May 2023 Newsletter
Greetings!
I am excited to be writing to you all for the first time as chair of the Department of Political Science. I have been a professor of American politics in the department since fall of 2010, and am honored to be stepping into this new position. Thank you to Paul Goren for six years of hard work and dedication as department chair.
It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Dr. Arash Davari, who has joined the department as an assistant professor of political theory. We are excited to have Dr. Davari bring his experience and expertise to the department.
Last semester, the department presented our signature event, Views from the U: The Political Science of Election 2022. Experts from the department explored questions about this midterm election on partisanship, polarization, and more.
We also have much to celebrate this year with regard to our faculty’s research, service, and mentorship of students. To highlight, members of the department published and are slated to publish books with some of the top presses in the discipline; we authored peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, review essays, articles, op-eds, and more. Additionally, our faculty were invited to talks and other scholarly presentations across the globe, a marker of excellence and scholarly visibility.
As ever, thank you to our students for their hard work and dedication this year. It is an honor to watch you all show up and face the challenges with which you have been presented. I look forward to continuing to be your department chair.
As the academic year comes to a close, please consider making a gift to our department that will support faculty research funds, undergraduate scholarships, and graduate student fellowships. Your generous gifts to the Department of Political Science are a critical part of maintaining the distinguished reputation of our department, and they help us better serve our students.
Sincerely,
Andrew Karch
Department Chair
In her pursuit of lifelong learning, Barbara Palmer (PhD ‘97, political science) developed the app Applawz to help students navigate the law school application process.
Independent study courses give students a chance to flex their creativity in their learning and work closely with faculty. Political science undergraduates Alana Miller and Ethan Schmid created a podcast for their course project. Through this opportunity, they were able to explore topics that interested them and interview guest speakers.
Read “Let Freedom Ring: Students Shape Their Coursework Through Independent Study”
Alumna Sydney Kakuk has always been motivated to make a difference in the world. By combining her love of music and political science, she hopes to make the world a bit safer from nuclear threats.
Read “From Stage to Stage, CLA Alum Sydney Kakuk’s Journey to DC”
Born in post-revolution Iran, Arash Davari believes a huge portion of his life has been shaped by politics. “I’ve spent most of my life in environments and contexts where politics is present, even when it's not explicitly present,” he says.
Now an assistant professor in the political science department, Davari talks about his research, professorship, and future at the U.
Carter Yost, 2023 Truman Scholar and political science, communications, & history triple-major, is devoted to understanding and tackling injustices.
Read "Carter Yost: Organizer, Communicator, Leader"
CLA and the Student Unions & Activities’ Arts & Culture Committee will host a ‘Dream’ Art Exhibition during the weeks of and following the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom (Aug. 17 - Oct. 13).
Artists are invited to express what they see, hear, feel, and believe when they recall the March’s images and sounds, or reflect on racial progress and/or setbacks over the past six decades, or present a vision of what the future could look like if Dr. King’s dream became a reality.
The deadline for submissions is June 16, 2023. Review the Call for Art and consider making a submission.
