Opportunities and Announcements

for the Week of February 7, 2020

And He’s Still Here.  Yesterday’s New York Times and Washington Post headlines were “Trump Is Acquitted.”  Charged with two impeachment counts – abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the president was acquitted of the House impeachment charges, with the Senate voting along party lines. 

As the New York Times reported, “The tally for conviction fell far below the 67-vote threshold necessary for removal and neither article of impeachment garnered even a simple majority. The first article, abuse of power, was rejected 48 to 52, and the second, obstruction of Congress, was defeated 47 to 53. Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, was the only member to break with his party, voting to remove Mr. Trump from office.”  Three Democratic Senators voted their conscience against their potential electoral well-being: Doug Jones (AL), Joe Manchin III (WV), and Krysten Sinema (AZ). Along party lines, Ohio’s Senators were on opposite sides of the vote, Rob Portman (R) voting to acquit and Sherrod Brown (D) voting to impeach.  

Less Ground-Shaking.  Democrats in Iowa participated in presidential nominating caucuses to determine which delegates will go to the Iowa state convention, to determine who will be Iowa’s 41 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention and to whom they’ll be pledged.  For the most recent results to date, see the the Iowa Democratic Party webpage here.  For the rules of Democratic Party’s presidential nominating process, see here.

Iowa Republicans also caucused this week.  See their results here and their 2016 rules here (2020 nominating rules are not available on the Republican National Committee’s website; caucus results were not available on the Iowa Republican Party website or on the Iowa Secretary of State’s webpage).

Wellman Hill Public Service Internship Competition.  A final reminder:  applications for the Wellman Hill internship competition are due today by 5:00pm.  The application process is online here. 

Teaching and Mentoring Excellence.  Nominations are open for the Wittke and Jackson Awards.  The J. Bruce Jackson, MD, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring “is given to faculty or staff members who have fostered professional development, facilitated goals and life choices, and made a significant impact on a student’s life.”  The Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching “is given to outstanding classroom teachers who are engaging, invested and stimulate enthusiasm for their area of study.” Students interested in nominating any (or all) of our faculty for either (or both) of these awards can find more information about the nomination process here.  The process requires completing an online nomination form.  The deadline for nominations is February 15.

Staffing the Office.  The Chairs of the Departments of Classics and of Political Science, and the Director of International Studies are in the process of hiring new department assistants.  We interviewed candidates for a temporary DA3, made an offer that was accepted, and anticipate having the new person in our office by Monday, February 10. Next week we will be interviewing candidates for a permanent DA3 position.  Once we have the DA3 staff member confirmed, we will move to hiring a DA1. I am grateful to Professors Professor Kelly McMann, Director of International Studies, and Peter Knox, Department of Classics, for their assistance in interviewing candidates. 

As we search for new department assistants, the office continues to be closed, and will open only occasionally, as possible.  Departmental office hours will not be posted and students should contact me and/or their academic advisors and professors if they have questions or need assistance.  I can be reached at 216.368.4129; my email address is karen.beckwith@case.edu; and my office appointments schedule can be found on my webpage.  

We ask for everyone’s patience during the period of transition.  In the absence of our DA3 and DA1, we have had collegial support and assistance from outside the department, including from Gloria Jenkins (Assistant Director for Student Employment) and Jeremy Naab (Registrar’s Office), and from Professor Ken Ledford and Ms. Bess Weiss, our Mather House neighbors in the Department of History.  I am very grateful to them all for their immediate and generous assistance.

Finally, many thanks to Ms. Amanda Spangler, one of our excellent student assistants, who is responsible for organizing and issuing today’s Political Science Newsletter!

Cheers,

Karen Beckwith
Flora Stone Mather Professor and Chair
Department of Political Science

General Announcements

• Applications for the Wellman Hill Summer Internship Grants are due today, February 7th by 5pm.

Upcoming Events

Friday Lunch: Ohio in the Presidential Election
February 7, 12:30-1:30pm, KSL Dampeer Room
Ohio has long been seen as a swing state in presidential elections, and so been ground zero in the campaigns. Can a Democrat carry Ohio in the 2020 Presidential Election?  Can a Democrat get close enough to suggest she or he could win states sort-of-like Ohio? And which Democrat seems likely to win the March 17 primary?  Join us for a discussion with Thomas C. Sutton, Professor of Political Science at Baldwin Wallace University that will explore these questions and more.

riday Lunch: Ohio in the Presidential Election
February 7, 12:30-1:30pm, KSL Dampeer Room
Ohio has long been seen as a swing state in presidential elections, and so been ground zero in the campaigns. Can a Democrat carry Ohio in the 2020 Presidential Election?  Can a Democrat get close enough to suggest she or he could win states sort-of-like Ohio? And which Democrat seems likely to win the March 17 primary?  Join us for a discussion with Thomas C. Sutton, Professor of Political Science at Baldwin Wallace University that will explore these questions and more.

The Future of U.S.-Cuban Government Relations
February 7, 12:00-1:30pm, The City Club of Cleveland
In 2015, under Presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro, the United States and Cuba began restoring diplomatic ties and relaxing some trade and travel restrictions. The two governments also reopened their embassies, a move met with widespread public support in both countries. It was a significant thaw in a relationship that has been frosty for more than 55 years. His Excellency José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez became the first Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to the United States in almost 50 years on Sept. 17, 2015. Join us for a conversation with Rodríguez on the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S.-Cuba relationship, the impact of diplomacy on the relationship’s trajectory, what we can expect in the ongoing reconstruction of the relationship

Social Justice Teach-In: Peacemaking through Art and Storytelling
February 8, 10:30am-3:30pm, Tinkham Veale University Center, Ballroom
The Social Justice Teach-In is designed to inspire students and community members to be active and engaged citizens, to increase their understanding of social justice issues, and to enhance their leadership skills in areas such as service, advocacy, and philanthropy. The event will feature a keynote address and 40+ workshop options.

