POLS 3045, “Humor and American Politics” is being offered in Summer I and will meet virtually. The course looks at the role of humor in American politics. It provides an overview of the history and various forms of political humor, what types of messages are typically contained in political humor, and the mechanisms involved in how political humor shapes political behavior.
The course includes political humor in various media, but because of its prevalence in the modern world the focus will be on televised and Internet political humor. We will be paying special attention to political humor as it is targeted at political leaders, especially presidents and presidential candidates.
Please make sure you have reviewed your DegreeWorks record – it really is the key to understanding where you are in your degree progress. If you are still unsure of what you’re looking at when you go to DW, do a quick search on this site for Degree Works Pro Tips (4 earlier posts).
The Spring 2022 University graduation ceremony will be held on May 6 (Friday), at 9:00 am, at Dowdy Ficklen Stadium. This event will not be ticketed – you won’t need tickets.
Graduating seniors in the Department of Political Science (this includes Multi-SECS and Multi-INTL majors) will attend the Thomas Harriot College or Arts and Sciences ceremony, which will be held on May 7 (Saturday), at 1:00 pm, in Wright Auditorium. This event WILL be ticketed.
IMPORTANT: This is all we know right now. Please stay tuned to this channel, and be on the lookout for more information (for example, on when, where, how, you get tickets, and how many) directly from Dr. Cook or Dr. Baumgartner.
“In March 23, 1839, the initials “O.K.” are first published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct” at the time, OK steadily made its way into the everyday speech of Americans.
“During the late 1830s, it was a favorite practice among younger, educated circles to misspell words intentionally, then abbreviate them and use them as slang when talking to one another. Just as teenagers today have their own slang based on distortions of common words, such as “kewl” for “cool” or “DZ” for “these,” the “in crowd” of the 1830s had a whole host of slang terms they abbreviated. Popular abbreviations included “KY” for “No use” (“know yuse”), “KG” for “No go” (“Know go”), and “OW” for all right (“oll wright”).
“Of all the abbreviations used during that time, OK was propelled into the limelight when it was printed in the Boston Morning Post as part of a joke. Its popularity exploded when it was picked up by contemporary politicians. When the incumbent president Martin Van Buren was up for reelection, his Democratic supporters organized a band of thugs to influence voters. This group was formally called the “O.K. Club,” which referred both to Van Buren’s nickname “Old Kinderhook” (based on his hometown of Kinderhook, New York), and to the term recently made popular in the papers. At the same time, the opposing Whig Party made use of “OK” to denigrate Van Buren’s political mentor Andrew Jackson. According to the Whigs, Jackson invented the abbreviation “OK” to cover up his own misspelling of “all correct.””
Early registration – for special categories – begins this Friday, March 25.
For most students registration begins Monday, March 28.
When you register depends on the number of credit hours you have completed PRIOR to this semester: The number of COMPLETED HOURS, as of JANUARY, 2022.
You can find this number this by checking DegreeWorks. The number you are looking for is the “overall credits,” listed below your minor (in the right hand column, at the top). Do NOT use the “credits applied” – this number includes the classes you are currently enrolled in.
Your adviser should contact you sometime this week (if he or she has not already done so) to give you’re your PIN and/or set up an appointment.
You should, of course, familiarize yourself with your Degree Works record
The way that we register for classes has changed. Let me repeat – it’s now completely different. We no longer register for classes through Banner. Course planning and registration is now a “card” (category) in Pirate Port. See below:
Once you click this you will be presented with several options. That screen looks like this:
Class registration for summer and fall begins for most students on March 28. As we move ahead, please remember the following in your planning: We strongly advise the PS majors take the following classes in the following years/semesters.
1. We typically advise everyone to take the writing course (POLS 2090) in their second (sophomore) year. It’s a good course to have as a base. By the way, you should also take it before the ENGL 2201.
2. Take POLS 3031 (methods) in the FALL of your JUNIOR year. (1) It’s only offered in the fall, and you need it to take 3032 if you are a POLS BS major.
3. POLS 3032 should be taken in the SPRING of your JUNIOR year. It’s ONLY offered in the spring. If you wait to take these courses when you’re a senior, and, heaven forbid you fail them, you will obviously have more trouble finishing your degree on time – because both 3031 and 3032 are required courses.
The ECU Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement and Pirates Vote will be hosting two events this week that we hope you will help us promote. Please spread the word as we would like good attendance at both, especially Citizen U with the visit from the mayor of Greenville, PJ Connelly. Both are free and open to both faculty, staff, and students. Thanks!
EVENT #1: Citizen U: Every Tuesday (4-5pm) @ MSCS Room 307 or Online
A Hybrid workshop series designed to educate students about how to be responsible, engaged citizens and to inspire them to be involved in their communities and our democracy. Our next session will focus on Local Government & City Services with a visit by PJ Connelly, mayor of Greenville! (Free Snacks!)
This three-part series brings together faculty, staff, students, and community members to have dinner and discuss a current event. Media clips, headlines, podcasts, photographs, and political cartoons are used to drive the discussion. A safe space is created for all individuals to share their unique experiences and personal perspectives around the topic. Our topic for this month will be Ukraine, the latest Supreme Court nominee, and rising prices! (Menu Item: Moe’s Southwest Grill)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Alex R. Dennis, Assistant Director, Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement. Main Campus Student Center, Suite 208, Mail Stop 182. dennisa15@ecu.edu, OR 252-737-4988
Registration for summer & fall classes begins soon. You can – perhaps should – begin to familiarize yourself with your Degree Works record in order to get a better idea of which courses you’ll need.
If you are not familiar with Degree Works yet, no big deal: We laid out a set of very simple instructions in an earlier set of posts. Please see the following:
