THIS MONTH'S HEADLINES:
1. FALL 2018 COURSES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
2. PUBLIC POLICY FUND STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS
3. "LESSONS FROM DETROIT" FORUM
4. PUBLIC POLICY WRITING WORKSHOPS
5. GUY RESCHENTHALER TO RECEIVE PENN STATE ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
6. SUMMER INTERNSHIP STIPENDS
7. STUDENT GROUP NEWS
8. FACULTY IN THE NEWS
9. FACEBOOK PAGE
1. FALL 2018 COURSES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
PL SC 431 - LEARN HOW POWER AND PASSION ARE PART OF RATIONAL POLITICS
For all students wishing to discuss utopia and dystopia
PL SC 431 - Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Political Theories: Come to this class and find out why 1) it's Socrates' fault you have to take gen ed courses, 2) why nobody dresses up like monks at the Medieval Faire, 3) why utopian political orders are so irresistible to try at home, and 4) how one might recognize the signs of dystopia right before he/she gets arrested by the authorities. Togas optional. Prerequisite: PL SC 007 or PL SC 017. PL SC 431 will be taught by Dr. Celise Schneider-Rickrode.
PL SC 471 - TAKE A COURSE WITH THE TOP JUDGE IN ERIE COUNTY
For all students thinking about law school or legal or criminal justice careers
PL SC 472 - The American Legal Process: Students will be exposed to a thorough look at both the Pennsylvania court system and our federal court system. Students will be taught important legal terminology including the meaning of jurisdiction, burdens of proof, stare decisis, etc.. Exploration of our adversarial system will cover areas in both civil and criminal law and important differences between these two areas of law. Civil law subjects of torts and contracts will be explained. A study of criminal law and the 4th, 5th and 6th amendments will be undertaken. Understanding the differences between the two areas of law, the differing presumptions, standards of proof, consequences, and so on will be imperative. Fundamental Constitutional principles embraced by our founders and carried on today will be studied, including a review of our Bill of Rights. Areas of family law and juvenile delinquency and dependency may also be considered. Students will be expected to leave the course with awareness of differences between civil and criminal law, why our system of justice, although not perfect, works, and to be able to articulate and be familiar with legal terms and concepts associated with our American Legal Process. Prerequisite: PL SC 001. PL SC 472 will be taught by President Judge John J. Trucilla of the Erie County Court of Common Pleas. Judge Trucilla, who has served as a judge since 2002 and as Erie County President Judge since 2015, is a former Erie County Assistant District Attorney, and during the 1990s, he served as Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania in the U.S. Department of Justice.
PL SC 489 - DISCUSS CASE STUDIES OF GOVERNMENT SUCCESS AND FAILURE
For all students considering careers in public policy or government service
PL SC 489 - Public Administration: This is an ideal course for students who wish to learn more about the management of government agencies or are seeking a career in public service. Some of the administrative decision case studies that may be discussed in the course involve a fifty-year coal mine fire in Pennsylvania, the decision to go to war in Iraq, the space shuttle Columbia disaster, and a Philadelphia mayor dropping a bomb in a residential neighborhood. Prerequisite: PL SC 001. PL SC 489 will be taught by Sheila Sterrett. Ms. Sterrett is the Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Manager for U.S. Senator Pat Toomey. She is the former Director of Government Affairs for the Northwest Pennsylvania Manufacturer and Business Association, and is a former legislative assistant for Pennsylvania State Representative Karl Boyes.
2. PUBLIC POLICY FUND STUDENT RESEARCH GRANTS
The Behrend Public Policy Fund is awarding grants to facilitate original policy research in a variety of policy sectors. Faculty research grants are awarded up to $2,000 and student research grants are awarded up to $1,000. All proposals will be scored by an inter-disciplinary committee comprised of faculty members from Penn State Behrend, Mercyhurst University, Gannon University, and Edinboro University. Public Policy Fund grant awards may be applied to research-related travel, but not to travel for conference presentation/attendance. Preference will be given to proposals that (a) address issues pertinent to the Erie region, (b) use empirical evidence to address policy issues and/or make policy recommendations, and (c) incorporate an inter-disciplinary approach. Proposals are due by March 30, 2018. For full submission specifications, please contact Public Policy Fund Director Caitlin Handerhan ([email protected]).
3. "LESSONS FROM DETROIT" FORUM
The Public Policy Fund will host a two-day forum in March featuring photographer Andrew Moore and New York Times contributor Reif Larson to discuss the economic turn-around in Detroit and how this can be applied to the Erie region.
Monday, March 19
7:00 p.m., McGarvey Commons
Following up on his bestselling book, Detroit Disassembled, photographer Andrew Moore will discuss the impact of the pictures he made in Detroit nearly ten years ago. His talk will detail his involvement with the urban explorer scene in the city, the evolution of the book’s themes during the project, the subsequent “ruin porn” controversy, as well as the renewal of the city’s downtown core and the remaining future challenges.
Tuesday, March 20
7:00 p.m., McGarvey Commons
“The 21st Century American City: Habitats of Contact” Keynote by Reif Larsen, New York Times contributor, will discuss how we activate 20th-century industrial infrastructure into 21st-century playgrounds of creativity and innovation. Using the case study of Detroit, we’ll look at how that city has overcome its challenges to evolve into one of the more exciting urban centers in America.
