THIS MONTH'S HEADLINES:
1. ANNUAL POLITICAL SCIENCE DINNER AT OLIVE GARDEN ON APRIL 24
2. FALL 2018 COURSES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
3. DEBATE ON GUNS, SEX, AND DEATH
4. PUBLIC POLICY WRITING WORKSHOPS
5. UNDERSTANDING "FAKE NEWS" PANEL DISCUSSION
6. SALT SYMPOSIUM
7. GREENER BEHREND FORUM
8. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES DEBATE
9. STUDENT GROUP NEWS
10. FACULTY IN THE NEWS
11. FACEBOOK PAGE
1. ANNUAL POLITICAL SCIENCE DINNER AT OLIVE GARDEN ON APRIL 24
The annual political science dinner will be held at the Olive Garden on Peach Street on Tuesday, April 24, at 7:00 p.m. Graduating political science majors are the guests of honor, but all are invited to attend, and most political science faculty members should be there as well. Friends and significant others also are welcome. We use the regular menu, and people pay for their own meals. Dressing up is not necessary. To attend, RSVP to Dr. Speel no later than Sunday, April 22.
2. 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 472 - 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 also may 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 50-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.
3. DEBATE ON GUNS, SEX, AND DEATH
The Behrend Political Society (formerly Political Science Society) is sponsoring a debate on Tuesday, April 3, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., in Reed 114 to address the following questions: 1) Should we arm teachers? 2) Should prostitution be legal? 3) Should America use the death penalty? All are invited to attend, participate, and get involved in the BPS.
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:
- 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. UNDERSTANDING "FAKE NEWS" PANEL DISCUSSION
Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, will join a group of other Humanities and Social Sciences faculty panelists to discuss "Fake News," at an event co-sponsored by Lilley Library and the Public Policy Fund on Tuesday, April 10, at 6:00 p.m., in Reed Building's McGarvey Commons. Other panelists include Dr. Eric Corty, Director of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of Clinical Psychology; Dr. Steven Berg, Assistant Teaching Professor of Psychology; and Karrie Bowen, Lecturer in Communication.
Dr. Pam Silver, Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Biology, will join student researchers to present a Salt Symposium on Wednesday, April 18, at 5:00 p.m., in Reed Building's McGarvey Commons. The symposium will feature the research of the salt team working to investigate the impact of sidewalk salt on our ecosystem, and provide policy recommendations to address these adverse effects. A reception will follow featuring student posters, refreshments, and interactive activities. This event is co-sponsored and co-organized by the Behrend Public Policy Fund.
On April 20, the Behrend Political Society and Greener Behrend are organizing an open forum on environmental policies and the future of climate change legislation. More details will be announced in the near future.
8. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES DEBATE
The Behrend Public Policy Fund and the Jefferson Educational Society of Erie will be co-sponsoring a Congressional Debate for the Democratic candidates of Pennsylvania's 16th district who will be running in the May primary election for the nomination to run against incumbent Republican Mike Kelly in November 2018 in a district with redrawn boundaries. The new boundaries put all of Erie County into the new 16th district. The debate will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 26, at the JES at 3207 State Street in Erie, with JES Program Director Ben Speggen and PPF Executive Director Caitlin Handerhan as moderators.
Penn State Behrend’s Model United Nations team is hosting its First Annual Model U.N. Conference for High School students on Friday, April 13. The Conference will simulate the U.N. Human Rights Council. Students from four Erie County high schools and Gilmour Academy from Gates Mills, Ohio, will be deliberating the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. Ricardo Rodriguez, junior at Penn State Behrend, will serve as Secretary General for the Inaugural Conference. Dr. John Gamble, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Law, will deliver a keynote address. For more information or to get involved, contact Faculty Adviser Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned at [email protected].
The Political Science Society has renamed itself as the Behrend Political Society and meets Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in Kochel 042. The group has elected new officers for next academic year, including Rachel Mills as president, Otis Williams as vice president, Taylor Jamison as Secretary, Jack Walker as Treasurer, Tiffany Zinn as Public Relations Coordinator, and JP Jarecki as Debate Coordinator. For more details, contact President Rachel Mills at [email protected]
College Republicans will hold elections in late April. The group is currently organizing to volunteer for the campaigns for Laban Marsh for Pennsylvania State Representative and Scott Wagner for Governor. For details, contact President JP Jarecki at [email protected].
College Democrats has chosen new officers, including Tiffany Zinn as president, Sam Zdunski as vice president, Jack Walker as treasurer, and a secretary to be named soon. For details,contact President Tiffany Zinn at [email protected].
Dr. John K. Gamble, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Law, will be chairing a roundtable discussion titled "Visualizing International Law: What's Occurring; Can/Should We Adjust?" at the International Studies Association's Annual Convention in San Francisco on April 4.
Caitlin Handerhan, Executive Director of the Behrend Public Policy Fund, gave a talk titled "Media Democracy: Understanding the Role of Media in the Fake News Era," at Wayside Presbyterian Church in Millcreek on March 25.
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 "Afrin Operation Opens New Page in Syria" can be found on the Daily Sabah website.
Dr. Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science, was interviewed in the past month for several news articles about the congressional election in suburban Pittsburgh between Conor Lamb and Rick Saccone. Comments from his interviews appeared in the Sunbury Daily Item, the French language Montreal newspaper La Presse, and The Economist magazine. The article in The Economist also contains references to Pittsburgh area State Senator Guy Reschenthaler, a Penn State Behrend political science alumnus. Follow the links to read the articles. An interview from earlier this year by Dr. Speel with Fox News about that same congressional election now appears as an example of the definition of the term "associate professor" in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
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.