Applications being accepted for fall internships

Posted on August 25, 2014 by pppauwt

As Fall Quarter approaches it’s time for our Law and Policy and Politics, Philosophy and Economics students to decide whether or not to apply for an internship. PPPA internships, generally limited to our graduating seniors, offer exciting opportunities for students to round out their coursework with practical applications. Enrolling in one of our internship courses (TPOLS 496 or TPOLS 497) also is a way of meeting our majors’ capstone requirement. Right now we are accepting applications for a select number of students to engage in Fall internships via TPOLS 496. For more information please contact Professor Ann Frost at acfrost@u.washington.edu.

During the winter and spring quarters, other select students will have the opportunity to engage in additional internships via TPOLS 496, and all PPPA students will have the option of interning for the Washington State Legislature and enrolling in TPOLS 497 and earning their capstone credit. You can learn more about this competitive internship by visiting our website or attending an upcoming information session in BHS 106 on Tuesday September 30th from noon until 12:50.

New faculty joining PPPA

Posted on July 25, 2014 by pppauwt

We wish to welcome three new faculty members who will be joining us this coming year. Jeramy Gee, who is now completing his PhD in Philosophy from UW Seattle, will be teaching philosophy courses. Jeramy’s interest in philosophy was sparked during a schoolyard discussion about the existence of God with a friend, and he’s been interested in

philosophical questions ever since. His research focuses on understanding sentiments like anger and hatred when they are directed at wrongdoers, and the moral status of these attitudes. “I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the University of Washington, Tacoma this fall to teach introduction to philosophy, practical reasoning, and courses in ethics. The interdisciplinary character of IAS is also exciting and I look forward to great conversations with my new colleagues.”

Ishita Nandi will also be joining PPPA this Fall. Ishita earned her PhD in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on labor and economic growth theory. Her current research is examining wage inequality between men and women in the United States. Ishita is a seasoned instructor, bringing with her over ten years of teaching experience. For the past four years, she has been a faculty member at Oakland Community College. Next year she will teach courses in economic principles, public policy, and development economics. Says Ishita: “Teaching has been in my family for generations and I am proud to continue this tradition by being a mentor and teacher to the bright and dedicated students of UW Tacoma.”

Finally, Andrew Cockrell will join the PPPA faculty this January. Andrew has an MPhil from Oxford University, England and is currently completing his PhD at the University of Washington, Seattle. Andrew is a political psychologist who studies emotion in international conflict. He is a recipient of the 2011 UW Excellence in Teaching Award and will teach Introduction to International Relations and Introduction to Globalization both in the winter as well as the spring quarter.

Congratulations to our 2014 graduates!

Posted on June 4, 2014 by pppauwt

Congratulations to all our 2014 graduates! We’re proud of this year’s UW Tacoma graduates who have majored in Politics, Philosophy & Economics or Law & Policy.

Politics, Philosophy & Economics graduates:
Jaime Ray Dalit Arreola, Imanjit Singh Bains, Miguel Angel Balderamma, David Allen Barnes, Nicholas Bradford, Brynn J. Brooks, Raymond Brooks, Jacob Alan Bush,
Fu-Yen Chan, Annie Songyie Choi, April A. Coberly, Lauren Catherine Conley, Patrick Courtney, Brant Robert Delarme, Yahye Y. Dineh, Semone Dover, Kevin James Drugge, Nicolas J. Dunning, Alex-Jon Earl, Kaycie Elwess, Thomas Gregory Farrow, Erin Barbara Gaede, Uuriintuya Erika Ganjargal, Brandon Green, Cristina M. Hakansson, Shane Gregory Hall, Janessa India Harris, Thomas L. Harris, Katrina Ann Honrade, Tzu Yang Hsu, James D. Jagger, Aaron Robert Jones,
Michael A. Jordan, Sheetal Kavita, Elliot J. Klavuhn, Aaron C. Knapp, James Koo,
Feipang Lam, Wei Li, Arely Lopez, Colin W. McCann, Jason Frederik McCausland,
Carley N. Metcalf, Jason M. Michaud, Dominique Andrew Miles, Chantell Munoz,
Megan Kimberly Nation, Martin Nderi, Jason Michael O’Neill, Madeleine Broxton Park,
Alycia Lorraine Patterson, Yessica M. Perez, Jeremy Scott Peterson, Stacilynn Mae Rambow, Julian Lavar Richards, Laura C. Richardson, Jeremy Bradon Rothschild,
Michelle Santos, Janaia Marie Seacrest-Holden, Arianna Elizabeth Shorey,
Ronald Smith, Liliya A. Stakhovich, Jesse Jameson Strege, Madhav Subedi,
Milena Summers, Tallman Harlow Trask IV, Thanhhong Thi Vu-Smith,
Perrin J. Walker, Nicole Nadean Wilcox, Tremicka Nicole Williams, Rees T. Yaden, and
Dennis E. Zuleta-Dupleich

