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The Grand Haven Chamber of Commerce hosted a tribute on March 21 to the life and career of Dr. William Baum, who passed away in December. Sen. Wayne Kuipers and Rep. Arlen Meekhof attended the ceremony, along with Professor Roger Moiles, representing the GVSU political science department. Kuipers read and presented to Nancy Baum a framed tribute to Bill, signed by the two of them and Governor Jennifer Granholm.
The Russian Selection: Views on the Recent Presidential Election in Russia
GVSU's International Relations Organization (IRO) is sponsoring a discussion on the political, historical, and cultural significance of the recent election of Dmitry Medvedev.
Speakers for the event are:
Dr. Edward Cole, History Department
Dr. Christine Rydel, Modern Languages and Literatures
Dr. Glenda Quarnstrom, Political Science Department
Dr. Heather Tafel, Political Science Department
Tuesday, March 25
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Kirkhof Center, Room 142
Regional Perspectives on Decolonization:
Exploring the Process and Effects of Decolonization around the Globe
Sponsored by GVSU's International Relations Organization (IRO):
Africa: Dr. George Kieh, Political Science Department
India: Dr. Yosay Wangdi, History Department
China: Dr. Patrick Shan, History Department
Mid-East: Dr. Roy Cole, Geography Department
Europe: Dr. Craig Benjamin, History Department
Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Republics: Dr. Heather Tafel, Political Science Department
Moderator: Dr. Robert Stewart-Ingersoll, Political Science Department
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
4-6 p.m.
Kirkhof Center, Pere Marquette
Dear political science student,
There are a few changes and news items regarding registration. Please read on for more information about:
1. registering for the capstone, and what to do if Banner won't let you register for a political science course
2. reminder for political science majors taking the B.S. cognate
3. new requirements for political science majors/minors who start at GVSU in catalog year 2008-09
4. new tenure-track political science professor to begin in fall
5. special topics courses
Sincerely,
Dr. Mark Richards
Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science
richardm@gvsu.edu
1. Registering for the capstone, and what to do if Banner won't let you register for a political science course
Registration for the capstone is by permit only. Please email Political Science Departmental Coordinator Norene Hendricks (hendricn@gvsu.edu) and give her your name, and section of capstone you would like to take. Once your permit has been granted via Banner, you will notified via email; it is your responsibility to register for the course in Banner.
If Banner will not let you register for a course, you may not have met the pre-requisites. If you believe this is an error, please email Political Science Departmental Coordinator Norene Hendricks (hendricn@gvsu.edu) and give her your name, and the course number and section you would like to take, along with an explanation of why you believe you are eligible to register for the course. Once a decision has been made regarding whether to grant an override, you will notified via email; it is your responsibility to register for the course in Banner.
Closed class permits are granted only in extraordinary circumstances. If you are seeking a closed class permit, please contact Norene Hendricks as described above.
2. Reminder for political science majors taking the B.S. cognate
The B.S. cognate must be taken in the following order: 1. STA 215, 2. PLS 300, 3. PLS 315 or 341.
3. New requirements for political science majors/minors who start at GVSU in catalog year 2008-09
These requirements will only affect students starting at GVSU with the 2008-09 catalog year. If you started in an earlier year, your requirements have not changed.
4. New tenure-track political science professor to begin in fall
We have hired a new tenure track professor who will begin teaching in Fall 2008. Her name is Laura Schneider and she is currently completing her Ph.D. at Purdue University. Her areas of expertise are American politics, public policy, and environmental policy. Although her name is not yet listed on Banner, she will be teaching PLS 205 The Policy Process each semester , and the following sections of PLS 102: fall: 102-06 and 102-07; winter: 102-04, 102-06. Please join us in welcoming her to GVSU.
5. Special topics courses
We are offering two special topics course this year, both in the winter 2009 semester:
PLS 380 – 01 American Political Development, taught by Dr. Don Zinman. The course will meet MW 4:30-5:45 in 1143 AuSable.
PLS 380 – 02 State Policy meets Tuesday 6-8:50 in 2119 AuSable. This seminar will focus on current policy issues in Michigan.
Ms. Lada Slojan, Legal Officer in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former-Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, will lecture on the challenges of international criminal justice and share her work experience with the ICTY. The lecture is scheduled for Monday, March 24, 2:00-3:30 in the Pere Marquette. This event is sponsored by Area Studies.
Ms. Soljan is involved in the prosecution of seven individuals who are charged with Genocide, Conspiracy to Commit Genocide, and various violations of the Laws or Customs of War and Crimes against Humanity, in relation to the fall of the enclaves of Srebrenica and @epa in July 1995 (Prosecutor v. Popovi}, Case No. IT-05-88).
Prior to working at the ICTY, Ms. Soljan was an associate in the International Litigation department of the law firm Alston & Bird LLP in New York City. For an eight month period in 1999-2000, she was a research assistant for Professor Bruno Simma, Chair of the Public International Law department at the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany. She obtained her JD from New York University School of Law in 1999, and her B.A. in Biological Sciences and European Studies from Smith College in 1996.
In January, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter appointed Jim Spaanstra '74 to the Board of Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. Like GVSU, the Colorado School of Mines is an NCAA Division II institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees primarily in engineering and the applied sciences. CSM currently has approximately 3500 undergraduate students and 750 graduate students from across the United States and around the world developing special expertise in the stewardship of our planet's natural resources.
Alumnus Update: Jesse Bickel '05
Before coming to GVSU, my speech professor at another university
suggested I take Political Science. He said I actually cared about
politics. While at GVSU I completed a Political Science minor, but
didn't get involved in political campus movements. In PLS 305 we
learned Mayhew's theory of politicians' actions: do what you can to
retain power. I place a high value on principle and ideology, which
is where most politicians fail. Until recently, my care for politics
was limited to the world of discussion and an occasional vote.
In October 2007 I thought it might be time to find a candidate for
President to support. Not necessarily monetarily, but in discussion.
Over the course of a few weeks, a candidate caught me off guard in his
consistency, logic, and principles. My views rarely shift but have
adjusted to match my candidate's purer reason. I have taken more
political action in the last four months than I did in the 25 years
before.
I have handed out literature in busy intersections, driven to a
neighboring state to rally and meet my candidate, knocked on hundreds
of doors in my precinct, met dozens of times with like-minded people,
fashioned signs with foam-board and markers, hand-written letters to
people, heckled opposing candidates, donated hundreds of dollars,
marched in an MLK parade, performed exit polling for 12 hours on
election day, validated precinct voting results, learned party
convention processes, hosted a training session for mass meetings in
my apartment, attended mass meetings, been elected a delegate to
county convention, schmoozed at a party picnic, spoken at training
events for conventions, and I am now coordinating a county convention
effort.
It is no coincidence that much of my work has been post-primary. An
election is not the end of action. I learned that actions are most
effective in areas outside the bounds of media coverage. Get involved
beyond election day.
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