UW Tacoma student and alumni accomplishments

2015 Rangel Scholar – A UW Tacoma first

Omer AdamHuge congratulations to UW Tacoma student Omer Adam–one of fifteen Rangel Scholars nation-wide. He will be spending his summer in Washington D.C. participating in the Rangel International Affairs Summer Program. There, he will learn about current issues in international affairs and acquire valuable skills to prepare him for a career in the field.Omer is most interested in how religion shapes foreign policy and hopes to improve relationships between the US and Muslim countries. Continue reading

‘2015 UW Tacoma Innovate Law Challenge’

IMG_4148In January, Professor Sarah Hampson’s TPOLS 150 Introduction to the American Legal System was pleased to invite Mr. Sands McKinley, a local lawyer and entrepreneur, and founder of the local law firm McKinley Irvin, to speak with her class about the future of law school and the legal profession. As a special challenge for Professor Hampson’s students, McKinley created the 2015 UWT Innovate Law Challenge. This project asked Professor Hampson’s students to answer the question: “How Can the Legal Industry Improve the Delivery of Legal Services in the US?” with proposals that showed an entrepreneurial or innovative approach to the law. Continue reading

A new twist on an old course

Human_Rights_International_Barnstar_HiresTPHIL 200 – Introduction to the Philosophy of Human Rights (Spring 2015)

As it always has, TPHIL 200 introduces diverse philosophical views on humanity, good, rights, universality and other concepts that have influenced our current understanding of human rights. It provides an overview of basic concepts in these areas, relating them to selected philosophical schools and thinkers, and discusses how they impact contemporary initiatives on human rights. However, during spring quarter 2015, we will focus on current writings on the philosophy of human rights and cosmopolitanism, particularly on the writings of contemporary German philosopher, Rainer Forst. Students will then engage in a direct dialogue with Forst during his visit to the University of Washington in April. Continue reading

Scholarships

The Osheroff and Clark fund provides financial resources for undergraduate and graduate students to support human rights projects that promote social change through direct action. In 2015, we anticipate having approximately $4000 available to distribute; the entire amount may be issued in a single award or split between multiple awardees. The number of awards and amounts will vary depending on the number and quality of applications. In keeping with Abe’s and Gunnel’s belief that accountability begins at home, priority will be given to projects that speak to the particular roles and responsibilities of our own institutions (including government, private sector entities, and the university itself) in human rights.

Applications will be open soon for the Abe Osheroff and Gunnel Clark Endowed Human Rights Fund for Students.

 

… and more scholarships

Tillman Military Scholars Program*
*Application opens Feb. 3, with a March 3 due date
The mission of the Pat Tillman Foundation is to invest in military veterans and
their spouses through academic scholarships – building a diverse community of
leaders committed to service to others. Continue reading

Changing format

Over the last year, PPPA has used this site as more of a newsletter than a blog–but today all that is changing.

Blogs, with their more frequent and timely posts, seem to be more “friendly” and accessible to students and faculty alike, offering more of a glimpse of “what’s happening now,” rather than  “what happened last month.” We feel this new format will keep students and faculty–as well as the larger community–better informed of all that is happening within  PPPA as a division of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington Tacoma.

We hope you enjoy our new format! You’ll be hearing from us much more often.

China study abroad- summer 2014

image-5Beef noodles, Buddhist temples, busy streets, and boats on the Yellow River.  Sixteen students experienced all of these things on the UWT summer study abroad in China last summer, led by UWT’s Dr. Mary Hanneman and Tacoma Community College’s Dr. Yi Li.   For the past eight years, UWT students have had the opportunity to gain (or hone) Mandarin skills while studying Chinese history and culture in China.  The 2014 program took students to the city of Lanzhou, in China’s northwestern region, for three weeks of language study at Lanzhou University and one week of travel to Dunhuang, a site on the ancient Silk Road, finishing up with three days in China’s vibrant capital of Beijing. Continue reading

Exciting opportunities in the PPPA internship program

internships-300x206The PPPA internship program provides wide ranging opportunities for majors to get hands on experience in a setting outside the classroom.  PPPA interns work in settings that are related to government, political campaigns, and public policy.  This quarter interns are working on congressional campaigns and in law firms.  Taylor Rome is working on congressman Denny Heck’s reelection campaign, Alina Gnatyuk is working on Congressman Derek Kilmer’s reelection campaign, and Sandra Kruh is working at the Barokas Martin and Tomlinson law firm. Another exciting internship opportunity is the Washington State Legislative Internship program, which is open to all UW Tacoma students.  We currently have intern hopefuls interviewing for the legislative internship program, and the successful candidates will intern full time in Olympia during Winter quarter.  There will be more internship opportunities for PPPA students during Winter and Spring quarters.  PPPA interns get practical experience, an extension of their academic studies, and complete their Capstone requirement with the internship.  All PPPA students interested in doing an internship during Winter or Spring quarters should contact Professor Ann Frost at acfrost@u.washington.edu.

PPPA intern Taylor Rome – Front and center during election season

UW Tacoma Junior and PPE major Taylor Rome is spending  Fall quarter completing an internship in the PPPA internship program.  Rome is an intern for Denny Heck, congressman for the 10th congressional district.  Initially elected in 2012, Heck mounted his first re-election campaign this fall.  During this fall’s election season, Rome’s work as an intern has put her at the center of the action.

Each day of Rome’s internship sees her actively involved in the re-election effort.  In its effort to “Get out the Vote,” the team gathered data on people they called and on whose doors they knocked.  After entering the information they assessed who they still had to remind to send in their ballots.  Rome was then part of determining which voters they would target for contact, including people with a good voting record, those who have been identified as supporters, and likely supporters of the candidate.  Rome then hit the streets or the phones to put the plan into action.  “Canvassing, or door-belling as we call it in Washington, is one of the more exciting and important things on a campaign because it is face-to-face voter contact,” says Rome.

According to Rome, one of the best parts of this internship has been contact with various people, including her co-workers and voters.  The internship has provided Rome with an opportunity for learning that is unparalleled.  Says Rome, “Every day I learn something new about how the average voter thinks and what shapes their opinions.  I have had eye-opening conversations with people at the door, and ones that have left me shaking my head.  When you work on a campaign you adopt all of the staff as your family.  You are with them all day every day for months and create a bond that you can’t compare to anything else.”

This internship has rounded out Rome’s education at UW Tacoma, giving her hands on experience that has enhanced her classroom learning.  The internship has been particularly helpful in opening doors for Rome and creating career opportunities.  Although she doesn’t know precisely what career path she will choose, Rome has learned that she belongs in this field.  She recommends this type of work to others, saying that the contacts she has made and the experience she has gained will be of great use to her in the future.