The Political Science Department regularly receives announcements relevant to possible job and career opportunities for our students. The most recently received ones are listed below.
September 12th, 2007
New Faces
We have two new faculty members joining us as lecturers this year, and a new advisor in 202 Pond Lab.
Suzanne Gold joins the Department from Michigan State University, where she received her PhD in 2007. Her
research focuses on the relationship between voter preferences and the behavior of members of the U.S. House of
Representatives. She’ll be teaching courses in American government, Congress, and American political campaigns.
Professor Gold will be advisor for our chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the Political Science Honor Society, which we will
be restarting at Penn State this year.
Robert Packer comes to Penn State from The University of Michigan, having previously been on the faculty at Carleton
College (Minnesota) and Middlebury College (Vermont). He received his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1996.
He’ll be teaching courses in international relations, especially in the areas of International Political Economy, Arab-
Israeli Conflict, and African politics.
Melissa Gayman is a new Political Science adviser as well as the advisor for the Minor in Business and the Liberal
Arts, now located in the Political Science department. Before arriving at PSU Ms. Gayman earned her Master’s
Degree in Counseling, Higher Education track from Shippensburg University and held several other advising
positions.
Sadly, there were some recent departures as well. Navin Bapat took a faculty position at the University of North
Carolina and Kathy Powers is now at the University of New Mexico.
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Enrichment Funds for Spring Study Abroad
Are you planning on studying abroad this spring? If so, you should apply for enrichment funds separately from the
College of Liberal Arts and the Political Science Department. Our application form can be found here: http://polisci.la.psu.edu/undergraduate/enrichment.html
The deadline to apply for funds is October 22.
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Thinking about Graduate School? Want an Option to Law School?
Come to graduate school session with Frank Baumgartner, Miller-Levigne Professor of Political Science, and Political
Science graduate student Kanisha Bond. The session will be at 6:00p.m. on Sept. 27(Thursday) at 301Pond. Baumgartner and Bond will answer all your questions about graduate
school, discuss the application process, talk about what it’s like to be a graduate student, and of course go over the
many options for financial assistance. It’s never too soon to start giving some thought to graduate school—this
session is open to students at all stages of their college career.
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The Political Science Association: Student Debate Series
The Political Science Association will host the College Democrats, College Libertarians, and College Republicans for
a monthly student debate series, beginning Wednesday September 12 at 8:00 PM. The first debate's topics will be
health care reform and the future of American
policy in Iraq. The first event will feature a three-way debate, question
and answer session, and press conference. Subsequent debates will follow on October 9, November 6, and
December
3. Locations are yet to be announced.
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Dr. Burt Monroe is recruiting undergraduate research assistants with language skills for work on a multidisciplinary
(political science / computer science / statistics / linguistics) project analyzing political speech around the world. The
project has extended needs for assistants with skills in virtually all major languages (including Spanish, Portuguese,
French, Dutch, Italian, German, Czech, Romanian, Polish, Arabic, Malay, and Japanese, but possibly including
anything else from Estonian to Sinhalese). Weekly hours are flexible.
Please contact Burt Monroe, burtmonroe@psu.edu, for details and to discuss available positions.
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USA Today All-USA College Team
Each February, USA TODAY honors 20 outstanding college juniors and seniors as its All-USA College Academic
Team. The students named to the All-USA College Academic First Team have their photos published and
accomplishments spotlighted in USA TODAY's Life section as representatives of all outstanding undergraduates.
They each receive a trophy and a $2,500 cash award. Forty more runners-up named to the Second and Third Teams
receive certificates; their names are announced in the newspaper.
The All-USA College Academic Team honors full-time undergraduates who not only excel in scholarship but also
extend their intellectual abilities beyond the classroom to benefit society. Criteria include grades, academic rigor,
leadership, activities and most important, the student's essay describing his or her most outstanding intellectual
endeavor done while in college.
REGISTER: Get screened for eligibility, then download the nomination form
Nominations open in September and are due in late November. The team is named in February. Schools may
nominate as many students as they consider appropriate candidates for this award.
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Study Abroad for 2007-2008
Study abroad news from Michael Bernhard. Professor Bernhard is our Study Abroad laison and leads the annual
summer study tour in Maastricht.
Welcome back. I just wanted to alert you to our ongoing and new efforts to provide stimulating study abroad
programs.
First of all, we have new study-abroad webpage on the Department of Political Science website. You can find it at
http://polisci.la.psu.edu/undergraduate/study_abroad_program.html. You will find links here to our featured program as well the general links for academic year and summer programs.
The big news for this year is that we will be launching two new programs, a spring semester program at the Institute
of Political Science in Lille, France and a summer program in Eastern Europe. Lille is charming city not far from the
English Channel. It is within easy striking distance of Paris, Brussels, and London. The exchange allows students
to take courses in both French and English. For those with French proficiency, it will allow them to take a vast number
of offerings in French with elite French university students. For those with little or no experience in French, there are still enough course offerings in English to put together a fulfilling semester while attending classes with a range of other internationals and French students interested in improving their English. The application deadline for this program is September 15. However, if you are interested, a later application is possible if the program has not filled. Here is the link to the program’s education abroad page.
