I. General Political Science Announcements
a. Call for paper submissions for the Midwest Political Science Undergraduate Research Conference
b. Apply to the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute
c. Department adds new POLS A-Z index to website
d. NIU at Oxford
II. General University Announcements
a. 2010 NIU Orientation Leaders wanted
III. Student Kudos!
IV. Upcoming Lectures and Speakers
a. Brownbag series on Law, Crime and Social Justice continues
V. Internships
a. Internship with Illinois Legislative Staff
VI. Scholarship and Fellowships
a. Boren Scholarship
b. Daisy Alliance Essay Contest
VII. Clubs and Organizations
VIII. Other Announcements
I. General Political Science Announcements
a. Call for paper submissions for the Midwest Political Science Undergraduate Research Conference
The 19th Annual Midwest Political Science Undergraduate Research Conference will be held on March 19-20, 2010, at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN.
This is a significant opportunity for undergraduate students to share their research with students and colleagues from throughout the Midwest.
The registration fee of $35.00 provides for several meals, a guest speaker, and Best Paper Awards. Students can also submit their papers for review and publication in the Missouri Valley Journal of Social Science, based at Creighton University.
Past conference participants have found this conference experience to be very rewarding. Students who wish to attend should submit their paper proposals by the February 15th deadline.
For more information please visit http://public.wartburg.edu/mpsurc/index.html
b. Apply to the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute
Are you interested in gaining the graduate school experience as an undergraduate?
The Ralph Bunche Summer Institute is a 5-week, academically intensive summer program designed to simulate the graduate school experience, provide mentoring, and expand academic opportunities.
The RBSI Program, under the direction of Dr. Paula McClain of Duke University, will be held at Duke University May 30 - July 1, 2010. The deadline to apply is January 20, 2010.
The Ralph Bunche Summer Institute targets students from racial/ethnic groups that are significantly underrepresented in science in the United States. All students who are members of these groups, or who are interested in broadening participation in political science by students from underrepresented minority populations and pursuing scholarship on issues affecting under-represented groups, are eligible to apply.
Applications and additional eligibility requirements can be found at www.apsanet.org/rbsi. If you have any questions please direct them to Shunda Raglan at sragland@apsanet.org or 202-483-2512
c. Department adds new POLS A-Z index to website
Recently, the NIU Department of Political Science introduced a redesign of its webpage. As part of this redesign the department has added a POLS A-Z index similar to the NIU A-Z index.
Through this POLS A-Z index students can easily find different parts of the department’s website such as scholarships, programs and internships. If you would like to utilize this new tool you will find a link to it on the side navigation bar, above "Contact Us", on the department’s website.
Or you can access it directly via http://www.polisci.niu.edu/polisci/audience/pols%20a-z%20index.shtml
d. NIU at Oxford
Every summer the NIU Department of Political Science participates in summer courses at Oxford University.
This summer professor Daniel Kempton will represent the department at NIU at Oxford program. Dr. Kempton will offer undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on international relations and terrorism.
The program will last from June 27 to July 30 and other classes in the fields of biology and English will be offered.
Along with living at Oriel College, students will be able to explore the city of Oxford. Students will also take multiple field trips during their time in England. Likely field trips will include; the Parliament Building; the American Embassy and the National Portrait Gallery. Other field trips such as, to the Global Theater, are also likely.
For more information please visit the department’s web page at http://polisci.niu.edu/polisci/courses/oxford.shtml
II. General University Announcements
a. 2010 NIU Orientation Leaders wanted
The search has begun to find students who have strong interactive, academic and leadership skills, in addition to Huskie pride to be 2010 Orientation Leaders.
Orientation Leaders play an integral part in the college transition process at Northern. They are responsible for facilitating the orientation process by providing new students, their families and guest with an introduction to the campus and its resources.
Interested applicants are required to attend one of the following information meetings: Wednesday November 11 at 8 p.m. at the Stevenson Multi-Purpose Room or Wednesday November 18 at 9 p.m. in the Douglas Smart Classroom 30.
Applications are available online at www.orientation.niu.edu and are due on Tuesday November 24, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.
III. Student Kudos!
There are no announcements at this time.
