PRE-REGISTRATION BEGINS

Pre-registration for Spring 2003 courses begins on November 12. The earliest date on which you may register is determined by your class standing, with seniors first in line (see below).

It is extremely important that you take part in the pre-registration process. Doing so ensures that you receive the best possible academic advising. Pre-registration also greatly improves your chances of getting the courses you want and need. All courses are “capped” at a certain enrollment level; once a course is filled, it is normally up to the instructor to decide whether or not to admit additional students. Sometimes, as in the case of POS 103, we simply cannot over-enroll because of space limitations in computer-equipped classrooms. Pre-registration also determines whether or not courses will go forward as planned. Because of the university’s budget problems, courses with low pre-registration figures are often cancelled. Anyone who waits until the start of the new semester to sign up for a course may find that that course is no longer available.

Each semester the Department strongly urges its majors to take advantage of the pre-registration process. Unfortunately, students sometimes choose to ignore that advice and subsequently may find that they cannot graduate when they had hoped to because they have not planned their schedules properly. This may be the first stage of a downward slide that leads to a lifetime of working at Burger King.

You should begin the pre-registration process by meeting with your academic advisor. (If you need to know who your advisor is, call Terry Quinn at 780-4283.) Your advisor will discuss your academic progress with you and then give you a RAN number, which serves as your “pre-registration password.” Only your advisor can provide your RAN number, and a face-to-face meeting is normally required. Once you have your RAN number you can register for your preferred courses by phone, on-line, or in person.

Pre-Registration Dates

Tuesday, November 12: Graduate students and seniors with 98 or more credits.

Wednesday, November 13: Seniors with 83 or more credits

Thursday, November 14: Juniors with 68 or more credits

Friday November 15: Juniors with 53 or more credits

Monday, November 18: Sophomores with 38 or more credits

Tuesday November 19: Sophomores with 23 or more credits

Wednesday, November 20: Freshmen with 15 or more credits

Thursday, November 21: Freshmen with 5 or more credits

Friday November 22: Freshmen with 0 credits

BENVENUTO, PROFESSOR VASSALLO!

The Department is pleased to welcome our newest faculty member, Dr. Francesca Vassallo. Francesca, a native of Italy, joined us last summer after receiving her Ph.D. at Georgetown University and spending six months as a Marie Curie Fellow in the U.K. doing research on the European Union.

EXCITING NEW COURSES OFFERED IN SPRING 2003

This Spring, in addition to our usual array of fascinating and stimulating courses, we’re pleased to be presenting the following classes and/or instructors for the first time:

POS 102 PEOPLE AND POLITICS

Anna Broome: Anna, a recent Ph.D. from Washington University, will incorporate into the course her special interests in indigenous peoples in New Zealand, Australia, North America, Scandinavia, and Latin America.

POS 299 AFRICA IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Najim Animashaun: Najim is a Nigerian-born, UK-trained barrister. His course will cover Africa’s role in the post-colonial world, including the influences of international agencies and state and sub-state actors on African countries and African responses to these influences.

POS 299 POLITICS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Francesca Vassallo: As a new case of regional cooperation, the European Union is a unique example of political, economic, and cultural integration. Emphasis will be on the evolution, enlargement, international positioning, and political organization of the European Union.

POS 399 INTERNATIONAL LAW

Francesca Vassallo: This course examines the structures, processes, and doctrines developed by international bodies to hold governments and leaders accountable to legal norms

Fall 2002 Interns

Rebecca Angers, U.S. Senator Susan Collins

Robert Barss, Refugee & Immigration Services

Henry Bindbeutel, Peter Cianchette gubernatorial campaign

Melissa Dupont, Maine Women’s Lobby

Amelia Golden, Governor Angus King

Melissa Hinckley, Volunteer Lawyers Project

Kerry Hryhor, Portland Housing Authority

Amy Matuewezski, District of Columbia Public Defender

Laura Nash, U.S. Senator Susan Collins

John Nichols, Lee International

Kate Roberts, U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe

Jessica Roy, Volunteer Lawyers Project

Patricia Takacs, U.S. Representative Tom Allen

Robin Talbot, U.S. Senator Susan Collins

Guinevere Twitchell. U.S. Senator Susan Collins

Nina Wickenheiser, Maine Bureau of Elections

Greg White, U.S. Senator Susan Collins

Contact Internship Coordinator Bill Coogan for further information about our internship program.

MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2003

The Model United Nations Club is participating in the Model United Nations conference in Philadelphia November 7 – 11, as part of the course POS 299, Issues in the United Nations. This conference will help the students prepare for and coordinate the Maine Model United Nations conference in May 2003.

Students attending the University of Pennsylvania conference are: Emily Ainsworth, Frederick Bondole, Paula Brayson, Bodie Colwell, Julia Edwards, Jessica Fernald, Timothy Griffin, Amer Kamal, Maksat Korooluve, Michael Kirkland, Elizabeth Mann, Any Matueweski, Christian Morris, Zakary Muzyka, Jeremy Perron, David Rodgers, Sarah, Rubin, David Stearns, Joseph Swanson, Kathleen Whitelaw, Nina Wickenheiser and Kate Wright.

Jason Hammond is Secretary-General and Julia Edwards is Under Secretary-General of the May 2003 conference which is a joint effort of the University of Southern Maine, the Maine United Nations Association and the World Affairs Council. The 2003 conference will take place May 13, 14 & 15 on the Gorham campus.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Pi Sigma Alpha

Pi Sigma Alpha is the national Political Science Honor Society. Students are chosen on the basis of high academic achievement. Those eligible for membership in Pi Sigma Alpha will be notified in the Spring. This year Paul Arsenault is President of the organization, and Daniel Kleban is Vice-President/President-Elect.

Political Science Majors Association

The Majors Association is open to all students enrolled in political science classes. It meets Tuesdays at 4 pm at 126 Bedford St. This year’s officers are Elizabeth Mann (President), Jordan Gibbs (Vice-President), Tiffany MacDonald (Secretary), and Rebecca Angers (Treasurer). Sheila Cohen represents the PSMA at Department meetings and votes on all decisions except personnel matters.

Pre-Law Society

This organization is open to students considering a career in law. Its officers are Megan Gruber (President) and David Stearns (Vice-President). The Society recently sponsored a student trip to the Law School Admission Forum in Boston, and plans a meeting soon to discuss the law school application process.

THESE GROUPS EXIST FOR YOU !!! SO GET INVOLVED !!!

FACULTY NOTES

Lynn Kuzma has presented papers on her research on the American public’s attitudes toward terrorism at meetings of the International Political Studies Association and the New England Political Science Association.

Robert Klotz has presented research papers about media coverage of FDA drug approvals and court decisions on cyberlaw issues at the annual meetings of the American Political Science Association and the New England Political Science Association.

Francesca Vassallo is currently studying electoral participation in the EU using the European Election Study database for a comparative analysis waiting for the 2004 European elections.

Bill Coogan recently finished a three-year term on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court’s Advisory Committee on the Code of Professional Responsibility for Lawyers. He is writing an article on “lawyer advertising” for the Encyclopedia of Civil Liberties.

Ron Schmidt is completing his book, This is the City: Emulation and the Political Culture of Los Angeles 1880-1992, for publication next year by the University of Minnesota Press.

Michael Hamilton is working on a book, Mining Environmental Policy in Indonesia and the United States: A Comparative Approach, and has recently completed two journal articles based on his research on Indonesian mining operations.

Mahmud Faksh is continuing his research on Islamic revivalism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His essay titled “Everything to Lose,” a critique of the Bush Administration’s plan to invade Iraq, appeared recently in the Maine Sunday Telegram’s “Eye on Washington.”

Richard Maiman’s recent co-authored book, Divorce Lawyers at Work: Varieties of Professionalism in Practice (Oxford University Press), was cited by the American Political Science Association as “the best book on law and courts published in 2001.”