THIS MONTH'S HEADLINES:
1. GRADUATING SENIORS
2. PUBLIC POLICY FUND INTERNSHIPS
3. SUMMER STUDY ABROAD IN UKRAINE AND IN CANADA
4. STUDENT GROUP NEWS
5. FACULTY IN THE NEWS
6. FACEBOOK PAGE
7. HOLIDAYS
If they complete all course requirements, political science majors Andrew Tuznik and James Sperrazzo and politics and government minor Justin DeFonzo are scheduled to graduate this month. Andrew will be applying to master's degree programs in international development.
We extend best wishes to our graduating seniors and their plans for the future.
2. PUBLIC POLICY FUND INTERNSHIPS
We are at a critical moment in American politics, and it is important to get involved. Students who are interested in campaigns, government, or policy have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the political process next semester through the Public Policy Fund. Completing an internship will allow students to apply their knowledge from the classroom and gain experience in their field, while making a positive impact on our political system. From the Mayor's office to the Governor's race, Behrend students have a wide variety of internship options for the upcoming semester. The Public Policy Fund has a database of internships that students can choose from; after meeting with Public Policy Fund Executive Director Caitlin Handerhan, students will be placed in an internship that suits their skill set and professional goals. Please contact Caitlin Handerhan ([email protected]) for more information or to set up a meeting.
3. SUMMER STUDY ABROAD IN UKRAINE AND IN CANADA
NORTH AMERICAN POLITICS COURSE IN TORONTO
This course (PL SC 299 or PL SC 499) will be offered between May 13 - June 9, 2018.
Spend a month in Toronto—and get credit for it! The class is an official Penn State Education Abroad course that can be used to fulfill requirements for the political science major or minor at any Penn State campus, the international politics major at University Park (PL SC 499 only), and requirements in some majors for an Education Abroad component, including the international business major at Penn State Behrend. The course also may meet requirements in other majors and minors. The course is open to students at all Penn State campuses.
The course will be co-taught by Dr. Robert Speel, associate professor of political science at Penn State Behrend, and by Ryerson University Professor Greg Inwood. The class will take place on the Ryerson campus in downtown Toronto and will include students from Penn State and Ryerson in the classroom together. American students from Penn State and Canadian students from Ryerson will participate together in class discussions and on class excursions and will take the same exams. Penn State students will be graded by Dr. Speel.
The course focuses on the comparative politics of the United States and Canada and on international relations between the two countries. Among the topics to be discussed will be a comparison of the development of separate political cultures in the two countries, comparisons of government institutions, election systems, federalism, and regionalism, and comparisons of each country's policy approaches toward the economy, health care, gun control, language, free speech, legal marijuana, abortion, medically assisted suicide, and the role of religion in education. Issues important in international relations between the two countries will also be discussed - this includes trade, border security, prevention of terrorism, and control of the Arctic. Class excursions will visit the Ontario Parliament Buildings and Fort York, site of an important battle in the War of 1812.
More details about the course can be found on the Toronto course website.
PITTSBURGH TO UKRAINE
Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, assistant teaching professor of political science, will lead a University of Pittsburgh course open to Penn State Behrend students titled "Competing Perspectives on Global Energy: From Western PA to Eastern Europe," between May 14-27, 2018. Students will visit energy companies and energy policymakers in Washington County, PA, Washington, D.C., Brussels, Belgium (EU Headquarters), and Kyiv, Ukraine. Participants will make site visits to companies, extraction and transportation facilities, various government, and civic organizations and participate in lectures by local stakeholders and specialists. At the end of the course, participants will have a much broader understanding of the global impact of energy developments and more clearly understand how local activities, such as those related to Marcellus Shale, can have far-reaching consequences in different sectors and geographic locations. Penn State students can register for the course at University of Pittsburgh and pay Pittsburgh tuition, but have the course transferred into Penn State for credit. The application deadline has been extended to January 26. For more details, visit the Global Energy program website.
The student political groups are organizing and planning for next semester.
For information about the Political Science Society, contact President Jack Walker at [email protected].
College Republicans will be organizing speakers and forums about immigration, gerrymandering, and cybersecurity next semester. For details, contact President JP Jarecki at [email protected].
For information about College Democrats, contact President Jillian Dunn at [email protected].
Model United Nations will be participating at a national conference at Harvard University next February. For details about getting involved, contact Vice President Carlos Mora at [email protected].
Dr. Kilic Kanat, associate professor of political science, continues to write regular columns for Daily Sabah, an English-language newspaper in Turkey. Those columns, of which the most recent is titled "How Should We Understand U.S. Decision on Jerusalem," can be found on the Daily Sabah website.
Dr. Nicole Shoenberger, assistant professor of sociology, has published two chapters about "Bridging Normative and Reactivist Perspectives: An Introduction to Positive Deviance" and "Leaving Home: Making the Decision to Enter a New Religious Movement," in the Routledge Handbook on Deviance. Dr. Shoenberger and Dr. Nicole Rosen, assistant research professor in sociology, also presented a paper about Day Reporting Centers at the American Society of Criminology in Philadelphia last month.
Dr. Robert Speel, associate professor of political science, was interviewed by Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Baer last month for a column about incumbency protections for Pennsylvania legislators.
Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, assistant teaching professor of political science, has co-authored a new book titled Post-Soviet Legacies and Conflicting Values in Europe: Generation Why, published last month by Lexington Books. To purchase one online, go to the Rowman & Littlefield website.
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.
Best wishes to everyone on final exams and during the entire holiday season!