Law & Policy graduates:
Mohamed Hassan Ahmed, Sharon-An B. Athey, Grady Heins, Jordan Emma Katherine Jones, Ramon Ralph Maddox, and Michael Wotherspoon

Spring seminar series on Middle East and Africa

Posted on June 2, 2014 by pppauwt

In April PPPA hosted political analyst and essayist Mr. Faisal Roble (below center) of the Institute for Horn of Africa Studies and Affairs. His lecture, entitled “Post Civil War Somalia: Challenges and Opportunities,” was well attended, and kicked off the first of several meetings and engagements he held with the UWT and Somali communities over a three-day period. His visit was jointly sponsored by UW Tacoma Arts & Lectures Committee and the Somali Student Association at UW Tacoma. As part of the same series, Dr. Nader Hashemi, Associate Professor Of Middle East and Islamic Studies and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, visited UWT in May to discuss current events in Iran and the Geneva Nuclear Deal. His presentation can be accessed via this link: Dr. Nader Hashemi at UW Tacoma

Brittany Hale wins annual PPPA paper prize

Posted on June 1, 2014 by pppauwt

Brittany Hale is the 2014 PPPA Paper Prize winner, an award won for her PP&E capstone paper on medical marijuana. Brittany wrote this paper while interning during the winter quarter for the Washington State Legislature. The annual award, given to the student with the best capstone paper for the year, was announced April 30th at the PPPA Internship/Paper Prize Event in William Philip Hall, and Brittany presented her paper during a lunchtime seminar May 15th in the Tacoma Room. Hale states, “My time in Olympia as a legislative intern piqued my interested in public policy. All of the proposed legislation around medical marijuana in this last session provided an important focus for my research paper. I am honored and excited to receive recognition from UWT, and I’d like to thank Professor Baird for helping me focus my research and perfect my paper.”

Lester Burkes’ paper, “Venice Submerged,” on the topic of nuclear power, was named runner up for the prize. Lester also wrote his paper while interning for the Washington State Legislature. Congratulations to both! You can read Brittany’s paper–and those of past PPPA prize winners–in UW Tacoma’s Digital Commons.

….New faculty members joining us

Posted on May 30, 2014 by pppauwt

We’re delighted that Seyed Karimi will be joining PPPA faculty this fall. Karimi, an economist, earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from Tehran Polytechnic, his MS in Industrial Engineering from the Institute for Research in Planning and Development in Tehran, and his PhD. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I am interested in issues in welfare, health, gender, and religion economics in the context of both developing and developed countries. My passion for understanding the economic implications of society’s norms and institutions and socioeconomic consequences of policy interventions inspires my current research agenda, drives my teaching, and will shape my future inquiries. The interdisciplinary aspect of my academic activities is in line with the mission of IAS at the University of Washington Tacoma. Therefore, I am very enthusiastic to be a member of the school.” We look forward to his arrival this summer.

Also joining us is Eric Bugyis, who recently earned his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale University. His research focuses on the intersection of modern religious thought and critical theory. He is particularly interested in contemporary constructions of “secular” and “religious” persons and publics, and the political and cultural mobilization of these categories in the service of both “conservative” and “progressive” ends. For the past five years, Eric has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Notre Dame where he has taught courses on the history of philosophy and Christian theology. At UW Tacoma, he’ll be teaching courses on Religion in the Modern World, Comparative Religion, and Philosophy of Religion, as well as developing new courses at the intersection of religion, culture, and society.

Ann Frost will be joining PPPA next year as a lecturer in American Politics. Ann has a JD from the University of Washington and is currently completing her PhD in Political Science at the University of Washington, Seattle. Having practiced law as a public defender for the past 14 years, her expertise is in the politics of the criminal justice system, the politics of race and ethnicity, and American politics. Her research focuses on state drug sentencing policies, the War on Drugs and their effect on racial minorities. Next year she will teach courses in American Politics, Media and US Politics, Race and Ethnicity, and State Government, and will also teach our two internship courses. Says Ann: “I am incredibly excited to be joining the community at UW Tacoma next year. As long time Seattle residents, my family and I truly appreciate and respect the opportunity to be part of this campus and community.”

