February is a month full of holidays:  Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and Mardi Gras, a celebratory day that precedes the onset of Lent (this day is also referred to as Shrove Tuesday, celebrated by the eating of pancakes).  In the US, we celebrate the birthdays of Presidents George Washington (February 22) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12).  We also celebrate Black History Month in February. The University has been celebrating Black History Month with a variety of events, and I encourage you to attend them.  The several events listed below include the Toni Morrison Read-In on February 18 (in which you can participate by reading from one of her novels; my favorite is Beloved, which opens with a scene at the Ohio border with Kentucky); by viewing the film “Nashville: We Were Warriors,” on February 22 in Room 290 of the School of Nursing (see additional information here); or by attending the event at the Law School on the “Selma-Montgomery Voting Rights March and Why It Still Matters” (see details, below).
 
It’s impossible to understand US history and politics without knowledge of how race, economics, and politics intersected at the founding the US republic; and Black History Month has special importance for northeast Ohio, where many citizens were linked into the Underground Railroad that helped Black refugees from enslavement in the Southern states make their way to freedom here, or farther north.  Our University has a founding history, as Western Reserve College, in its involvement in the abolition movement in the early 1800s.  One of the most famous abolitionist activists was Frederick Douglass, whose life is commemorated during Black History month.  Douglass was born into slavery and hence his actual birthdate is unknown; he died on February 20, 1895.  Douglass gave the commencement address at our institution in 1854, when CWRU was still Western Reserve College.  Douglass was the first Black person to speak at a graduation ceremony in the US, and he spoke for two hours to an estimated audience of 3000 in Hudson, Ohio.  For more information about Frederick Douglass, see CWRU Professor Rhonda Williams’ brief history of Frederick Douglass here; and a biography of Douglass here.  For more information about Black History Month, see here.
 
Cheers,
Karen
 

Karen Beckwith, Flora Stone Mather Professor
Chair, Department of Political Science, Case Western Reserve University

General Announcements

• Forming a POSC Club: The Department of Political Science, in support of our majors and minors, encourages interested students to develop a CWRU Political Science Club.  For those interested in founding such a club, please send an email to Jaimee Miller.  In the email, please identify your year at CWRU, your major(s) and minor(s), and a brief statement of the reason for your interest. Please email Jaimee by Sunday, February 19.
• Nominations are being accepted for the J. Bruce Jackson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring and the Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.  To nominate a faculty or staff member for one of the awards, visit students.case.edu/awards/. Nominations are due Monday, March 13.
• Stay up to date with the department by following our Twitter feed! Check it for day to day opportunities and information!
• Like us on Facebook! Our department will be regularly posting events, opportunities, and general information to our page!

Events

Friday Lunch: The New Health Education Campus and the Future of Health Care
February 17, 12:30-1:30p.m., KSL Room LL06A/B/C
Join Professor James B. Young M.D., Executive Dean of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine to learn more about the new Health Education Campus, the collaboration between CWRU and CCF. Professor Young will discuss how it can help lead health care reform and what it means for medical education.

Toni Morrison Read-In
February 17, 11:00a.m.-12:00p.m., Guilford House Parlor
Join the CWRU English Department and the campus community in sharing your favorite Morrison passages.

A Day in the Life of a Common Pleas Judge
February 17, 12:45-2:00p.m., Sears 356
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Brian Corrigan will be speaking about his most memorable cases and what it’s like to be a Judge in these uncertain times.

Strike4Democracy
February 17
The group Strike4Democracy will organize this day of general strike and non-violent civil disobedience and demonstration.

Integrating Local Immigrants
February 19, 9:30-10:45a.m., First Unitarian Church of Cleveland
This event will examine and discuss immigrant acclimation programs in Cleveland, as well as national immigration policy.

Humanities@Work: Politics – A Conversation with Senator Sherrod Brown
February 20, 6:00-7:00p.m., Clark Hall 206
Please join Ohio’s senior United States Senator Sherrod Brown for a conversation about how studying the humanities prepared him for a career in public service.

U.N. World Social Justice Day
February 20, 6:30-8:30p.m., Crawford Hall A9
This discussion, featuring Professor Pete Moore, will examine the concept of “refugees,” U.S. naturalization and immigration laws, and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria.

City on the Brink: The Future of East Cleveland
February 21, 6:00p.m., The Happy Dog at Euclid Tavern
This dinner and dialogue event will look at the history and decline of East Cleveland, as well as possible solutions to the city’s problems. Tickets are $20.

Classical Revolution
February 21, 8:00p.m., The Happy Dog (Detroit Shoreway)
Enjoy live chamber music performances, all of which will be dedicated to Refugee Response programs in Cleveland.

Civil Rights, Martin Luther King, Jr., Diversity 360 and Beyond
February 22, 12:30-2:00p.m., Sears 464
This event will discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and how it relates to the Civil Rights Movement.

The Selma-Montgomery Voting Rights March and Why It Still Matters
February 23, 12:00p.m., Gund Hall Room 158
Learn more about the Selma-Montgomery March from Diane Phillips-Leatherberry, a marcher at Selma, and Daniel T. Clancy ’62, a long-time law school and university administrator who was an FBI agent at the march.

The Value Gap in the Age of Trump
February 23, 12:00p.m., The City Club
This discussion will examine the issue of race under the Trump administration. Tickets are $35.

Town Hall Meeting with Marcia Fudge
February 25, 10:00a.m.-3:00p.m., Tri-C Corporate College East
Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge invites constituents of the 11th Congressional District to a town hall meeting. Rep. Fudge will discuss to discuss legislative updates from Washington, programs and services from her offices, and her policy agenda for the 115th Congress.
 

Career Opportunities

Transformation Alliance Program Coordinator
The Transformation Alliance is seeking a Program Coordinator to support their work as part of Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools .

Graduate Programs

Kent State University MA and PhD Programs

Internship and Fellowship Opportunities

Community Preservation Internship
This internship provides candidates the opportunity to gain experience working in the non-profit sector and learning about affordable housing and historical preservation guidelines. The application deadline is February 24.

Ohio Citizen Action Internship
Ohio Citizen Action is accepting internship applications for the Cleveland and Cincinnati offices. Candidates must have excellent communication skills and an interest in community issues.

Policy Matters Ohio Internship
This internship provides a unique opportunity to develop new leaders in the areas of research, communications, development, and community outreach. Internships are offered during each semester and the summer.

WKYC Internship
WKYC offers paid internships for college students interested in Careers in Broadcasting and Digital Media.  Assignments would include working side by side with experienced journalists in storytelling, videography, digital and social media.

Cleveland Foundation Public Service Fellowship
The Cleveland Foundation Public Service Fellowship program offers emerging young leaders
from across the country the skills and networks needed to create the community they envision and
jumpstart a career in public service.

A select group of Fellows will be embedded in public sector agencies in Cleveland working on the frontlines of civic innovation. If you are a recent college graduate considering a public service career, choose the Cleveland Foundation Public Service Fellowship and continue the reinvention of a rustbelt city on the rise. Applications are due February 22.
 

Peace and Conflict Resolution Program
This Summer study abroad program will take place in Amman, Jordan and Dublin, Ireland. Applications are due March 31.

A Little Extra…

• Professor Karen Beckwith shared her research on the role of women in the U.S. Cabinet, as well as cabinets in democracies around the world.
• Senator Rob Portman’s discusses the state of Lake Erie’s dredging issue in The Plain Dealer.