Political Science Department
News Letter Vol.3 No.1 November 1998
During early Spring semester the faculty will interview applicants for a tenure-track position specializing in American Politics with emphasis on some combination of race, gender, and urban politics that will contribute to a College initiative in culture and ethnic studies. Two students from the Political Science Students Association will participate in reviewing the files and interviewing the candidates. All students are invited to meet with the finalists, attend their classroom presentations, and communicate preferences to PSSA representatives and faculty. Watch for announcements about applicant visits in POS classes!
Professor Richard Maiman will take POS 345, British Government & Politics, to the source this summer for several days in England. Class includes a survey of the contemporary British Constitution, the workings of Parliament, the government, and the parties. Emphasis is on current issues in British Politics. Field trips include Edinburgh and London between July 12 and August 3, 1998. Students who have taken POS 345 should contact Prof. Maiman about an Independent Study.
POS 102J, People & Politics: In this course, students with any major can learn from Professor Richard Maiman how people affect and are affected by politics. By learning how political behavior develops among the electorate and among those who become politicians, students will better understand current events, conundrums like Lewinskygate, Ross Perot, Newt Gingrich, and the generally terrible voter turnout we experience in the United States. If you're lost in a politically induced haze and need a core class, let POS 102J clear the fog away. Meets 10-11:15, TTH.
POS 299J, Contemporary Political Ideologies: Assistant Professor Lynn Kuzma will offer a new course in political theory for non-majors as well as majors. This class will introduce students to the main tenets of Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism, Anarchism, Fascism, Feminism, and Environmentalism. Find out what Karl Marx, Henry David Thoreau, Phyllis Schlafly, Adolf Hitler, Betty Friedan, John Stuart Mill, and Ralph Waldo Emerson have in common. Meets, 5:30-6:45 TTH.
POS 336, Government & Politics of Russia: An introduction to Russia in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, presented by Associate Professor James Roberts. From the classic Leninist model to emergence of new political institutions beginning in the Gorbachev era, with analysis of economic changes, the ethnic revolution, and social impacts of the post-Leninist era. Meets 7:00-9:30, M.
POS 375, International Environmental Politics & Policy: Development of international agreements on transboundary environmental issues will be examined by Associate Professor Michael Hamilton. Obstacles and incentives to negotiating effective agreements are addressed, with special consideration of the U.N. Conference on the Human Environment (1972) and the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992). Meets 1:00-2:15, TTH.
POS 453, American Public Policy Making: An introduction to political analysis of public policy formation and implementation presented by Adjunct Assistant Professor Blake Strack. Policy processes are examined to see what they can tell us about Awho gets what, when and how" from the American political system, especially how they get it and why it works that way. Meets 7:00-9:30, W.
POS 484, American Civil Liberties: Can the City of Bangor prevent anti-abortion protesters from demonstrating in front of a doctor's home? Should a school superintendent be able to fire a teacher who assigns Bastard Out of Carolina to her high school students? Explore these and other questions with Associate Professor Bill Coogan, President of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, 1:00-2:15, MW.
POS 499, Democratization of Post Cold-War Europe: Is democratization the wave of the future? Does it matter? This seminar presented by Professor Oliver Woshinsky will explore the causes and consequences of a recent worldwide trend toward adoption of democratic forms of governance. In individual research projects, each student will apply general theories of democracy to the experiences of a single country. Permission of instructor required. Meets 7:00-9:30, T.
Adjunct Associate Professor Fred Richardson will offer POS 101, Intro to American Government, in Portland at 11:30-12:45, T/TH. Dr. Richardson earned his Ph. D. in Political Science at Brandeis University in 1972 and taught for 10 years at Ohio Wesleyan University. Elected to the Portland School Committee in 1988, he also served three terms in the Maine House of Representatives (1990-96). Formerly a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia and Executive Director of the Japan America Society of Maine, Dr. Richardson is President, Evergreen International Trading Co., which has a branch in Arkhangel'sk, Russia.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Blake Strack will offer POS 453, Politics of American Public Policy Making, at 7:00-9:30pm on Wednesdays this Spring. Dr. Strack earned his Ph.D. in Political Science at S.U.N.Y.-Buffalo, has previously taught courses at USM, and is a presently a professional policy analyst with UNUM, Inc.