Our new summer program in Eastern Europe will be called “After Empire” and will offer students a three week intellectual and cultural journey in three post-Soviet states – Estonia, Russia (St. Petersburg), and Ukraine (Kyiv). The program will combine academic lectures, meetings with practitioners (politicians, civil servants, journalists), and cultural activities (museums, historical sites, performances). The official launching of the program is still a few weeks off, but if you are interested please let me know and I will put you on a mailing list to keep you informed about the program. My email: mhb5@psu.edu
As before, we will continue to offer the popular summer program on European Integration in Maastricht in the Netherlands, and other sites in Europe. Details on that program can be had at:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/mhb5/Maastricht.htm
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Winter & Spring Internships at the U.S. Department of Justice
The Law and Policy Section (LPS) advises and assists the Assistant Attorney General on legal and policy issues. Working with the Office of Legislative Affairs, LPS coordinates the Environment and Natural Resources Division's legislative program. LPS also represents the Department of Justice on interagency groups of a variety of issues that relate to the mission of the Division. LPS also litigates amicus cases and undertakes other specially assigned litigation projects at the trial and appellate levels. Other duties include monitoring citizen suits; responding to citizen mail, congressional, and FOIA requests; and serving as the Division's ethics officers. LPS attorneys also
coordinate the Division's activities on international environmental matters and environmental justice matters.
Duties of the unpaid undergraduate intern position include: attending congressional hearings and reporting on environmental legislation; researching legal and policy issues; and providing support for the section's amicus litigation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, pass a mandatory drug test, and be willing to commit for a period of at least ten weeks.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis but must be received no later than the following application deadlines:
For Winter internships (January - March/April, dates flexible): November 1, 2007;
For Spring internships (March/April - May/June, dates flexible): January 15, 2008;
To apply, please fax a cover letter, resume, unofficial transcript, and 3-5 page writing sample (may be an excerpt from a longer paper on any topic) to Jacob Lipson at (202) 514-4231, or mail the above to:
Jacob Lipson
Environment and Natural Resources Division / LPS
P.O. Box 4390
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, DC 20044-4390
For more information, please call (202) 305-0641.
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Human Rights Delegations for Young Leaders -- Winter 2007-2008
One of our current majors participated in this program and speaks very highly of it.
Global Youth Connect is pleased to announce that we are accepting applications from young leaders (ages 18-25) for our Winter 2007-2008 International Human Rights Delegations. Program locations include: El Salvador and Rwanda. The deadline to receive applications is September 21, 2007.
General Information
Global Youth Connect's mission is to build and support a community of youth who are actively promoting and protecting human rights, and educating and inspiring the next generation to work for peaceful change. We have been organizing international human rights delegations since 2001 to Bosnia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nepal, Rwanda and Venezuela. Human rights delegations are a unique, first-hand opportunity to cross cultural boundaries and learn about the daily reality of human rights as experienced in a complex and increasingly globalized world. Each delegation weaves together three core sets of activities: site visits to local organizations, hands-on fieldwork projects, and a human rights training workshop with local youth activists. Please visit our website to learn more about our work: www.globalyouthconnect.org.
El Salvador (January 1 -- January 13, 2008)
Program Tuition: $1,635
This delegation will explore the roots of El Salvadors 12-year civil war, the long-term impact of the war on Salvadoran society, and the continued persistence of long-standing economic and social inequities that have fueled conflict throughout this tiny nations history. Delegation participants will come to understand current social, political, and economic problems faced by Salvadoran society within a broader historical contextincluding the impact of past and present U.S foreign policies on the lives of Salvadorans. Delegation activities will focus in particular on the efforts of human rights activists and youth to recover from a tumultuous and devastating period of violence and repression, and build a more just, equitable, and peaceful society. Spanish profic! iency is required.
Rwanda (December 29, 2007 - January 13, 2008)
Program Tuition: $1,795
This delegation will explore the roots of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, how this legacy of violence has impacted the country and its people, particularly Rwandan youth, and also how the country is attempting to rebuild today. We will examine issues of truth, justice and reconciliation in the context of post-conflict Rwanda and what is needed to strengthen local institutions and programs dedicated to promoting a culture of respect for human rights. Participants will connect with young Rwandans and get involved in a variety of collaborative projects aimed at promoting human rights as well as meet with leading human rights defenders, government representatives, international institutions, youth and others from local communities to learn more about the political, economic and social challenges faced by Rwandans today.
Application Deadline: September 21, 2007
How to Apply: We invite interested young leaders to apply. We are looking for participants who are between the ages of 18-25 and who possess U.S. citizenship or residency as well as international students studying full-time at a U.S. college or university. Most importantly, applicants should wish to expand their knowledge and understanding of human rights and social justice. Participants will become part of a growing global movement of youth acting together for compassion, human rights and responsibility.
For detailed information on program activities, costs, fundraising/financial aid, and application information, please visit our website: