GV PS

New Housing Options for Political Science and International Relations Majors

Learning and Living Communities in Mark Murray Living Center:
International House
Pre-Law Education Residential Living (PERL)

Starting in fall 2010, the Mark Murray Living Center will be the home for learning and living communities designed for a total of 50 students, first-year through senior year.

PERL: The mission of PERL is to provide advising and support to students of any major who are interested in attending law school and pursuing a career in law (also known as pre-law students) after completing their undergraduate degree.

International House: The mission of International House is to provide advising and support for students interested in international issues, cultures and languages. It is open to majors and minors in international business, international relations, modern languages, and political science, as well as international students.

Honors: Honors students who are interested in PERL or International House are invited to live in Murray and take part in both communities, as Murray is just next door to Niemeyer (Honors).

We have excellent facilities in the living center so you’ll feel comfortable and at home. The Mark Murray Living Center is located on the south end of campus, next to Honors and the new south campus dining area. Murray Living Center is a very recently constructed building that features apartments with one, two or four bedrooms, and kitchens. The building includes classrooms, and other common spaces for socializing, studying, or holding meetings.

Being a part of PERL and/or International House means you will have the opportunity to participate in international and pre-law programming, as well as academic support and social events. In addition, the faculty directors and other faculty will have office hours on-site to provide advising.

To apply: http://gvsu.edu/housing/

Students who are not in their first year at GVSU must have at least a 2.7 GPA for PERL and International House. Honors has separate GPA requirements. Honors students should select PERL or International House when they apply for housing.

For more information on apartment options, meal plans and costs, navigate to http://gvsu.edu/housing/ and select Housing Options=>On Campus Apartments=> VanSteeland & Murray Apartments.

Dr. Polly Diven
International House Faculty Director
International Relations Director
Professor, Department of Political Science
divenp@gvsu.edu

Dr. Mark Richards
PERL Faculty Director
Associate Professor and Chair,
Department of Political Science

richardm@gvsu.edu

Dr. Miller-Adams to Speak on the Kalamazoo Promise

A presentation on an innovative scholarship program and its potential to bring about economic and social change.

“Michelle Miller-Adams captures the truly unique story of the Kalamazoo Promise without losing sight of the universal lessons it offers us. The Power of a Promise is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the future of economic and community development in our country.” Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, State of Michigan

WHO? Professor Michelle Miller-Adams

WHEN? Tuesday November 17, 2009 2:30 PM

WHERE? 114 Lake Michigan Hall

Sponsored by the Grand Valley State University Political Science Department and the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society

Ohio State Law to Visit GVSU

This invitation is from a representative of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, who will be available to meet with students on Tuesday, November 17:

Dear Student,

On behalf of The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, I invite you to consider joining our learning community. The Moritz College of Law is a community of people who make a difference, and we seek highly talented applicants who aspire to improve the law and the administration of justice. Those who enroll at Ohio State will join a group of alumni who are nationally and internationally recognized leaders in every field, all of whom share one goal - a commitment to professional excellence. We will have an admissions representative, Tiffany Richardson, in your area very soon.
 
DATE: Tuesday, October 17, 2009
COLLEGE: Grand Valley State University
LOCATION: Kirkhof Hall, Room 2201
TIME: 11:00am - 1:00 pm (please feel free to stop by at any time during these hours)

If you would like to find out more about Ohio State before the visit, click here. If you will not be able to visit us, but would like information about Moritz Law, you can make a request for materials here.

We sincerely hope you can stop by and visit if you have the time!   Thanks,
Tiffany

Model Arab League Course

This course will count in the comparative or IR category of the political science program, and as elective credit in the IR program. To have the course credited to your PLS or IR degree, contact Dr. Richards or Dr. Diven, respectively.

The Model Arab League provides students an in-depth understanding of the world’s oldest regional organization and deepens their knowledge of the history, culture, religion, economics, and politics of both their assigned country and the region as a whole. Through active participation in a model, students develop and sharpen skills in debate, consensus-building, critical thinking, parliamentary procedure, and public speaking. By arguing the positions and foreign policy objectives of the Arab States, model participants gain personal insights and a meaningful understanding of the issues underlying U.S.-Arab relations.

GVSU hosts the Michigan Model (Feb. 18-20, 2010). To participate, students sign up for a class which prepares them for the Michigan Model simulation. Here is the course information:

MES 380 (section 01), MW 4:30-5:45

Please contact Professor Majd Al-Mallah (almallam@gvsu.edu) for additional information and for class permit to sign up. Limited seats, so act quickly if you are interested.

Student at Voice of America is Russian voice of the Hubble

Kamil Sadyykov, one of our intrepid IR students and current intern at Voice of America, is on YouTube narrating some NASA photos as part of his internship. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25nSS2p-miI.

Kamil is completing his internship via The Washington Center. To learn more about GVSU's new affilication with The Washington Center, visit www.gvsu.edu/gvdc. Here's a pic of Kamil at a recent TWC event (flanked by Matt McLogan, GVSU University Relations, and Kevin den Dulk, Professor of Political Science). 

 

From Cold War to War on Terror Conference

GVSU will host a one-day conference, From Cold War to War on Terror, on Friday, October 16, 2009, in 2266 Kirkhof. The conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. Ido Oren. The conference is free and open to the public. The conference is co-sponsored by the political science department through the Joseph Stevens Freedom Fund.

Download Cold War to War on Terror Flyer

From Cold War to War on Terror

Date: Friday, October 16, 2009

Location: Kirkhof Center, Room 2266

 

8:00-8:30am              Coffee and welcome

 

8:40-9:30am              IRO Panel: Is there a Generation Gap in How We Perceive the Cold War and War on Terror?

 

9:40-10:30am            Haunstein Center for Presidential Studies Panel:

                                    Brian Flanagan, “National Security State: Truman, Bush and America’s Ramparts in the 21^st Century

                                    Austin Knuppe, “Empire ‘On the Cheap’: Privatization, Outsourcing and Post-Cold War US Foreign Policy”

                                    Patrick Roberts (Virginia Tech, Political Science), Commentator

 

10:40-11:50am         Roundtable discussion of Dr. Ido Oren’s book Our Enemies and US, with Gamal Gasim (GVSU Middle East Studies), Andrew Schlewitz (GVSU Latin American Studies), and GVSU students Carole McIntosh and Jennah Valk.

 

1:00:-2:30pm             Keynote by Dr. Ido Oren, “WMD: Words of Mass Distraction”

 

2:45-4:15pm              From Cold War to War on Terror Panel

                                    Patrick Roberts (Virgina Tech, Political Science), “How a New Long War and a New Terror Make a New State”

                                    William Rose (Albion College, Political Science), “Governing the War on Terror: Risk, Security, and the Preventive Paradigm”

                                    Andrew Schlewitz (GVSU, Latin American Studies), “Mobilizing Christians for Wars without End”

                                    James Goode (GVSU, History), Commentator

MSU Law to Host Reception at GVSU

Michigan State University College of Law Office of Admissions will host an information reception at GVSU on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the DeVos Center Regency Room, 401 W. Fulton St., in Grand Rapids. An RSVP is required at least two business days prior to the event. To RSVP, call 517-432-0222 or email admiss@law.msu.edu

For a PDF click here:

Download MSU Law Information Receptions Fall 2009

Visit from The Washington Center and other internship news

A representative from The Washington Center, which provides internship and academic seminars in Washington, DC, will be visiting GVSU on Wednesday, September 30. She'll lead an informational session from 1-1:45 in 1104 KC. For those of you who may not have heard, GVSU now has an affiliation with The Washington Center that makes interning in DC even easier and rewarding. Read more about it at www.gvsu.edu/gvdc. Also, Career Services is hosting several internship-related events next week, including an introduction to LakerJobs (a listing of internship opportunities) and a general session on interning. You can find out more information at http://www.gvsu.edu/careers/index.cfm?action=home.events.

APSA Minority Fellowship Program

From APSA:

Dear Colleague,

The American Political Science Association (APSA) invites you to encourage your
college seniors, who are members of an underrepresented group, to apply to the 2010-2011 APSA Minority Fellowship Program (MFP).  In 2009, the MFP celebrated its 40th Anniversary. This Program was established in 1969 to increase the number of underrepresented groups in discipline of political science. Over the years, the MFP has designated more than 300 fellows and contributed to the successful completion of doctoral political science programs for over 100 individuals.  

APSA will fund twelve fellowships. Funded APSA Fellows will receive a $4,000 fellowship disbursed in two $2,000 payments at the end of each academic year provided that the student remains in good academic standing. APSA will also send letters of support, to designated graduate programs, on behalf of those students who are awarded fellowships. Awards are based on students' undergraduate course work, GPA, personal statement, extracurricular activities, GRE scores, and recommendations from faculty. 

The MFP is designed primarily for minority students applying to enter a doctoral program in Political Science for the first time. Applicants must be US citizens who are members of one of the following racial/ethnic minority groups: African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, Latinos/as, and Native Americans (federal and state recognized tribes). Applications and additional eligibility criteria can be accessed online at: http://www.apsanet.org/mfp/.

All application materials for the Minority Fellows Program must be postmarked and mailed to APSA by October 2, 2009.   

Please find enclosed a flyer on the APSA Minority Fellows Program. If you have any questions regarding the APSA MFP or other APSA Diversity Initiatives, please contact Ms. Shaunda Ragland, Program Assistant, at sragland@apsanet.org.

Sincerely yours,

Kimberly A. Mealy, PhD.
Program Director
APSA Educational, Professional and Minority Initiatives

Africa in Contemporary International Relations Conference Happening Now

GVSU will be hosting a conference on September 21 and 22, 2009, Africa in Contemporary International Relations: Contexts, Stakes, Actors and Issues. The conference chair is Dr. Jacques Mangala, who is Director of GVSU's African and African American Studies program and a political science profesor. The conference will feature of variety of panels and host a range of experts from U.S. and international universities.

Click here for a copy of the conference program. This conference is free and open to students and the public.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Ian Shapiro, Sterling Professor of Political Science and Henry R. Luce Director of the MacMillian Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University. The title of his lecture is "Luck, Leadership and Legitimacy in Transitions to Democracy: Lessons from South Africa and the Middle East." His speech is sponsored by the GVSU department of political science and the Joseph Stevens Freedom Fund.