UW Tacoma alum Mohamed Abdel Halim graduates with double degrees–twice

Posted on May 27, 2014 by pppauwt

After graduating from UW Tacoma (2011) with two majors, PP&E and International Business, and a minor in Non Profit Studies, Mohamed Abdel Halim decided to head back to the classroom for another two degrees—an MBA and MPA from Eastern Washington University. Halim states that studying International Business and Politics at the same time has given him a strong understanding of political systems, economic policy, and the living standards in several diverse cultures. He also remarks that EWU’s Spokane campus reminded him of UWT, noting “faculty members and program directors are very approachable. In both schools, the majority of people knew me by name which made my interactions very personable.”

A native of Egypt, Halim credits the people he’s met with helping him come as far as he has in both education and life. “Dr. Turan Kayaoglu has been a mentor and a role model for me. The things he taught me were very powerful and while I am making education and career decisions, I always think of what he said. It amazes me sometimes how much motivation and encouragement this man has provided me.”

Read more about Halim’s experiences in “EWU’s Newsletter.”

Annual PPPA student-faculty softball game

Posted on May 26, 2014 by pppauwt

In what has become an annual ritual, students and faculty engaged in a hotly contested game of softball at Tacoma’s Vassault Park this May. We all enjoyed the sun and warm breezes blowing in from left field, and a fine game of softball followed by a BBQ. After four successive years of defeat, the students this year came out determined to win. And win they did! It was a close game, but graduating Law and Policy senior Grady Heins squashed the faculty’s early celebrations by socking a second home run, this one a three-run blast in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, allowing students to eke out a hard-fought but well-earned victory against us. Since alumni play for the faculty team, we look forward to having Grady on our side next year.

Andreas Neiderberger speaks at Philosophy Roundtable events

Posted on May 25, 2014 by pppauwt

As part of this year’s Philosophy Roundtable, Andreas Neiderberger, Professor of Political and Social Philosophy at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany spoke at UW Tacoma and Seattle in April. AT UW Tacoma he spoke of the theme of “Human Rights & Global Constitutionalism,” and at UW Seattle he discussed “Are Human Rights Moral Rights?” While in the Puget Sound area, he also attended a music recital at the University of Puget Sound, and spoke to the Research Group on Human Rights in the Suzzallo Library at UW Seattle. His talks were part of the Interdisciplinary Research Cluster Human Interactions and Normative Innovation (HI-NORM). His talks were made possible by support from PPPA as well as the Simpson Center for the Humanities, and the UW Seattle Department of Philosophy.

Faculty profile–Mary Hanneman

Posted on May 24, 2014 by pppauwt

Students often think of professors as people with no life outside of the classroom, living only to teach—or possibly to compose scores of journal articles. However, for Mary Hanneman, Associate Professor in PPPA and Acting Director of the Asia Pacific Center, there are other scores that hold her interest.

Hanneman’s interest in East Asia began during her childhood experiences as the daughter of a Lutheran missionary in Tokyo where she lived for 3 ½ years, attending grades K-2. Even after returning to the States, she continued to pursue her interest in Asia; during her high school, she studied Japanese — an unusual language to study in those days. She continued to study Japanese while earning her BA in East Asian Studies at WWU. After receiving her MA (also in East Asian Studies) from Yale, she returned home to Washington to pursue her PhD in Japanese History at UW Seattle, before finally settling here at UW Tacoma where she taught Asian History.

It was while living in Tokyo, though, that she discovered her second passion in life: music. Hanneman began playing the violin at age six before moving to the viola a few years later. While at WWU, she minored in music; while working on her Masters degree she joined the orchestra at Yale, and during Ph.D. work at the UW, she played in a string quartet. After that, she gave up music until about 10 years ago; when both of her parents died, she found that music gave her a way to deal with grief. “Playing got me into a different mental and emotional space,” she remembered. Hanneman currently is a member of the Olympia Symphony. The last concert of the 2013-14 season included a presentation of Brahms Symphony #2—a piece that she played years ago. Remarking on the idea of music and muscle memory, she commented, “It’s amazing how much of it was just under my fingers.”

This summer Hanneman will be taking a group of 16 students on a study abroad trip to China. Hanneman can’t wait – but she’ll miss her viola while she’s away.