The Alabama Political Science Association (AlaPSA) held its first conference in 1973 on the University of Alabama campus. Richard Nixon was President, George Wallace was Governor, and the state legislature was controlled by a Democratic supermajority. Forty years later and in the midst of a new political era, the conference returns to its inaugural location at the Hotel Capstone on the University of Alabama campus. The conference begins on Friday, April 19, 2013 at noon and goes until Saturday, April 20 until 2 p.m. “The University of Alabama Political Science Department is proud to host the Annual Meeting commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Alabama Political Science Association,” Department Chair Dr. Richard Fording said. He added, “Along with my Co-Chairs Gina Miller and Laura Sojka, we have assembled an excellent program that features the research of political science faculty and students from across the state and the South.” This year’s meeting highlights papers and presentations on a range of topics, including public policy (both state and national perspectives), American politics, international politics, and political theory.

The highlight of the conference will take place Friday evening during the annual meeting banquet, which will feature a symposium titled “The State of Women and Politics in Alabama.” The state of Alabama ranks 47^th out of 50 states when it comes to the political representation of women. The symposium participants will offer their perspectives on why this is the case and what needs to be changed so that women in Alabama are better-represented in the future. The symposium is chaired by former Chair of the Alabama Women’s Commission, Dr. Lori Owens (Jacksonville State University), and will feature analysis and observations from a wide range of political scientists and prominent female elected officials, including State Representative Mary Sue McClurkin (R-Pelham), State Representative Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham), State Senator Linda Coleman (D-Birmingham), and Judge Beth Kellum (R-Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals). Tickets for the banquet are available to the public for $25 per person. The AlaPSA is an academic-based, professional organization that connects scholars interested in political science throughout Alabama and the southern region. The mission and purposes of AlaPSA can be found on their website: http://fs.huntingdon.edu/jlewis/ALaPSA/ For more information about the meeting, including tickets to the banquet and symposium, contact Political Science Chair Richard Fording (rcfording@as.ua.edu).

Washington Experience Students Meet
with Scalia and Sewell

Students participating in UA’s summer political science internship, the Washington Experience, met with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
and also Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL). Under the direction of Dr. Michael New, adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science, the Washington Experience annually brings students to Washington, D.C. to experience politics in action.

Justice Scalia gave two presentations to the students on how the checks and balances system in the U.S. Constitution gives real meaning to the Bill of Rights and how the media focuses on reporting on the outcomes of Supreme Court cases rather than the actual legal or constitutional issues involved.

Justice Scalia took questions on a range of topics, which included his views on the Socratic teaching method, his favorite Supreme Court justices from history, and his opinions on some Supreme Court decisions.

Cason Hightower, a junior at UA, said the Washington Experience afforded him amazing opportunities she would not have been able to receive if she were not in the program.

“I was able to meet with current University of Alabama students as well as alumni. This was especially beneficial because they had wonderful insights on what it is like to land a career in D.C.,” she said.

Two students, Adam Rawlins and Ryan Bonfiay had the opportunity to meet with Congresswoman Terri Sewell, where she told them her personal story of becoming a member of U.S. Congress.

Sewell grew up in Selma, and went to Princeton University, where she met Michele Obama, and Harvard Law School where she met current U.S. President Barack Obama. She worked as a securities lawyer on Wall Street before returning to Alabama to practice law in Birmingham. She then ran for the Congressional seat that was vacated by former Rep. Artur Davis.

According to New, Sewell emphasized her roots, saying that although she went to school and worked in other states she always considered herself from Alabama. She also said she credits the Selma community for much of her success.

Congresswoman Sewell answered a range of questions from the students and discussed her experiences as a freshman Congresswoman and of being the only Democrat in Alabama’s Congressional delegation.

International Studies major Sam Guggenheimer has been awarded a prestigious Boren Scholarship by the U.S. State Department for the 2012-2013 academic year.

David L. Boren Scholarships provide undergraduate and graduate students with resources and encouragement to acquire language skills and experience in countries critical to U.S. security.

Guggenheimer is a rising junior double-majoring in economics and international studies with a minor in German. He will study abroad at Turkish Koc University in Istanbul after he spends this summer in Marine Corps Officer Candidates School. He plans to complete his scholarship service requirement as a Marine officer.

“I knew when I began my freshman year that I wanted to study abroad for an extended period of time and I began exploring various options almost as soon as I got on campus. I found out about the Boren Scholarship through Dr. Oneal (of the Honors College), and it suited my interests and goals well,” said Guggenheimer, who has hoped to visit Turkey again since his first trip there in high school.

Guggenheimer is one of only 161 recipients of the scholarship nationwide. A record number of 1,014 undergraduate students applied for the 2012-2013 academic year awards.

The Boren Scholarships are sponsored by the National Security Education Program, a major federal initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills. In exchange for funding, Boren award recipients agree to work in the federal government for a period of at least one year.

Sam Guggenheimer

Last week, two Political Science faculty members were honored for their service to our students.

On April 3rd, Barbara Chotiner received the Academic Advisor Excellence Award, which is sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs and the University Academic Advisors Association. Dr. Chotiner was given the award by the Provost at a special luncheon at the University Club. Dr. Chotiner has served as Director of Undergraduate Studies for nearly two decades and in that role has served as the primary advisor for literally thousands of students. She is well-known and respected across the entire campus community and is particularly known for the care and concern that she shows for each of our students, both during and after graduation.

And on April 6th, at the Undergraduate Convocation, Norm Baldwin received the Outstanding Commitment to Students Award, which is annually given at this event by the Arts and Sciences Leadership Board. In addition to his responsibilites as Professor and Director of the M.P.A. Program, Dr. Baldwin has served as a faculty mentor and advisor to countless students and student organizations on campus and in these roles has served as a tireless advocate for their interests on campus. In the wake of the April 27 tornado, Dr. Baldwin founded the Disaster Relief Internship Program, which has placed over 200 students in internships that have served the dual purpose of serving the community as well as providing professional development opportunities for our students.

These awards are not only well-deserved, but they are emblematic of the Political Science Department’s commitment to its students!

Dr. Ted H. Miller, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and a nationally known scholar on English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, was recently interviewed by Harper’s magazine about his new book, Mortal Gods: Science, Politics, and the Humanist Ambitions of Thomas Hobbes. The interview was conducted by award-winning journalist Scott Horton. In the interview, Horton asks the question, “Is lawless power today in America the legacy of this 17th Century political philosopher?” Miller discusses his answer to this question and his own interpretation of Hobbes’s science and politics. Miller’s reading challenges the consensus among Hobbes scholars by reconnecting Hobbes’s affinities for mathematics with renaissance humanism. Furthermore, Miller explains that humanists and their patrons in the era of absolutism had high hopes for what mathematical knowledge might do. Hobbes, Miller argues, comes out of this tradition. “In his most famous work, Leviathan, Hobbes wrote that state’s sovereign is a ‘Mortal God,’” Miller says. “It was a power that acted with impunity, and this kind of power has proven a strong temptation even today.” To read the full interview, go to http://harpers.org/archive/2012/01/hbc-90008381

Mortal Gods: Science, Politics, and the Humanist Ambitions of Thomas Hobbes