Alumni Triumphal Return

Ben Wollett, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 2009, recently stopped by the department to share some of his adventures in graduate school. Ben is pursuing his Master of Arts degree in History at Ohio University.

As with all new graduate students, Ben mentioned the heavy workload of grad school, but also mentioned to Dr. Alexander that he was surprised at the level of competition, if not hostility that exists between political scientists and historians in larger schools. The close relationship that faculty from different disciplines maintain here did not prepare him for the walls of separation that he found at the next level.

Despite, or maybe because of, the heavy workload, Ben reported that he was enjoying graduate school. He plans to focus the research for his Masters Thesis on issues surrounding railroads in Ohio.

Best of luck Ben!

Call for Papers at Midwest Political Science convention

Call for Papers for the 69th Annual MPSA Conference
When: March 31-April 3 2011
Where: Chicago Palmer House Hilton, USA
PAPER submission deadline: October 8, 2010
POSTER submission deadline: December 3, 2010

Program Co-Chairs:
Christoffer Green-Pedersen, Aarhus University, Denmark
Laura A. Reese, Michigan State University
Tracy Sulkin, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Please remember to submit a proposal to present at the 2011 MPSA National Conference.

• More research papers are presented here than any other political science conference.
• Over 1,100 panels in all fields of Political Science.
• Opening Reception on Wednesday night; Exhibitor Reception on Thursday evening; President's Reception on Saturday night.
• Everything happens in the centrally located, newly restored Palmer House Hilton in Downtown Chicago.

Please forward this Call for Papers to colleagues you think may be interested.

Founded in 1939, the MPSA is located in Bloomington, Indiana (320 West 8th Street, Suite 218). Visit our website: www.mpsanet.org

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Criminal Justice Movie Night Begins

Dr. Harold J. Geistman is offering Criminal Justice majors and other interested students the chance to consider how the criminal justice system is portrayed in the popular culture by hosting Criminal Justice Movie Night each Tuesday night during the quarter.

The first film will be The Thin Blue Line, a documentary by Errol Morris that reenacts a murder crime scene in Dallas. This movie will be screened in Hill 200 on Tuesday September 14.

The second film is the classic 12 Angry Men, which looks at a contentious jury deliberation in a criminal trial. Starring Henry Fonda, the film has become a classic for those interested in the way that juries reach their verdicts.

Professor Geistman Publishes Article and Review

Dr. Harold J. Geistman recently had an article accepted by the journal Violence and Victims. Geistman co-authored the article, titled "Do Men and Women Differ in Their Perceptions of Stalking: An Exploratory Study Among College Students?" The lead author of the article was Terry Lambert, who teaches Criminal Justice at Wayne State University and who has published extensively on corrections, and on police administration. Lambert and Geistman were joined by Brad Smith, Terry Cluse-Tolar, and Shanhe Jiang.

Dr. Geistman also contributed a book review of to Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

Professors Wilson and Loughlin Celebrate Birthdays

Those students and department members who were around during the summer helped Dr. Wilson and Dr. Loughlin celebrate their birthdays. The addition of Kathryn Baker as one of the departmental Administrative Assistants has made it more difficult for department members to escape notice of the passage of the years. Dr. Wilson commented that she had usually escaped notice, since her birthday fell during the summer. No more!

Happy Birthday Ellen and Michael!

Saudi Program Featured on Ohio News Network

The Prison Management Certificate Program, which has brought several Saudi corrections professionals and their families to ONU, was the subject of a news report aired on ONN on the 19th. The report focused on how the Saudi families were reacting to life in Ada, and how they were accepted by the community.

Among those interviewed for the program were officer Mohammed Alghandi, university president Ken Baker, program interpreter Mahdi Abulail, and HPJ Department Chair and Program Coordinator Dr. Ellen Wilson. All of the interviewees testified to the relative ease that the Saudi families have been accepted into the community. According to the transcript of the program found on ONN's webpage, (where the broadcast can be viewed) Alghandi stated that "The first days, they're anxious, but later when we deal with the community, look for a house, or goats or something like that, when they (community residents) deal with us they're comfortable. Dr. Baker told the reporter that the effort from the beginning had been focused on making the program a community effort from the beginning, and that the community reaction had been that "we will find a way." Wilson echoed this, and said that "I'm not sure that in the scheme of things, it could be going better."

pictured: Mohammed Alghandi and children, from ONN.com

ONU Holds Third Annual Japan Camp

The U.S.- Japan Camp is an innovative, academically-oriented immersion program for American high school students. This is the third year for this educational outreach program at Ohio Northern University and was held July 18^th-August 1^st. The camp size nearly doubled from the previous year to 23 participants. Students were provided with intensive instruction in Japanese language, calligraphy, and social studies. Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. in Marysville contributed to the success of this year’s U.S. – Japan camp with a grant of $5,000.

Among the 23 participants, the camp included 16 girls and 7 boys. As in past years, a number of students traveled great distances to attend the program. Students from Texas, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New York, and Indiana joined participants from Ohio, and one student from the 2009 camp returned for a second year.

Directed by Ohio Northern University’s Department of History, Politics and Justice, the U.S.- Japan Camp provided students with daily Japanese language instruction (JSL). Several students had previous Japanese language instruction and were provided enhanced sessions.

Each student prepared a language presentation. All students demonstrated language improvement in the following areas: general language, conversational sentences and writing Hiragana. Language assessment materials and examples of Hiragana writing are included as Attachment A. The social studies course provided learning experiences that allowed students to study and explore Japanese history and government. This year’s topic was comparative politics in which students examined the American and Japanese political systems. The students were given the assignment of creating Powerpoint programs examining topics such as “the Unitary Political System vs. Federal Political System,” “Influences on the American and Japanese Constitutions,” and “Japanese and American Interest Groups.”

Once again, campers were provided the opportunity to interact with Japanese students through a unique collaboration with the Sakae Institute for Study Abroad held annually on the campus of Ohio Northern. The Sakae Institute is a preparation program for Japanese students who will begin studies at U.S. boarding schools or colleges and universities in the fall. Students from both programs benefited from opportunities for interaction occurring outside the classroom. These activities were curriculum-based and often bridged the cultures, prompting greater communication between the respective groups. Some of these activities included: calligraphy, Japanese eating etiquette, and an Iron Chef event. Food certainly brought individuals together. The students really enjoyed preparing Japanese dishes such as sushi, rice balls and mochi, the field trip to a Japanese market, eating at a Japanese restaurant and the barbecue at Dr. Alexander’ home.

All students performed admirably in their coursework and subsequently earned four college credits from Ohio Northern University.

Each year it is encouraging to see the relationships that form among camp participants. The closing banquet is a time not only to reflect on the campers’ accomplishments, but the friendships developed over the course of the program.

Camp staff included Dr. Robert Alexander II, ONU Associate Professor of Political Science, who has served as camp director for the past three years; Dr. Kofi Nsia-Pepra, ONU Assistant Professor of Political Science, social studies course instructor; and Satomi Wise, JSL instructor and Assistant Director. The camp was able to add a new position, program aide, which was filled by Tomoko Betz. Three Ohio Northern students served as Program Assistants.

A Facebook site on the Internet has been initiated allowing for continued communication among all participants. It is worth noting that students from past years have remained in touch. A number of camp alumni have held reunions over the past 3 years at different sites throughout the state of Ohio.

More information on the camp can be found at the Japan Camp website. Also, to learn more about the camp, check out a video made by Randy Walk of the Office of Communications and Marketing.