- 2010 TEACHING AND LEARNING CONFERENCE
February 5-7, 2010 | Philadelphia, PA
- Register Early
Early registration for the 2010 Teaching and Learning Conference, to be held in Philadelphia, February 5-7, 2010, at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel is open. The theme of this unique meeting to promote greater understanding of cutting-edge approaches, techniques, and methodologies for the political science classroom is "Advancing Excellence in Teaching Political Science." Due to the format of the conference, we strongly recommend that you register in advance.
Register today.
The registration cost includes your place in a chosen track and participation in workshops presented throughout the conference.
Many departments and teaching and learning centers on campuses have resources to support teaching and related professional development that might be available to faculty applying to attend the conference. Below is some pricing information to help with your preparations and grant and funding applications.
Early Registration - Closes December 1, 2010
Member: $220; Non-member: $300
General Registration - December 2, 2009 through January 15, 2010
Member: $250;
Non-member: $340
For further details about the conference, visit www.apsanet.org/teachingconference or contact teaching@apsanet.org.
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- Make Your Hotel and Travel Arrangements Soon
Plan ahead for the conference by making your Philadelphia hotel and travel arrangements early. Tthe Sheraton Society Hill Hotel is just four blocks from America's most historic square mile and in walking distance to many Philadelphia attractions such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
The deadline to make hotel reservations at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel is January 14. Make your hotel and travel arrangements today.
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- Rogers Smith and Senator Bob Graham are Conference Featured Speakers
Rogers Smith to Deliver Pi Sigma Alpha Keynote
APSA is pleased to announce that the 2010 Pi Sigma Alpha keynote speaker will be Rogers Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania and Chair of the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism. Smith teaches American constitutional law and American political thought, with special interest in issues of citizenship, race, gender, and class inequalities. He is the author or co-author of many essays and five books. His 1997 book, Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History, received "best book" awards from APSA, the Organization of American Historians, and the Social Science History Association, and was a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in history. Learn more about Rogers Smith.
Senator Bob Graham to Deliver Opening Session Address
APSA is pleased that the 2010 opening session speaker will be Senator Bob Graham, former two-term governor of Florida, who served for 18 years in the United States Senate. Graham is currently the chair of the Board of Overseers of the Graham Center for Public Service. The Center, located at the University of Florida, offers programs in the areas of public service, homeland security, and the Americas—areas he has been deeply involved with during his public career. He has authored two books, including the 2009 book about civic participation, America: The Owner’s Manual. Learn more about Senator Bob Graham.
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- 2010 ANNUAL MEETING ~ September 2-5, 2010 | Washington, D.C.
- Submit a Proposal by December 15
APSA is collecting proposals for the 106th APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition to be held in Washington, D.C., September 2-5, 2010. After a turbulent year for the world economy, it is fitting that the next APSA Annual Meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. where many are looking for solutions to improve these economically difficult times. 2010 program chairs Andrea Campbell, MIT, and Lisa Martin, University of Wisconsin, Madison have created a timely theme and call for proposals addressing the current economic and political world climate: "The Politics of Hard Times: Citizens, Nations, and the International System under Economic Stress."
Please review the participation rules and submission guidelines before sending your proposals. The complete call for papers can be found at www.apsanet.org/2010. The deadline to submit a proposal is December 15.
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- 2009 Meeting Highlights
The 105th APSA Annual Meeting—the first international annual meeting of the association, convened in Toronto, Canada, September 3-6, 2009. More than 6,000 political scientists, publisher representatives, and academics from related fields gathered to discuss the meeting's theme, "Politics in Motion: Change and Complexity in the Contemporary Era."
Feedback received so far indicates that the first APSA annual meeting outside the U.S. was well received. We were pleased that the conference attracted the largest number of non-U.S. scholars on record, with 562 Canadian scholars and 798 scholars from other countries.
The 2009 online program is available for review and papers can be downloaded from the APSA PROceedings site hosted by SSRN.
