THIS MONTH'S HEADLINES:
1. POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT IN WASHINGTON, D.C., COURSE—DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS THURSDAY
2. EUROPEAN UNION STUDY ABROAD COURSE MAY 2019
3. PENN STATE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT GRANTS
4. PUBLIC POLICY FUND EVENTS
5. MODEL UN WINS AWARDS
6. BEHREND POLITICAL SOCIETY FACULTY-STUDENT DINNER ON DECEMBER 6
7. COLLEGE REPUBLICANS PLAN NUMEROUS EVENTS AND TRAVEL FOR NEXT SEMESTER
8. COLLEGE DEMOCRATS PLAN RELAY FOR LIFE PARTICIPATION
9. FACULTY IN THE NEWS
10. FACEBOOK PAGE
1. POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT IN WASHINGTON, D.C., COURSE
The political science program is organizing a student trip to Washington, D.C., over Spring Break 2019 (March 2–10). The trip is a required portion of the course PL SC 177N (GS/GH). The class is taught by Dr. Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science. Dr. Molly Monahan Lang, Assistant Teaching Professor of Sociology, is also accompanying the group for the trip.
The exact itinerary will not be determined until February 2019, but on past such trips, the group has met with all of our local members of Congress, with officials at the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organization of American States, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the embassies of Australia, Romania, Botswana, India, Ireland, Canada, Jamaica, Estonia. Bulgaria, Latvia, Slovakia, and Indonesia. We have toured the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the C-SPAN studios. We have participated in seminars held in the Supreme Court chambers, Ford's Theatre, and the Federal Reserve Board room. Among the highlights of the trip will be meetings or tours with Penn State Behrend alumni who work on Capitol Hill, for federal government agencies, as policy analysts, or as political consultants in Washington.
We always visit Arlington National Cemetery and all the most famous monuments and memorials. Free time is provided to visit museums such as the Newseum, the International Spy Museum, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the various Smithsonian Museums, as well as the National Zoo. Students also have attended major sports and entertainment events in Washington, D.C., during the evening. Students should be aware that most of the places we visit during the week are only available to student groups in Washington and not to individual tourists. Some of the places we visit may provide the only opportunity some will have in their lives to tour certain government buildings or meet with certain officials in Washington.
The trip is associated with the political science course POLSC 177N (GS/GH), and students will be required to sign up for either a 3-credit or 1-credit version of the course in order to take the trip. The 3-credit version of the course will involve class meetings on campus before and after the trip. In addition, the 3-credit version of the class will involve assigned readings, quizzes, some research, and short papers appropriate for a 3-credit course.
The 1-credit version of the course will include participation in the trip and a 10-page paper to be written after the trip. It is intended for students who would like to participate in the trip to Washington, but who don't necessarily need a 3-credit political science course.
In Washington our group will stay at the Virginian Suites hotel. The hotel is located in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, and is a brief walk from a Washington Metro (subway) stop. Each room in the hotel contains two queen-sized beds, a pull-out sofa bed, a full kitchen, television, furniture, private bathroom, free Wi-Fi, and closet space. A chartered bus will transport students between campus and Washington.
The cost for the trip, per student, for eight nights stay in the hotel and the bus transportation to Washington, will be $590 for students who stay three to a room (by utilizing the sofa-bed). Students who stay two to a room will need to pay more. The low cost of the week in Washington is thanks to financial support from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Endowment Fund and from the Office of the Penn State Behrend Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In addition, Barbara Welton and Ron Ridgley, Penn State Behrend political science alumni, have donated funds to cover some costs.
Penn State Student Engagement Grants may also be able to cover some or all of the $590 expense. See news item #4 in this newsletter.
Brochures with a full explanation of the trip are available at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences office (170 Kochel). To register for the trip and course, students must submit a non-refundable deposit in the form of cash, check, money order, or credit card in the amount of $200 to Penn State University, along with a completed course registration form, course fee form, emergency contact form, and background information form, to Jackie May in the School of H&SS Office, 170 Kochel, by November 29, 2018. The forms are available from the H&SS School Office. You cannot register for the course online—completion of one of the paper forms will automatically register you in the course.