8:00 p.m., McGarvey Commons
Panel discussion featuring: Reif Larsen; Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper; Junia Howell, assistant professor of sociology, University of Pittsburgh; and Anthony Bango, assistant director, Metro West Community Development Office of Cleveland and Penn State Behrend political science alumnus.
4. PUBLIC POLICY WRITING WORKSHOPS
The Behrend Public Policy Fund will host a series of skill-development workshops, taught by Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, that aim to provide students with essential analytical and professional skills pertinent to the sphere of public policy. The policy analysis and writing workshops will include: reading analytically and critically; speaking knowledgeably on a range of policy topics that concern state and local policy makers; communicating policy analysis clearly and persuasively in a manner that is accessible to a wide range of policy relevant audiences.
Students will learn how to read empirical research presented in academic literature, synthesize the findings, and communicate policy-related research and recommendations in policy review papers, policy briefs and memos, as well as other modes of written and oral policy communication. The workshops can be taken as stand-alone courses, or as a series.
The workshops are developed for Behrend students of all disciplines. The acquired skills are non-discipline specific and can be applied to a wide range of professional development goals.
Each section consists of two meeting sessions; students are strongly advised to attend both sessions. Make sure to bring your computer.
Location: Kochel 041
Schedule:
- Feb. 21 and Feb. 28: Writing a Policy Brief
- March 14 and 21: Policy Analysis: Papers, Research, and Presentation
- March 28 and April 4: Communicating Policy to General Public: Op-Ed
- April 11 and 18: Communicating Policy: Memo
For more information, please email Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned at [email protected].
5. GUY RESCHENTHALER TO RECEIVE PENN STATE ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
The Penn State Alumni Association will honor ten prominent young alumni at the Alumni Achievement Awards on March 23, including Guy Reschenthaler, a Penn State Behrend political science alumnus.
Guy L. Reschenthaler, a 2004 graduate who attended Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, represents the 37th District in the Pennsylvania Senate, and serves portions of Allegheny County and Peters Township in Washington County. He was elected to the state senate in November 2015, winning a special election, and was re-elected in November 2016 to serve a full four-year term. He serves on the Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows, Behrend’s Humanities and Social Sciences Advisory Board, and Behrend’s Political Science Advisory Board. Reschenthaler graduated from Penn State in three years with a bachelor’s degree in political science, and he completed law school at Duquesne University.
The ACPC Internship Stipend program is open only to H&SS students who are completing an unpaid internship during the summer for course credit. The stipend is worth up to three credits (based on the number of enrolled XXXX495 credits) of in-state tuition. Students must be in good academic standing and preference will be given to students earning a 2.5 GPA and above. Preference also is given to those returning to Behrend in Fall 2018 as well as students with documented unmet financial need.
Applications are due Friday, March 30, on Nittany Lion Career Network. More information can be found on the Nittany Lion Career Network and from Career Counselor Danielle Young at [email protected], 898-6164.
Penn State Behrend’s Model United Nations team took part in the Harvard International Model United Nations Conference, in Boston, Massachusetts. February 15-18, 2018. The team represented Bangladesh on a number of U.N. committees including U.N. Development Program, World Health Organization, U.N. Disarmament and Security Committee, Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee, and UN Legal Committee. Photos from the conference have been posted on the Penn State Behrend political science Facebook page. For more information about Behrend Model U.N., contact Vice President Carlos Mora at [email protected].
ThePolitical Science Society meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in Kochel 042. The group is planning to sponsor an issue debate on April 3 and to work with Greener Behrend for an April 20 event. They will also be holding elections for new officers in late March. For more details, contact President Jack Walker at [email protected].
College Republicans will next meet on Thursday, March 1, at 7:00 p.m., in Kochel 043 to discuss events for the remainder of the semester, including meetings with candidates for office in this year's elections. For details, contact President JP Jarecki at [email protected].
College Democrats is seeking volunteers and part-time paid staff for the congressional campaign of Conor Lamb in suburban Pittsburgh. For details, contact President Jillian Dunn at [email protected].
Dr. John K. Gamble, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Law, gave a campus talk titled "Politics of Garbage" for the Public Policy Fund Lecture Series on February 20.
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 "Is There a Chance to Better Ankara-Washington Ties?" can be found on the Daily Sabah website.
Dr. Molly Monahan Lang, Lecturer in Sociology, presented a paper titled "It Gets Better?: Embarrassment Across the Life Course," at the Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meeting in Baltimore on February 24.
Dr. Nicole Shoenberger, Assistant Professor of Sociology, gave a presentation titled "From Beginning to End: A Case Study of a North American Cult," for the Penn State Behrend; Psychological Sciences; Human Behavior Series on February 21.
Dr. Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science, gave a presentation about gerrymandering at the Jefferson Educational Society in Erie on February 8. He was also interviewed for an article about proposed new congressional districts in Pennsylvania for an article that appeared in the Erie Times-News on February 11, and for an article about aging Democratic leadership in Washington that appeared in the Chinese-language Hong Kong newspaper HK01 on February 11.
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.