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- APSA INITIATIVES
- 2010 Ralph Bunche Summer Institite Application Process Will Open Soon
The application for the 2010 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) will be available soon. The Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) is a 5-week, academically intensive summer program designed to simulate the graduate school experience, provide mentoring, and expand academic opportunities for students from underrepresented groups. The program, which teaches what is necessary to be a successful scholar, has helped participants excel and go on to graduate school and Ph.D. programs— many with full fellowships and teaching assistantships. Faculty: now is the time to talk to your students who might be interested in applying to the program. The deadline for applications will be January 20. Information on eligibility and the application process can be found at www.apsanet.org/content_6602.cfm.
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- APSA Holds Panel Event on United States’ Standing in the World; Releases Task Force Report: U.S. Standing in the World: Causes, Consequences, and the Future
APSA recently held the panel discussion United States’ Standing in the World: Causes, Consequences, and
the Future, which addressed U.S. leaders' and
citizens' concern about global discontent of U.S. foreign policy. The event, held October 1 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., featured four prominent political scientists who are members of the APSA Task Force on U.S. Standing in World Affairs: Peter Katzenstein, Jeffrey W. Legro, Martha Finnemore, and Victor D. Cha. The panel event also unveiled the newest task force report, U.S. Standing in the World: Causes, Consequences, and the Future, in which the Task Force on U.S. Standing in World Affairs addresses the origins and consequences of U.S. standing in world politics. The task force hopes that the report will advance public discourse and deliberation as well as benefit political action and policymaking in the U.S. and abroad. Read the report.
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- APSA to Launch Online Community Networking Site, APSA Connect
APSA is pleased to announce that the association will soon launch an online community networking site for political science. APSA Connect offers online collaboration and networking among scholars, including tools for discussion lists, document sharing, professional profile and networking, and micro-website hosting for public and private groups within the discipline.
APSA Connect is fully integrated with the APSA database from which user data and access rights will be managed. APSA Connect will launch in the coming weeks and APSA will have information and demonstrations available during the Annual Meeting. Stay tuned!
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- Nominate Students for the Minority Student Recruitment Program (MSRP)
APSA established the Minority Student Recruitment Program as part of its efforts to advance the benefits of diversity within the political science profession. The association maintains a database of undergraduates from underrepresented groups who are interested in learning more about, or attending, graduate school in political science. Recruiters from the nation's top graduate political science programs receive this database each semester to actively recruit listed students. Undergraduate faculty can submit student names or undergraduate students can enter themselves in the database. If your department would like to find out more about the benefits of being a recruiting graduate department, contact APSA at diversityprograms@apsanet.org or visit www.apsanet.org/msrp/.
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- Become an APSA Mentor to Connect with Others in the Profession
The APSA mentor program is calling for APSA faculty members to add their names to the mentor database. The goal of the mentoring initiative is to offer a tool that provides opportunities for APSA members to mentor younger political scientists, both graduate students and junior faculty. You can assist APSA in its effort to provide support to students and junior faculty by becoming a mentor today. APSA is particularly looking for mentors who can address questions regarding junior faculty issues, the graduate student experience, research funding, and career options. Apply online or contact mentoring@apsanet.org. To view the list of mentoring resources, visit www.apsanet.org/section_395.cfm.
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- Graduate Directors: Sign up with the MSRP and Become an APSA Recruiting Graduate Department
APSA established the Minority Student Recruitment Program (MSRP, formerly MID) as part of its efforts to advance the benefits of diversity within the political science profession. The association maintains a database of undergraduates from underrepresented groups who are interested in learning more about, or attending, graduate school in political science. Recruiters from the nation's top graduate political science programs receive this database each semester to actively recruit listed students. If your department would like to find out more about the benefits of being a 2009-10 Recruiting Graduate Department, contact APSA at diversityprograms@apsanet.org or visit www.apsanet.org/msrp.
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- THE ASSOCIATION
- Cast Your Ballot in the APSA Council Election by November 4
APSA invites all members to vote in the APSA Council Election. During the General Membership Meeting on September 5, 2009, the APSA Elections Committee verified an additional candidate to the slate of nominees for seats on the APSA Council. An all-member electronic election is being held to determine the eight Council members who will serve on the 2009-10 Council in addition to the officers who were declared elected. On October 5, members were e-mailed instructions on how to cast their online ballot. The election ends November 4 and APSA will share election results with the membership after the results are certified. Learn more about the election and candidates.
