Dr. Hanna S. Kassab is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Security Studies at East Carolina University. He received his PhD from the University of Miami in 2014. His most recent books include Weak States and Spheres of Great Power Competition and Crime, Violence, and the State in Latin America. Dr. Kassab likes hiking the NC trails, playing video games, weightlifting, and barbecuing.
Olga Smirnova, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the Master of Public Administration program, the Department of Political Science, East Carolina University where she teaches research design and quantitative methods. She received her doctorate degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2008. Besides budgeting and fiscal capacity, her research interests include green transportation innovations, social network analysis, contracting out, program evaluation, economic development, and performance measurement. She has 17 peer-reviewed journal articles, 3 book chapters, 1 co-authored book, and 1 edited volume. Her research appeared in peer-reviewed Academic journals such as Municipal Finance Journal, Journal of Public Procurement Public Administration Review, Administration and Society, Industrial Relations Journal, American Behavioral Scientist, Deviant Behavior, Global Crime, and British Journal of Cybersecurity.
She received her undergraduate degree from the Far Eastern National University, Vladivostok, Russia in 1999. She received her Master’s degree from the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary in 2002.
Her latest edited volume “Building a Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure for Long-Term Economic Growth” examines contemporary transportation issues through the lens of various modes of transportation while also focusing on the importance of sustainability, urban planning, and funding. The book covers the topics of sustainability and climate change, public management and planning, financing of transportation infrastructure, and revenue and spending issues facing modern transportation infrastructure. It is ideally designed for engineers, planners, government officials, transportation specialists, legislators, researchers, academicians, students, and industry professionals seeking current research on sustainable transport systems.
Jay Morris is a professor of political science at East Carolina University. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Purdue in 2002, specializing in the study of public opinion and political communication. He has authored several journal articles and book chapters, individually or in collaboration with others, on political humor, public opinion, cable news, and political disinformation.
Dr. Samantha L Mosier is an Associate Professor of political science at East Carolina University, where she predominantly teaches in the Master of Public Administration program. She received her Ph.D. in political science from Colorado State University in 2014 and a M.P.A. from Auburn University Montgomery in 2009. Her research focuses public policy and administration issues related to local sustainability and sustainability in the agriculture and food systems. Dr. Mosier has a husband, kiddo, and two dogs. She enjoys baking, crafting up some fiber art, and spending time outdoors.
Dr. Jody C Baumgartner is the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of political science at East Carolina University. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Miami University in 1998, specializing in the study of campaigns and elections. He has authored or edited numerous books, journal articles and book chapters, individually or in collaboration with others, on political humor, the vice presidency, and other subjects.
Baumgartner and his wife have two daughters, aged 11 and 13. He enjoys cycling, travelling, and, his pop/rock band 28 West can be seen playing in a variety of local venues.
“If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?” (Abraham Lincoln)
“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” (Theodore Roosevelt)
“Give me a one-handed economist! All my economists say, “On the one hand …on the other hand…” (Harry Truman)
“I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of a national emergency—even if I’m in a Cabinet meeting.” (Ronald Reagan)
“Being president is like running a cemetery: You’ve got a lot of people under you, and nobody’s listening.” (Bill Clinton)
International Studies programs at ECU help prepare students for success in an increasingly globalized society. Undergraduate students may choose to complete a minor, major, or Global Understanding Certificate program
Graduate students may pursue a master’s degree in International Studies, a certificate in International Management, or a certificate in International Teaching.
These multidisciplinary programs provide students at all levels with the opportunity to become more familiar with the social, political, cultural, and economic issues of importance. International Studies programs prepare students to work in a wide range of careers, including multinational corporations, nongovernmental organizations, and development organizations, among others.
Contact Dr. Marie Olson Lounsbery (Olsonlounsberym@ecu.edu) for more information.
Dr. Kassab and Baumgartner’s research on pandemic-related cartoons, titled “Critic or Cheerleader? Editorial Cartoons during the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic,” has been accepted for publication in Newspaper Research Journal.
Abstract: An examination of editorial cartoons from a prominent syndication service about the Coronavirus pandemic during the first six months finds that subjects and topics followed developments in the spread of the pandemic and public health and safety responses and mirrored those found in news coverage. More, messages generally reflected largely consensual establishment views of the crisis and official health and safety responses. Cartoonists seemed to adopt the role of cheerleader for government policy and efforts to grapple with the pandemic.
(Cartoon from Cagle.com)
With co-author Jacquelyn Lee, Dr. Dennis McCunney recently published research on “the role of public institutions in promoting civic learning” in the journal New Directions for Higher Education.
From the abstract: Democracy requires an informed populous that is engaged, politically, and otherwise, and concerned for the safety and wellbeing of its communities. Public institutions of higher education play a pivotal role in democracy, and a direct pathway to this result is civic learning and democratic engagement (CLDE). Now more than ever, a sharper focus on the ways in which equity and inclusion – dimensions of civic courage – intersect with education for democracy is of paramount importance. To underscore the role of public institutions in promoting civic learning, this chapter explores the historic roots of education for democracy, student affairs and co-curricular approaches to CLDE, and the role of professional organizations in encouraging CLDE. Challenges and opportunities related to increasing institutional attention to civic learning are discussed.
In a new TED talk, former member of the US House of Representatives Ric Keller (2001-2009) talks about the power of self-deprecating humor. In the talk he discusses Morris & Baumgartner’s research showing that evaluations of former NJ Governor Chris Christie were raised as the result of him poking fun at himself.