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The Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement will host it’s first Dinner & Discourse program  of the year on Monday evening (9/27 @ 6pm in MCSC 249). This is a monthly civility program, the the topic for September will be redistricting. The Center have some guests from the Southern Coalition for Social Justice with us to provide some context for what redistricting is and how students can provide their input on the process. They will have Chick-fil-A for dinner, all are welcome!

See https://engage.ecu.edu/event/7206901 for more details.

“WASHINGTON—According to the results of a new poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center, the majority of Americans would swap democracy for a $100 Best Buy gift card. “Our research found that 72% of Americans would agree to give up all free and fair elections in the U.S. forever in exchange for a $100 certificate they could use to purchase a new Bluetooth speaker or couple Keurig coffee makers,” said Pew pollster Dana Felder, who noted that an overwhelming 90% of Americans stated that they would eagerly surrender their First Amendment rights without a second thought for a chance to rummage the bin of discounted DVDs and Blu-rays at the front of the store.

““Sixty-five percent of the survey respondents stated that they would choose to live in an autocracy as long as they received free shipping, and another 55% of Americans responded that they would gladly abandon democracy for as little as a 15% off coupon from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. The remaining 28% of Americans who said they would not swap democracy stated they would only do so for a gift certificate to a nice local bakery.” At press time, Felder confirmed that the results were the highest they’d been since 1996 when 80% of Americans stated that they would live under an Islamic theocracy in exchange for a $50 gift card to Radio Shack.”

From https://www.theonion.com/poll-finds-most-americans-would-swap-democracy-for-100-1847682668

*Yes, this is satire…

“On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which sets a date for the freedom of more than 3 million enslaved in the United States and recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery….

“The proclamation was a presidential order and not a law passed by Congress, so Lincoln then pushed for an antislavery amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ensure its permanence. With the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865, slavery was eliminated throughout America (although blacks would face another century of struggle before they truly began to gain equal rights).

“Lincoln’s handwritten draft of the final Emancipation Proclamation was destroyed in the Chicago Fire of 1871. Today, the original official version of the document is housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.”

From: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

The 1st Annual DOPS was held Friday, Sept. 17 (Constitution Day), to celebrate the 234th anniversary of the signing of the document.

59 tenth-grade students from John Paul II Catholic High School, in teams of 4, participated in this quiz-based game. Their knowledge and understanding of the US Constitution was very impressive – and not just for 10th graders, but for any citizen!

Kudos to all who played, and a special thanks to Mr. Matt Mason of JPII, who was instrumental in the planning of the event.

Future plans for the event include expanding it to include 4-6 more schools next year, with an eye toward including all Pitt County schools in 2023.

In honor of Constitution Day, the Dept. of Political Science is hosting the first annual Constitution Bee for local high school students. This first year – the pilot year – will see students from John Paul II Catholic High School participating in the event. Future years will see an expansion of the program to include all local area high schools – and perhaps even throughout the state!

Join us in the Black Box Theater from 9:00-11:30 – or just drop in!

The ECU Water Resources Center, which includes political scientists Drs. Samantha Mosier and Daniel Xu, will lead a new $5M Coastlines and People project sponsored by the National Science Foundation!  The project includes faculty from across ECU, six collaborating universities (Manhattan Collee, NCCU, UNC-Greensboro, University of Virginia, Clemson University, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science), and many regional partners throughout eastern North Carolina.

The project will enable unprecedented monitoring of the Tar River and Pamlico Sound as well as community-based science efforts to enhance the capacity of people in our region to collaboratively make decisions allowing for adaptation to a rapidly changing environment.  We are especially excited that our project will focus on and support communities facing environmental injustices.

See: https://water.ecu.edu/2021/09/11/wrc-receives-5m-cope-award/

We offer several different degree options:

Undergraduate Study: Political Science, Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science
If you are interested in politics, history, law, government, or journalism, a political science degree is right for you. Our BA or BS in Political Science degree programs examine political institutions, the social and economic forces that shape them, the cultural context within which they operate, and human behavior in political matters. As a political science major, you will develop your analytical and problem-solving abilities and improve your communication skills.

Undergraduate Study: Multidisciplinary Studies, Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Security Studies
Drawing from classes in 13 different departments, this program prepares students for security-related careers by providing them a well-rounded view of the security challenges facing the world today.

Undergraduate Study Minors
The Department also has several options for Minors, including a Minor in Political Science, Leadership Studies, International Relations, and Public Administration.

Graduate Study, Master in Public Administration
Fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), our Master of Public Administration Program prepares professionals to meet the needs and challenges of public service, conduct scholarly and applied research in public administration and policy, and engage students and faculty in partnerships with governmental, non-profit, professional, and educational organizations.

Graduate Study, Security Studies (Masters Degree or Graduate Certificate)
A professional program, Security Studies integrates knowledge from a variety of fields (political science, public administration, criminal justice, environmental health and safety, the natural sciences, computer technology, and more) to develop a holistic approach to the study of security and the development of responses to security threats.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

“In a controversial executive action, President Gerald Ford pardons his disgraced predecessor Richard M. Nixon for any crimes he may have committed or participated in while in office. Ford later defended this action before the House Judiciary Committee, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal….

“Ford, the first president who came to the office through appointment rather than election, had replaced Spiro Agnew as vice president only eight months before. In a political scandal independent of the Nixon administration’s wrongdoings in the Watergate affair, Agnew had been forced to resign in disgrace after he was charged with income tax evasion and political corruption. Exactly one month after Nixon announced his resignation, Ford issued the former president a “full, free and absolute” pardon for any crimes he committed while in office. The pardon was widely condemned at the time.

“Decades later, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation presented its 2001 Profile in Courage Award to Gerald Ford for his 1974 pardon of Nixon. In pardoning Nixon, said the foundation, Ford placed his love of country ahead of his own political future and brought needed closure to the divisive Watergate affair. Ford left politics after losing the 1976 presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter. Ford died on December 26, 2006, at the age of 93.”

FROM: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

After decades of violent political conflict, Belfast is now a city transformed. This course allows students to explore peacebuilding and reconciliation within the city of Belfast and various locations throughout Northern Ireland. Students will spend time in local communities, hearing first-hand accounts of the history, faith and culture of this beautiful but wounded land. There are opportunities for intercultural learning throughout and students will hear personal accounts from leading peacebuilders, including local historians, politicians, church, police and community leaders, journalists, artists and musicians. Students will explore concepts of truth, mercy and forgiveness in relation to reconciliation, whilst discovering the challenges that remain as Northern Ireland continues to grapple with its troubled past. 6 credit hours will be earned during this experience.

The pioneering reconciliation work of the Inter Church Youth Link: NI will form the basis of an in-depth case study and there will also be an opportunity to visit the world renowned Corrymeela Community on the beautiful North Coast. Students will not only be required to engage in the local community through service learning (ECU CLCE, Amizade, and YouthWorks) and to develop understanding of the local government, politics, culture, language, history, and artistic characteristics of Northern Ireland, but will also be required to reflect on the areas of divisiveness in their own communities and contexts and seek opportunities for peacebuilding and points for reconciliation.

See: https://interculturalaffairs.ecu.edu/global-community/