IV. Upcoming Lectures and Speakers
a. Brownbag series on Law, Crime and Social Justice continues
The Law, Crime and Social Justice Brownbag Series will continue on Thursday, November 19 at 11:50 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Brownbag will be held in room 170 of Swen Parsons.
This week the subject will be, “Counter-Terrorist Legal Strategies and their Problematic Consequences.” Marc Falkoff will present, “Habeas Corpus at the Bagram Prison,” and Kristopher K. Robison will present, “Shooting our Feet? A Cross-National Study of the Pernicious Effects of Aggressive Counter-Terrorism.”
V. Internships
a. Internship with Illinois Legislative Staff
Are you interested in a paid internship working for the Illinois State Legislature?
The Illinois Legislative Staff Intern Program has a 47-year history and is considered one of the top ten internship programs in the United States and is looking for interns.
If selected, interns receive a monthly stipend of $2,026, health insurance, can earn eight graduate credits in political studies from the University of Illinois at Spring filed and will work with legislative staff with either the partisan staffs of the Illinois General Assembly or the Legislative Research United.
Interns will work closely with seasoned professionals in the unique environment of the State legislature. Interns will provide research and analytical support to committee leaders and members, analyze agency budgets, take part in crafting the state budget, handle press and newsletters for legislative members and build relationships with legislators, lobbyist and other state contractors.
Once completing the program, interns pursue a number of professional avenues, such as continuing their education, law degrees and pursuing careers in public policy. Interns are also offered full-time positions on a legislative staff.
Applicants must complete their undergraduate degree by September 1, 2010. The program also prefers applicants with an advance degree and a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
Applications must be postmarked by March 1, 2010. The internship will start August 16, 2010 and conclude on June 30, 2011.
For more information, including an application, please contact Barbara Van Dyke-Brown, Director, Legislative Internships and Advocacy Programs, at 217.206.6579 or visit the ILSIP website at http://ilsip.uis.edu
VI. Scholarship and Fellowships
a. Boren Scholarships
The Institute of International Education is pleased to announce the 2010-11 academic year competition for NSEP David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships. Boren Awards provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to become more proficient in the cultures and languages of world regions critical to the future security of the United States, such as in Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Boren Scholarships, for undergraduate students, provide up to $20,000 for an academic year's study abroad. The deadline for applications is February 10, 2010.
Boren Fellowships, for graduate students, provide up to $30,000 for language study and international research. The deadline for applications is January 28, 2010.
Applications and detailed information on the Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are now available on www.borenawards.org
If you have any questions or comments please contact the Boren Scholarships and Fellowships staff at boren@iie.org or 1-800-618-NSEP.
b. Daisy Alliance Essay Contest
Bruce Roth, Founder of the Daisy Alliance, is holding a Student Scholarship/Essay Contest.
The student who wins will receive $1,000, while second place will get $500 and third place $250.
The essay, entitled, “The Role of NATO in the 21st Century,” has the prompt as follows:
The United States' role in extending a nuclear security guarantee to allied nations in
Europe has diminished since the Cold War, and several new nuclear security
threats have emerged-North Korea has nuclear weapons, Iran may have them soon,
and there are terrorist organizations who aspire to using weapons of mass
destruction against the US and its allies. Russia and the U.S. are no longer on the
brink of nuclear war, but tensions still exist from disagreements over missile
defense, NATO expansion, and the Russian invasion of Georgia.
Students addressing the prompt should answer the following questions:
How has the deterrent usefulness of the U.S. nuclear umbrella changed since the
end of the Cold War?
What effect, if any, has this had or is it likely to have on nonproliferation and
disarmament efforts? How important are these efforts for the security of all NATO
partners?
Is NATO still needed to provide a nuclear security guarantee to its non-nuclear
members?
Should NATO decrease or end its reliance on nuclear weapons?
The essay should be between 2,500 words and 3,000 words excluding footnotes and bibliography. Papers must be submitted by January 26th, 2010 in a Word file to bruce@daisyalliance.org. Be sure to include your name, mailing address, school name, and year in school.
VII. Clubs and Organizations
There are no announcements at this time.
VIII. Other Announcements
There are no announcements at this time.