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- 2010 APSA Awards Call for Nominations
APSA is now accepting nominations for the 2010 Awards Program as part of next year's Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. For information on each of the awards, including nomination procedures, visit http://apsanet.org/content_2951.cfm.
Goodnow Award: The Frank Johnson Goodnow Award was created by the APSA Council in 1996 to honor service to the community of teachers, researchers, and public servants who toil daily in the many fields of politics.
Nominations are due May 31.
Dissertation Awards: APSA presents eight dissertation awards to bring credit to outstanding emerging scholars, showcase doctoral programs and advisers, and bring attention to cutting-edge scholarship. Nominations are due by January 15.
Career Awards: Career awards are bestowed for significant achievements related to political science. Nominations are due by February 1.
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John Gaus Award and Lectureship: This award recognizes and encourages scholarship in public administration. The recipient delivers the Gaus Lecture at the annual meeting and receives a $2,000 prize.
- Ithiel de Sola Pool Award and Lectureship: The recipient is selected to present a lecture exploring the implications of research on issues of politics in a broad range of scholarship pursued by Ithiel de Sola Pool. This award is given triennially and carries a $2,000 prize.
Book Awards: APSA presents four awards to authors whose books have made a significant impact on the field of political science.
Nominations are due by January 15.
Paper and Article Awards:
These two awards are presented to honor outstanding writing in two major political science journals, as well as the best paper presented at the previous year's annual meeting.
Nominations are due by December 1.
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- APSA Seeks Candidate for Staff Position: Director, Departmental Relations and International Programs
The association seeks a program director to lead the programs that support academic departments of political science and to lead its international programming. Experience working with political science faculty and within a political science department is preferred. Experience with managing international programs in political science is desirable. Management experience in program administration, grant and report writing, public speaking, and a thorough understanding of and appreciation for the political science discipline is preferred. Applicants should have excellent computer and database skills, a strong service orientation, effective and succinct writing, and communication and team-building skills. A Ph.D. in political science or the equivalent is preferred. For further details, view the position description. The position will remain open until filled.
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- October PS: Political Science & Politics Now Online
The October issue of PS: Political Science & Politics is now available online. This month's issue features the symposium "New Approaches to the Politics of Inequality in Developing Countries," by guest editor John Echeverri-Gent and the article “Political Science Journals in Comparative Perspective: Evaluating Scholarly Journals in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom,” in which James Garand, Micheal Giles, André Blais, and Iain McLean present their findings from a survey of political scientists regarding their evaluations of journals, including familiarity and impact. The table of contents is available to all at Cambridge Journals Online and APSA members may also view full text articles from APSA journals from 2001-present by logging into the APSA website and clicking on the appropriate journal under "Member Access Areas." To learn more about PS and to find out what will be featured in the upcoming January issue, visit www.apsanet.org/ps.
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- Become an APSA Congressional Fellow; Deadline to Apply is December 1
To experience Congress and the American legislative policy process through direct participation, become an APSA Congressional Fellow. By working for nine months on congressional staffs, APSA Congressional Fellows gain practical insight into the legislative process. The fellowship, which targets mid-career professionals particularly encourages applications from international relations and comparative specialists. Several fellows from these categories were also enrolled in the September-October foreign affairs seminar run in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies with its focus on the legislative role in foreign policy formulation. Apply for the 2010-11 year by December 1. For further details, visit www.apsanet.org/cfp.
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- Stay Informed in the Discipline with APSA Publications
APSA strives to publish resource to meet diverse needs of political scientists in academic and nonacademic settings, as well as students at various stages of their education. The APSA Publications Catalogue includes publications addressing teaching, career and professional development, ethical issues in the discipline, research, and writing and publishing in political science. Recent titles include:
- Task Force Reports and Books
- Teaching, Research, and Writing
- Career Resources (volume discounts available for departments)
- Reports on the Discipline
View the full APSA Publications Catalogue at www.apsanet.org/publications.
