Month: February 2018

FaculTea to address issues of Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction – Feb. 26, 2108

What is the government doing to address the issues of terrorism? To find out, come to the next FaculTea. Dr. Alethia Cook, associate professor of political science, will present: “Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Government Actions to Confront a Complex Problem.”

The discussion will be at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, in Joyner Library, room 2409

This event is free and open to the public. It is co-sponosored by the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences and Joyner Library.

Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor Event: “The Landscape of Modern Political Humor,” March 1, 7-8PM

Join us in in Hendrix Theater, March 1, from 7-8 p.m., for a discussion about political humor on late night television. With us will be the five leading scholars in the field!

  • JODY BAUMGARTNER: Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Political Science at East Carolina University
  • JONATHAN MORRIS: Professor of Political Science at East Carolina University
  • AMY BECKER: Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Loyola University Maryland
  • DANNAGAL YOUNG: Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Delaware and Research Fellow with the University of Delaware’s Center for Political Communication and University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center
  • S. ROBERT LICHTER: Professor of Communication at George Mason University and Director of the Center for Media and Public Affairs

This event is FREE and open to the public.

February 13: Great Decisions, “China and America: The New Geopolitical Equation,” with John Tucker, Professor, ECU Department of History

ECU is again hosting the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions program. The program consists of a series of eight lectures by academic and professional experts on topics of global significance.

The topic for the session is “China and America: The New Geopolitical Equation,” with John Tucker, Professor, ECU Department of History.

The Great Decisions Program is the oldest and largest grassroots world affairs educational program of its kind in the country. Established in 1954, it is the flagship program of the Foreign Policy Association, a non-partisan, non-governmental organization. The goal of the Great Decisions program is to discuss, debate, and learn about international affairs, national security and U.S. foreign policy.

PLACE: Rivers West Building, Auditorium 105

TIME: 6:00 – 7:30 P.M.

COST: $10.00, but Students, Faculty & Staff Attend for Free!

Drs. Baumgartner & Lockerbie: Research on Viewing Political Humor to Be Published in Social Science Quarterly

Drs. Baumgartner & Lockerbie’s “Maybe it is More than a Joke: Satire, Mobilization and Political Participation” will be published in Social Science Quarterly. The analysis examines the relationship between viewing late night political humor and political participation.

The essay shows that viewership of “Late Night with David Letterman,” a simple form of political comedy, seems to be unrelated to political participation. However viewership of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report,” considered by most to be genuine political satire, is associated with higher levels of political participation.

The results suggest that advocates of political satire may be correct when they suggest that satire mobilizes viewers to political action.