Who is at the center of our curricula and who is at the margins? Join us for a lunchtime conversation with Villanova’s Maghan Keita to recap September’s previous two events and engage in an open dialogue with students, faculty, staff and community members. Dr. Keita is Professor of History and Global Interdisciplinary Studies at Villanova University.
Please join Dr. Deborah Seligsohn’s class for a conversation with an activist from Philly Thrive. Philly Thrive has led the effort to oppose an oil refinery in the heart of South Philly in the Gray’s Ferry neighborhood. As described in a major New York Times feature this summer the neighborhood organized and battled for years. We will be discussing that effort and Philly Thrive’s other efforts to ensure that poor and minority communities get the same access to a clean environment as wealthier communities in the US do on Thursday, September 24 at 6pm.
Friday 9/25
Please join us for Banter & Politics!
Time – 1:30 – 2:30 PM
Location – Connolly Center Lower Tent
Topic – Political Friendships
Today’s topic is inspired by the friendship of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. Why are they possible? Can they save us? What are their limits?
Join us Wednesday, Sept. 16, from 8–9:30 a.m. via Zoom. The program consists of two portions. First, attendees will play Bread for the World Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation, learning how American policies differently affect participants ideally who play the role opposite to their race. Second is a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Crystal Lucky, Associate Dean, CLAS, with five panelists of various ages, races, faith traditions and ethnicities. The theme: “A Decade of Dialogue on Racism: Where Do We Go From Here?” The event is free. Register using this link!
Who is at the center of our curricula and who is at the margins? Join us for a roundtable webinar conversation, part two in our month-long series, that examines how education and learning have historically played a role in prioritizing certain peoples and places over others across a wide range of time periods, topics, and geographic areas.
Dr. Cera Murtagh has collaborated with a group of political science students to form a new campus book club on the topic of Intersectionality. The objective is to read works (both literary and social science, fiction and non-fiction) and watch movies that deal with the intersections of gender, race, class, ethnicity and other identities. The book club is open to graduate and undergraduate students as well as faculty and alumni. Our first book club selection is ‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison. We will be discussing the first half of the book (from the Foreword up to ‘Spring’).
Thursday 9/17
Please join us on Thursday, September 17th for Banter & Politics!
Time – 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
Location – Connolly Center Lower Tent
Topic – Democrats vs. Republicans
There have been times when Democrats and Republicans didn’t seem all that different from one another. Nowadays, we hear just the opposite: the two parties are deeply divided from one another. What divides them? Can we identify a difference that goes to the heart of their opposition?
This event is for all students in Political Theory — past, present, or future.
Digital Research Methods—Map Warper and Story Map JS
Interested in digital scholarship? Drop by to learn more about digital tools, pedagogy, scholarly publishing, copyright and more! Each meeting will begin with a 20-30 minute introduction to a digital scholarship tool with the rest of the hour dedicated to informal chatting and related discussions. Join Erica Hayes, digital scholarship librarian, on Friday, Sept. 18, from 11 a.m. until noon for a demo of Map Warper and Story Map JS and a discussion on how to bring historical maps into GIS to tell your own geographic story. This event, sponsored by Falvey Library, is free and open to the Villanova University community. Click here for more info.
Who is at the center of our curricula and who is at the margins? Join us for an open and honest conversation that examines how education and learning have historically played a role in prioritizing certain peoples and places over others. Dr. Ramgotra is a Lecturer in Political Theory at SOAS University of London and advocates for the inclusion of more women and people of color in university curricula.
Wednesday 9/9
Please join us for a virtual session of Banter & Politics!
Please join us for the upcoming virtual Public Policy Society Town Hall featuring Adele Lindenmeyr, PhD, Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University faculty and the leadership of the Public Policy Society.
AGENDA
Welcome — Marc Cadin, ’96 VSB, Chair, Public Policy Advisory Council
College and University Update — Adele Lindenmeyr, PhD, Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Academic Partnerships — Marcus Kreuzer, PhD, Chair, Political Science & Lauren Miltenberger, PhD, Assistant Professor, Public Administration
Next steps: What You Can Do — Group discussion led by Marc Cadin, ’96 VSB, Chair, Public Policy Advisory Council
Dr. Deborah Seligsohn has invited Dr. Jeremy Schreifels to join her class on Thursday morning to discuss air pollution control. All political science majors are invited to attend!