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- NEWS IN THE PROFESSION
- Former APSA President Elinor Ostrom Receives Nobel Prize in Economics
The associaton is pleased to announce that former APSA president Elinor Ostrom, who held the position from 1996 to 1997, has won the Nobel Prize in Economics.
According to the the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Ostrom was awarded the prize for "her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons." The Academy went on to say that she "has challenged the conventional wisdom that common property is poorly managed and should be either regulated by central authorities or privatized." Ostrom is the first woman to win the Nobel Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences since it was founded in 1968, making her receipt of the award a historical accomplishment. To learn more about Elinor Ostrom, view her presidential address.
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- APSA Responds to Sen. Coburn (R-OK) Amendment to Eliminate Political Science from National Science Foundation Funding
APSA has taken steps to respond to a proposal to eliminate funding for political science research at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The proposal has come in an amendment put forward by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (H.R. 2847), which is the main appropriation bill for the NSF. Coburn's amendment is still being considered by the Senate and a timetable for its consideration remains unclear, as a variety of issues have stalled cloture action to close debate on the larger bill. APSA President Henry Brady has written a public letter to members of the Senate detailing the value of funded political science research to the nation and the larger scientific enterprise of the country, stating that "Eliminating political science research from the NSF would deprive the country of knowledge critical for making our own democracy stronger, for understanding the actions of nations around the world, of achieving efficiencies and fairness in our public policies, and of enriching the work of other sciences, physical, biological, social, and economic to address national needs through interdisciplinary partnerships." Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has spoken vigorously on the Senate floor in support of political science research, noting Elinor Ostrom's work, recognized by her recent Nobel Prize, was enabled by the political science program at the NSF. Details about the amendment, including background information, a list of political science research and programs funded by NSF, and Senate floor statements can be found on the APSA website. The association will continue to monitor the status of the Coburn amendment and post updates online as new information is learned.
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- American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Addresses Humanities Job Market Challenges;
In October, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) announced a new initiative, supported by a grant from the Mellon Foundation, to address the challenges new humanities Ph.D.s are facing in the job market. According to an ACLS news announcement, the New Faculty Fellows program will allow 50 recent Ph.D.s in the humanities and humanistic social sciences to begin two-year positions at universities and colleges, where their particular research and teaching expertise will benefit the receiving institution. Awardees will teach three semester-length courses each year and receive an annual stipend.
Program applicants must be nominated by the university that awarded their Ph.D. Nominations are currently limited to the 60 U.S. members of the American Association of Universities, each of which has designated a liaison for the New Faculty Fellows program. Further details can be found here.
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- North Carolina Political Science Association Call for Proposals
The North Carolina Political Science Association (NCPSA) is now accepting proposals for their 39th Annual Meeting, to be held on February 26, 2010, at NC Central University in Durham, NC. The registration deadline for the conference is February 1 and the deadline to submit proposals is December 20. More at www.apsanet.org/content_67422.cfm?navID=603.
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Upcoming Conferences, Seminars, and Events in the Profession
More Conferences
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The Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs is a great resource for doing research in Washington, D.C.
It offers visiting scholars a furnished work space, telephone, fax,
computers, Internet access, conference space, a reference library, and access
to George Washington University’s Gelman Library.
Stays range from a few days to 12 months. Space is limited
to APSA members and available to faculty members, postdoctoral
fellows, and advanced graduate students from the U.S. and abroad. There are a limited number of funding opportunities available to support Visiting Scholars. Apply anytime. Positions awarded on a space-available basis. Find details at www.apsanet.org/centennialcenter. You may also contact Allison Desrosiers at APSA: (202) 483-2512 or adesrosiers@apsanet.org. 
Media Connect:
Interested in speaking with journalists on issues of public
interest? Join APSA's roster of political scientists willing to respond to media inquiries. 
If you have comments or questions on this newsletter or APSA, contact us by telephone at (202) 483-2512, or by email at