TO COMMEMORATE UKRAINIAN STUDENT LIVES LOST

Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, associate teaching professor of Political Science and associate director of the Public Policy Initiative, has worked with the Lilley Library to present an “Unissued Diplomas” exhibition. The exhibition shares the stories of 40 Ukrainian students who will never graduate because they lost their lives in the ongoing war. February 24 marks two years since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The exhibit is located in the first floor of the Lilley Library. Similar exhibits are taking place in numerous universities across the globe at the same time. Free and open to public.

3. BEHREND STUDENTS CAN COMPLETE PENN STATE LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES MINOR

Penn State has a Latin American Studies Minor that can be completed with courses taken at Penn State Behrend, with one class that may need to be completed through Penn State’s online Digital Learning Cooperative.

The requirements include:

  • 9 credits of required courses:
    • PLSC 456 - Latin American Politics (offered Fall 2024)
    • HIST 178 or HIST 179 - Latin American History
    • SPAN 100 - Intermediate Grammar and Composition (Behrend students may need to take via the online DLC for Penn State), note that completion of SPAN 3 is a pre-requisite
  • 9 credits from an approved list (of which 3 credits must be at 400-level), which includes:
    • ANTH 8 - Aztec, Inca, Maya (offered Fall 2024)
    • ANTH 221N - Ancient Maya
    • HIST 178 or 179 (whichever not used as the required course)
    • HIST 250 - Introduction to the Caribbean (offered Fall 2024)
    • HIST 467 - Latin America and the United States
    • Any Latin American or Latin American focused course can count here as a substitute, such as HIST 497 on the Mexican Revolution

For questions about the minor, contact Dr. Maggie Shum at [email protected].

To inquire about course substitutes, contact Benjamin Whitesell at [email protected].

4. BEHREND STUDENTS CAN COMPLETE ONLINE PENN STATE HOMELAND SECURITY MINOR

Learn about homeland security issues including emergency management, homeland security policy, and the structure of homeland security operations. Grow your skills to understand national security policies, including border security, and support prevention of, protection from, mitigation against, and recovery from, terrorist attacks and natural disasters in a whole-community approach at local, state, and federal level.

The minor is offered through World Campus courses available to Penn State Behrend students and administered from Penn State Harrisburg. PLSC 439 - The Politics of Terrorism - is taught at Penn State Behrend.

For questions, contact Dr. Emma Leonard Boyle at [email protected].

5. OTHER RELATED MINORS OFFERED AT PENN STATE BEHREND

Numerous other minors of interest to political science students, some of them new, are offered through Penn State Behrend courses:

  • Politics and Government - PLSC 1, PLSC 3, and 12 other PLSC credits, including 6 credits at the 400-level. This minor is not available to POLSC majors. For information, contact Dr. Robert Speel at [email protected].
  • Politics and Public Policy - PLSC 1, PLSC 202, STAT 200, and 9 credits from an approved list of ECON and PLSC courses, including 6 credits at the 400-level. For information, contact Dr. Robert Speel at [email protected].
  • Legal Studies (will be available on LionPath soon) - PLSC 1, CRIMJ 100, and 12 credits from approved lists of PLSC courses, including 6 credits at the 400-level. For information, contact Dr. Robert Speel at [email protected].
  • Crime, Law, and Psychology - SOC 12, 3 other SOC or CRIMJ credits from approved list, 6 PSYCH credits from approved lists, 6 PLSC credits from approved lists. For information, contact Dr. Melanie Hetzel-Riggin at [email protected].
  • Sociology - SOC 1 and 15 other SOC credits, including 6 credits at the 400 level. For information, contact Dr. Amy Carney at [email protected].
  • Transnational Perspectives (in the process of being updated). For information, contact Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned-Harned at [email protected].
  • Civic and Community Engagement - CIVCM 211 and 15 other credits that must include courses about public issues and democracy, a supervised field experience, and a capstone project. For information, contact Dr. David Kahl at [email protected].

6. FACULTY AND STUDENTS IN THE NEWS

  • POLSC Major Eric Oelhaf recently wrote a piece on Wall Street Journal’s Future View on the case for and against aid to Ukraine.
  • Dr. Kilic Kanat, associate professor of Political Science, moderated a panel for the SETA Foundation on February 1 about “The F-16 Deal’s Implications for U.S.-Türkiye Relations.”
  • Dr. Maggie Shum, assistant professor of Political Science, published her article in Flow HK, a Hong Kong Diaspora magazine, about potentials and challenges for Hong Kong advocacy work in the U.S.
  • Dr. Robert Speel, associate professor of Political Science, was interviewed in February for an article in the Sunbury Daily Item about young voters in this year’s U.S. presidential election:
  • Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, associate teaching professor of Political Science, published a blog piece in The Loop – the Political Science Blog of the European Consortium for Political Research. She will also be speaking at the Jefferson Educational Society about the war in Ukraine on February 28 at 7:00 p.m. The lecture is free to Behrend Students.

7. STUDENT GROUP NEWS

College Republicans meets every Monday at 3:00 p.m. this semester, usually in 205 Burke. On the evening of Wednesday, February 28, they will be hosting a Turning Point USA session on Election Integrity in the McGarvey Commons of the Reed Building at 6:30 p.m. Speakers will include Seth Keshel of the Election Fairness Institute and Toni Shuppe of Audit the Vote PA. To get involved, contact President Anthony Farrar at [email protected].

The Behrend Political Society meets this semester every Monday at 5:00 p.m. in 114 Reed. On Monday, February 26, at 5:00 p.m., they are hosting Dr. Maggie Shum to discuss this year’s elections in Taiwan at the Metzgar Center, as mentioned earlier in this newsletter. To get involved, contact President Bella Eibl at [email protected].

8. NEW BEHREND POLITICAL SCIENCE INSTAGRAM PAGE

The Penn State Behrend Political Science Program finally has an Instagram page!

Follow the page for news about upcoming events and photos from past events.

9. FACEBOOK PAGE

All students and alumni are invited to like the Penn State Behrend political science Facebook page and get updated news and find out about events.