Villanova students selected Professor Camille Burge to deliver the Last Lecture which is an important element of our Seniors graduation celebration. Professor Burge teaches courses on public opinion and race and ethnicity in the US.
The Last Lecture will be available hereafter 4pm today.
Camille Burge, who works on public opinion as well as race and ethnicity, has recently been appointed to special task force of American Association for Public Opinion Research. The task force — comprising 19 academic experts, pollsters, and statisticians — will evaluate the accuracy of 2020 pre-election polling for both the primaries and the general election on the presidential race and other races. Where it is needed and possible, AAPOR will examine why specific polls or methodologies failed to estimate support for the major party candidates correctly, whether at the national level or state level. (For more details)
A message from Dr. Kail C. Ellis, Editor, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies…
It is with great sadness that I inform you that Dr. Hafeez Malik passed away on the morning of April 20, 2020.
Born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1930, Dr. Malik’s many accomplishments include the positions of Professor of Political Science at Villanova University, where he has taught since 1961. Before joining the Villanova University faculty, he was an accredited White House correspondent for the Pakistan Press 1960-1961. Since 1977 he has been the Editor of the Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. In 1973 he established the American Institute of Pakistani Studies, and for 15 years served as its Director. The Institute remains, even under very difficult circumstances, the most viable program of educational exchange between Pakistan and the United States.
He was a Friend, Scholar, Teacher, Mentor and Visionary.
On April 2nd, recent Villanova alumni and current Political Science graduate students met via Zoom for an aptly titled panel “Which Way Forward After Graduation?”
The intimate gathering included:
· Alex Jeszeck, CLAS ‘13, U.S. Government Accountability Office;
· Elin Berlin-Shaffer, ‘13 MA, Policy Advisor, Swedish Association of Local and Regional Authorites;
· Joseph Lasky, ‘18 MA, PhD. Student, Department of Political Science, Cornell University;
· Kathleen Smith, date ‘13, Senior Management Consultant at M2 Strategy; and
· Steve Darbes, ‘12 MA, Program Office, Army Research and Development.
Over the course of an hour and half, panelists discussed the merits of a Political Science M.A. from Villanova as well as the reality of a non-linear career path. All of the panelists noted that the writing skills learned at Villanova aided largely to their success in both professional and academic environments. The wide range of stylistic writing assignments was lauded by the panelists for the real-world application as well as an adaptable and marketable skill. Several panelists also pointed out the importance of statistical literacy and learning GIS mapping software.
Panelists discussed the importance of exploring both research and career interests, with many of them having taken time off between their undergraduate degrees and obtaining their M.A.s. Additionally, many spoke to keeping an open mind when applying for jobs rather than holding out for the mythical dream job. Darbes, Jeszeck, and Smith all highlighted that both interests and plans change over time.
The panel provided insight into the multitude of directions that students are able to move after graduation as well as offered students important alumni connections.
Dr. Deborah Seligsohn was the Environment, Science Technology and Health Counselor at the US Embassy in Beijing from 2003 to 2007. She began that position in the midst of China’s SARS outbreak and then worked closely with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration to greatly increase US-China health cooperation, particularly on emerging infectious diseases. She then left the State Department to develop the World Resources Institute’s Climate and Energy work in Beijing and subsequently pursued a PhD at the University of California San Diego before joining the Villanova Faculty.
During the present COVID-19 pandemic Dr. Seligsohn has been writing and speaking about the SARS experience, the health cooperation built under Presidents Bush and Obama and its current state. The links are below:
Dr Malcolm Harvey is a lecturer in Politics at the University of Aberdeen, an Associate Fellow of the Centre on Constitutional Change, a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, and a Fulbright Scholar for 2020-21. His research interests include constitutional change, public engagement, referendums, party systems and nationalism. He currently teaches courses in both UK devolved politics and American politics, and his Fulbright award is designed to allow for a teaching and knowledge exchange in both of these areas. Bringing his expertise in Scottish and UK politics, and the politics of Brexit, he will provide some up-to-date analysis on contemporary issues in European politics, while learning up-close how American politics is taught in the US. He is particularly excited about being in Pennsylvania during the 2020 Presidential election and keen to experience everything that goes along with it first hand.