The selection of courses scheduled with working students in mind changes each semester. Spring classes scheduled after 5pm include: POS 101, Intro to American Government, at the Saco Center; POS 256, Media and Politics; POS 299 Contemporary Political Ideologies, a theory course with Assistant Professor Lynn Kuzma; POS 336, Russian Government & Politics; POS 453, Politics of American Public Policy Making; and POS 499, Democratization of Post Cold War Europe, a comparative politics course with Professor Oliver Woshinsky. See the schedule for further details.
Courses offered in Gorham this Spring include POS 101J, Intro to American Government, POS 104J, Intro to International Relations with Assistant Professor Lynn Kuzma, and POS/ESP 202, Legal Process and the Environment.
To better serve students, two sections of POS 101, Intro to
American Government, will be offered off-campus in Spring 1999. Adjunct
Assistant Professor Phil Calvert will offer POS 101 at the Bath/Brunswick
Center at 1:00-3:30, W. Dr. Calvert is a 1992 graduate of USM who earned a Ph.D.
in Political Science at Southern Illinois University. Presently Manager of
Online Communities and Voice Information Services at Guy Gannett Communications,
Calvert expects to introduce some Inernet resources in this course.
Adjunct
Assistant Professor John Hunt will offer POS 101 at the Saco Center at
7:00-9:30PM, T. Hunt earned his J. D. from the University of Maine School of Law
in 1973, has previously taught POS 101 at USM, and is an attorney in
private practice specializing in arbitration and mediation in commercial and
land use matters. Formerly he was a staff attorney for the Maine State Employees
Association and the Maine Department of Transportation, and served as Assistant
District Attorney in Skowhegan.
Professor Faksh will return to the classroom in Fall, 1999, after a one-semester sabbatical during Spring, 1999, to conduct research on future prospects for democratization and civil society in Syria. He will teach POS 104J in Summer, 1999.
Erica Archer, Maine International Trade Center.
Lyle Brown, Maine
International Trade Center.
Jason Buckley, District of Columbia Public
Defenders Service.
Jennifer Corey, U.S. Representative Tom Allen's Portland
Office.
Jeffrey Fetterer, Maine People's Alliance.
Joel Galietta, U.S.
Senator Susan Collins's Portland Office.
Jennifer Gonzales, Volunteer
Lawyers Project.
Aaron Haley, U.S. Senator Susan Collins's Portland Office.
Corey Hascall, Maine Women's Lobby.
Jolene Hedges, U.S. Senator Olympia
Snowe's Biddeford Office.
Tramii Krallman, Bath City Manager's Office.
Ekaterina Kuznetsova, Volunteer Lawyers Project.
David Parr, U.S.
Representative Tom Allen's Washington Office.
Justin St. Louis, District of
Columbia Public Defenders Service.
Kristy Sullivan, Maine State Fire
Marshal's Office.
Dear Professor Coogan: I can't thank you enough for introducing me to this
internship with the District of Columbia Public Defenders Service. I love it.
The people here - PDS primarily, and Washington in general - are great. I can't
get over the resumes of some of the kids I work with; Dartmouth is considered a
second-tier school. I'm accepted and feel like I'm making great connections for
the future.
The attorney I work with is hard working. Consequently, I
usually put in ten hour days (not including weekends). I'm currently working on
nine cases, in five of which the investigative duties are all mine. The other
four had already been started prior to my arrival. Two cases are murder
investigations.
As the primary investigator for these cases, I've done a lot
of work, including: Subpoenaing witnesses and documents, picture taking,
research, measurements, interviews, and testifying. I have 6-8 hours a day that
is devoted to pure investigation.
This makes Key Club look like Sunday
school. It's fantastic because it shows how things work in the real world of law
- not taking anything away from Matlock though! Doing something constructive and
beneficial for others makes me feel like I'm really making a difference.
Jason Buckley, Fall 1998
Political Science Department
University of Southern Maine
126
Bedford St.,
Portland, ME 04101
phone 207-780-4283
fax 207-780-4459