Get Experienced Career Fair
February 10, 10:00am-2:00pm, Veale Center
Students looking for internships, co-ops or full-time opportunities can meet with potential employers and learn more about various industries.

Black Indians: An American Story-Documentary and Discussion
February 11, 6:30-8:30pm, Crawford Hall, Room A9
The award-winning documentary film Black Indians: An American Story brings to light a hidden heritage of America’s past ‐ the cultural and racial fusion of Native and African Americans.  Dr. Susan Dominguez will lead a robust discussion following about the critical need to examine lost, hidden, forgotten and denied histories and about the unique twin cultural heritage of Native Black Americans. Light refreshments will be served.  RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.

On Helping One’s Neighbor: Religious Ethics, Obligations to Others, and Severe Poverty
February 12, 12-1:00pm, Clark Hall, Room 106
Bharat Ranganathan, the Beamer-Schneider SAGES Teaching Fellow in Ethics, will give a talk titled “On Helping One’s Neighbor: Religious Ethics, Obligations to Others, and Severe Poverty.” Ranganathan will draw from Christian ethics and moral and political philosophy to discuss the obligation of the wealthy to assist the severely poor. Online registration is requested.

Scholarship and Service: Reconsidering the Arab Uprising
February 13, 4:30-5:30pm, CWRU Law Moot Courtroom
Tamara Wittes, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, wrote a book about the decline of Arab autocratic states in 2008, and then found herself working for President Obama and Secretary Clinton in the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of the State Department when uprisings threatened to collapse those regimes in 2011.   How did her scholarship of Middle East politics and policy prepare her for that moment, and what did it leave out?  When truly unexpected events hit US foreign policy, is it possible for policy makers to learn or assimilate new understandings while managing a crisis?

Friday Lunch: What to Do About Vaping
February 14, 12:30-1:30pm, KSL Dampeer Room
For a policy analyst, vaping is a problem from hell. What is known, not known, or needs to be known? And how should risks be addressed? Join us as Erika Trapl, one of CWRU’s leading tobacco researchers and Associate Professor of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences shares her thoughts

Current Opportunities

Radical Democracy Conference: Call for Papers
Sponsored by the Department of Politics at The New School for Social Research, this 9th annual conference on April 10th and 11th, will convene theorists and practitioners around this year’s theme of “Radical Ecologies.” The conference is now calling for abstracts and panel proposals that deal with this general theme from a broad range of perspectives and disciplines. Paper proposals and panel abstracts are due February 15 to radicaldemocracy@newschool.edu.

All Politics is Local (APiL) Conference and Call for Papers
The 17th annual APiL Conference for undergraduate students interested in Political Science and International Relations is Saturday, April 18, 2020 at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio. Students may present papers or posters in any areas of the conference’s discipline. Registration for those presenting papers is due by April 1 and papers are due by April 10.  For more information on the conference and the call for papers, click here.

ThinkEnergy Fellowship
This program exposes students to a wide variety of energy topics including technology, policy, entrepreneurship, and research. ThinkEnergy connects students with faculty, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and government officials. It often gives students an opportunity to operate outside of their comfort zones, developing competencies that are dissimilar to what they learn in their courses. 2020-2021 cohort applications are due by 9am on March 9, 2020.

Summer Opportunities

Environmental Law and Policy Center: Science & Policy Internships
The Environmental Law & Policy Center offers several, unpaid policy and science internships for undergraduate and graduate students. Applications for Summer 2020 Science and Policy Internship positions are due March 15, 2020.

Bipartisan Policy Center: The Baker-Dole Internship Program
BPC offers full-time and part-time fall, spring, and summer internships. Applications close March 1, 2020 for the Summer program.

Women’s Foreign Policy Group
The WFPG works to advance women’s careers and highlight their contributions in the international field through mentoring programs. Student interns are provided with an opportunity to be introduced to various aspects of foreign policy in Washington D.C. A stipend is provided to full-time interns at the end of the spring. Applications for summer internships are due March 25, 2020.

American Foreign Policy Council Summer Internship
The AFPC internship is an unpaid research opportunity for students to interact closely with foreign policy professionals by assisting in the publication of articles and the organizing of events. Applications close March 15.

Contest Opportunities 

Japanese Language Speech Contest
Showcase your Japanese language skills while competing for a scholarship and other prizes. Applications are due February 7, 2020; the competition will take place in Dublin, OH March 14, 2020.

Graduating Senior Opportunities

Teach for America
As a corps member, you’ll be challenged to think creatively and lead boldly. You’ll leverage your unique talents to dismantle inequities from the classroom and beyond. The next application deadline is February 28, 2020.

City Year
The role of a City Year AmeriCorps member is designed to help students build the social-emotional and academic skills to achieve their goals. The next application deadline in March 6, 2020.

Career Opportunities

The Center for Community Solutions Public Policy and External Affairs Associate
The Center for Community Solutions is looking for someone who is passionate about Medicaid policy and who wants to concentrate on big public health issues – especially systemic racism as a public health crisis. Apply online here. Applications are due February 21, 2020.

Please note that the Department of Political Science alerts our students to a range of opportunities, including internships, fellowships, and jobs.  We do not endorse or sponsor these, and leave it to the judgment of our students what is most useful and appropriate to them