Meet Our Faculty
Lynn Kuzma
- Title
- Associate professor
- Department
- Political Science
- Areas of interest
- International relations, U.S. foreign policy, United Nations
- Web site
What are the strengths of the Political Science Department?
We have excellent teachers. Also, we have innovative programming, and clubs and extracurricular activities, including the Model United Nations and the Political Science Student Association. We also have a student honorary society, Pi Sigma Alpha.
Maine has a state chapter of the World Affairs Council, is active in the Model United Nations, and is home to the internationally acclaimed annual Camden Conference. How is it that Maine has such a surprisingly active international relations community?
Well, because Maine is such a beautiful place to live, we have a lot of people who have retired to Maine after careers in the Foreign Service or with the UN. Many of them are still active in their profession, and they’re looking for outlets to share their experience. They’re a great resource for our students.
Recently, I took students in my Religion as a Force in World Politics course to the Camden Conference. [Conference theme: Religion as a Force in World Affairs]. Our students were linked in with a very high-powered conference.
What role does fieldwork play in USM’s political science program?
We have a very active and established internship program. We very often have a student on internship with the Senate, in offices both in Maine and Washington, whereas in larger, more populous states, Senate internships are extremely hard to get. It’s a really nice thing about living in Maine, students can get involved in local politics, and we can facilitate that through internships.
I’m also working on creating internship opportunities with service providers for the refugee and immigrant communities in southern Maine.
Who is drawn to study political science?
A lot of political science students are very concerned about the state of the world and are committed to changing it. Students involved in the Model UN have traveled to competitions in Beijing, Geneva, Mexico, and Germany. They’re all very active and committed to their education.
Was there an “aha” moment or any one experience that has influenced your teaching?
In graduate school, you’re taught to be the person in class with all the knowledge. You’re the sage on the stage, who parses that knowledge out to students, who are furiously taking notes.
With the access everyone has to information today—information I might not have found—I’d say my role is more one of being a guide on the side. My job is to construct learning opportunities for students that will empower them to be lifelong learners, and to critically evaluate the information they receive, or find. I find myself moving toward experiential education, internships that teach students so much more about a topic than I ever could from a book.
It’s more of an opportunity for students to learn with you; we have our “aha” moments together. They are learning to be experts on their own, and I’m there as a guide, to help them with their critical literacy, their understanding of how to evaluate information they’re given, or find.
Where do you live and why?
Munjoy Hill. I’ve lived here since I came to Portland. I love the diversity, and it’s the most beautiful place in Portland.
What might people not know about you?
I’m interested in interior design. It’s something of a hobby, but I do it for friends, too. If I weren’t a political scientist, I’d be an architect.
