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/

Dr. Baekwan Park has created a research lab with a colleague in the Physics Department, Dr. Jae Won Jung. The lab is called “Practical and Applied Artificial Intelligence Research Lab” (PAAIR Lab), and is a research group that pursues the use of machine learning, computer vision, and NLP in medical and social science research. While the project is still in its infancy, Park expects its eventual expansion.

Several changes have taken place in the department over the summer and as the new school year started.

*This summer, Mrs. Dri-Zonda Brown-Smith joined the department as Administrative Support Assistant.

*Dr. Samantha Mosier was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor.

*Our dept. chair, Dr. Alethia Cook, was promoted to Full Professor.

A hearty welcome to Mrs. Brown-Smith, and congratulations to Drs. Mosier and Cook!

The CSR completed a new poll on legalized sports betting in North Carolina. The report received press coverage from a number of news organizations, including WITN TV , WNCT TV, Public Radio East, Spectrum News (Charlotte), and The Game 94.3: The Patrick Johnson Show.

For the poll report, see: https://surveyresearch-ecu.reportablenews.com/pr/ecu-poll-majority-of-north-carolinians-support-legalized-gambling.