The $200 will serve as a non-refundable deposit to reserve a space on the trip. The remaining cost of the trip will be due to Jackie May by January 28, 2019.
For more information about the trip and course, pick up a copy of the brochure, or visit the Washington, D.C., course website.
2. EUROPEAN UNION STUDY ABROAD COURSE MAY 2019
Between May 12–27, 2019, Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned, Assistant Teaching Professor of Political Science, and Chris Harben, Assistant Teaching Professor of Management, will be co-teaching a course titled "The E.U.: The Tale of Two Countries."
The interdisciplinary course provides Penn State students in the fields of Business, Economics, Pre-Law, Public Policy, Engineering, and others with hands-on experience of the real-world policy, economic, and social impact of the European Union. Participating students will examine the impact of the European Union via two case studies: Great Britain and Ukraine.There will be three main study sites. The course will begin on Penn State Behrend’s campus, where the students will learn the fundamentals of the E.U.’s evolution, foundational treaties, and institutional arrangements. For the first part of the international experience, students will travel to London, U.K. During their week-long stay, the students will meet with representatives of major transnational companies, academics, and members of the press (such as the BBC). The second half of the study abroad program will take students to Kyiv, Ukraine. Here they will be hosted by the Kyiv School of Economics, and will examine the effects of the E.U. on Ukraine with professors of the KSE, members of Ukrainian government, representatives of national and transnational economic and business sectors, and representatives of media and social sectors. As part of the trip to Ukraine the group may also visit the site of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Great Britain’s decision to leave the European Union (Brexit) is an unprecedented event in the history of the European Union. This messy divorce has many important implications politically, as well as in terms of business and economic relations in Europe and globally. On the other hand, Ukraine is a country aspiring for closer relations with the European Union. The new Association Agreement between Ukraine and the E.U. has come at a high price for Ukraine, and the E.U. continues to put pressure on the Ukrainian government for faster and more radical reform.
The two cases provide contrasting, yet complementary, views of the power of the European Union to influence domestic politics, economics, and society of European countries. The goal of the course is to provide students with a nuanced understanding of the E.U.’s institutions and their importance.
The estimated cost of the trip is $2,000 plus airfare. The cost of the trip is subject to change and booking/purchase of airfare is the responsibility of the student.
For more information about the course, please stop by the H&SS School Office at 170 Kochel, or contact Dr. Surzhko-Harned at [email protected].
3. PENN STATE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT GRANTS
The Student Engagement Network is offering grants to students who want to expand their experience beyond the classroom. Individual awards of up to $3,000 are available to cover unpaid internships, research opportunities, travel costs, event fees, supplies and materials, books, software needed for projects and presentations, and more.
This new grant program is ideal for political science students to apply for funding assistance for travel to Washington, D.C., as part of PL SC 177, or for study abroad programs such as the European Union course, or for supervised student research, or for travel to research presentations, or for living expenses that may be connected to an internship.
To apply, visit the Penn State Student Engagement Network website.
4. PUBLIC POLICY FUND EVENTS
On Thursday, November 29, at 5:00 p.m., in Metzgar Center, Dr. Patrick Cosby, Assistant Teaching Professor of World History, will speak on "Spring is Coming: Rachel Carson and the Legacies of Global Development."
On Saturday, January 12, 2019, from 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., the Public Policy Fund, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Center for Women & Politics at Chatham University, is organizing a "Ready to Run" mini-session, a non-partisan program for women who want to run for office, seek higher office, work on a campaign, get appointed to office, or learn more about the political system. You will learn from prominent elected and appointed leaders, campaign consultants, party officials, and policy experts. More information can be found on the Chatham website. The session will take place on the Penn State Behrend campus and is free for Penn State Behrend students. Students can register for free by contacting PPF Director Caitlin Handerhan at [email protected].
5. MODEL UN WINS AWARDS
The Penn State Behrend Model United Nations team placed third out of ten participating schools, winning the school team award at the XXVth Lake Erie International Model UN Conference earlier this month, Participating students included: Ricardo Rodriguez, Andrew Hall, Raul Garcia, Mike Campes, Carlos Mora, Frank Ruszkiesku, Henry Chiapa, Merna George, and Marissa Litzenberg. Ricardo and Carlos are co-founders of the team and are president and vice president, respectively. Moreover, Ricardo (representing Australia on Asia Pacific Economic Partnership) and Andrew (representing Vietnam on Asia Pacific Economic Partnership) won superior delegate awards. Raul (representing Australia on UN human rights council) and Michael (Argentina on human rights council) won excellent delegate awards. Photos of the team and their awards can be seen on the Political Science Facebook page. To get involved, contact Faculty Adviser Dr. Lena Surzhko-Harned at [email protected].
6. BEHREND POLITICAL SOCIETY FACULTY-STUDENT DINNER ON DECEMBER 6
The Behrend Political Society is organizing a faculty-student dinner at The Olive Garden on Peach Street at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 6. To participate, contact President Rachel Mills at [email protected].
7. COLLEGE REPUBLICANS PLAN NUMEROUS EVENTS AND TRAVEL
On December 19–22, the club will be attending the Student Action Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida. The event is hosted by Turning Point USA, a conservative organization that supports College Republicans. The event was formed and is run by conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Five thousand attendees will get to listen to political comments from multiple guest speakers. These speakers include Charlie Kirk, Candice Owens, Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Greg Gutfeld, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, and Anna Paulina.
On February 27–March 22, the club will be attending CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference). Hosted by the American Conservative Union, this event will discuss political issues with guest speakers like Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Ted Cruz, Sean Hannity, Secretary Betsy DeVos, Pawn Star Rick Harrison, and Nigel Farage, just to name a few.
On April 20, the club will be hosting a semi-formal dinner with guest congressmen, renowned military generals, guest speakers, and radio hosts. More guests are to be determined. This event is sponsored and supported by the Republican committee of Erie, the Republican committee of PA, the GOP, and Turning Point USA, with assistance from over a dozen college campuses.
The club is organizing a Summer excursion to forts related to the French and Indian War with a weekend trip across Western Pennsylvania. This trip will start in Pittsburgh at Fort Duquesne/Pitt, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, and Fort Ligonier. During this trip, we also be staying a cottage in Southwestern PA.
The club will continue its Change My Mind Table, discussing a different topic with students every Friday afternoon (1:00–4:00 p.m.) in Reed.
To get involved in College Republicans, contact President Bailey Rollage at [email protected].
8. COLLEGE DEMOCRATS PLAN RELAY FOR LIFE PARTICIPATION
College Democrats usually meets Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. in Kochel 059. The group is planning to participate in Relay for Life on campus next February to raise money for the American Cancer Society, and the group is also inviting prominent guest speakers to campus next semester. To get involved, contact President Tiffany Zinn at [email protected].
9. FACULTY IN THE NEWS
Dr. Kilic Kanat, Associate Professor of Political Science, publishes op-eds regularly for Daily Sabah, an English-language newspaper in Turkey. Those columns, of which the most recent is titled "Stability in Syria Means Stability in Turkish-U.S. Ties," can be found on the Daily Sabah website.
Dr. Robert Roecklein, Teaching Professor of English and Political Science, is the author of a forthcoming book from Lexington Books titled Kant’s Philosophy and the Momentum of Modernity: The Metaphysics of Fact Determination. The book is scheduled to be published in February 2019.
Dr. Robert Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science, was interviewed about this month's election results and previews of the 2020 elections in the Erie Times-News and the Scranton Times-Tribune. He also published an online op-ed about the meaning of the midterm election results for The Globe Post.
All students and alumni are invited to like the Penn State Behrend political science Facebook page to get updated news and find out about upcoming events.