Following the story: Professor Sarah Hampson

Posted on September 30, 2015 by pppauwt

Sarah Hampson, an Assistant Professor in PPPA starting her second year at UW Tacoma, has a few secrets.

Enthusiastic about her classes and her research into work/life policies surrounding motherhood, as well as her self-identity as an idealist occasionally called “Pollyanna”— Hampson is also a huge sci-fi fan!

“I love sci-fi!” she said, laughing. “Star Trek. Time travel. But also historical fiction, and any kind of meta story.”

“I just want to be in a really good story and never have it end.”

A bit surprising for a Law and Policy professor? Maybe.

But maybe not so much when that professor was an undergraduate English major who spent a year studying at Oxford and still loves reading novels—at least when she has time.

But with a love for sci-fi and British literature, how did Hampson end up teaching Law and Society at UW Tacoma?

Well, that’s quite a story… Continue reading →

From Perçem village to Tacoma – Professor Turan Kayaoglu

Posted on July 14, 2015 by pppauwt

.Associate Professor of International Relations at UW Tacoma
Editor-in-Chief, Muslim World of Human Rights.
Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs in the School of IAS
Author of two books—one of which was just published last month

Turan Kayaoglu’s credentials are impressive, but there is so much more to his story.

A Long and Winding Road…

Kayaoglu grew up in Istanbul, after moving from his birthplace—Perçem village, in the Erzincan Province of eastern Turkey—when he was just four years old. A massive migration from rural villages to industrial centers was taking place, turning farmers into shopkeepers or factory workers at a dizzying pace. As a result, he was one of nearly 60 students crowded into an elementary classroom. Yet it was his family’s move to the city that made his presence in that classroom even possible.

Without the access to education that Kayaoglu enjoyed, his father has no formal schooling, but “kind of reads.” His mother’s longing to read—in her 60s—inspired him, and her failure to learn after two years of trying made him more sensitive to the difficulties faced by some of his own students.

Kayaoglu is the fourth of five sons born to Sadullah and Hanim Kayaoglu, with 19 years between the oldest and youngest. He and his younger brother are the only two with a university education, although one of his older brothers did go to a technical college. “But, I was the first to attend a four-year university.” He may have taken it “too seriously,” he said, as a way to compensate for his older brothers’ lack of educational opportunities.

Continue reading →

UW Tacoma faculty involved in faculty exchange program

Posted on June 1, 2015 by pppauwt

PP&E Professor Katie Baird will be spending fall 2015 in Norway as a part of the University of Washington-University of Bergen Faculty Exchange Program Visiting Professor appointments at the University of Bergen, Norway. Since the program’s inception in 1979, more than 70 UW faculty and 80 University of Bergen faculty have participated in the exchange, including some from UW Tacoma. Visiting scholars represent such diverse fields as Anthropology, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, English, Fisheries, History, Law, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Quaternary Research, Scandinavian Studies, Surgery, Women Studies, Zoology—and like Professor Baird—Economics. She will be working on a project concern with education and employment outcomes with others from The Centre for Economic Studies in Social Insurance and Labour Economics.

We hope to hear more on Baird’s activities while she’s in Norway. Stay tuned next fall for updates.

‘2015 UW Tacoma Innovate Law Challenge’

Posted on March 16, 2015 by pppauwt

In 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 →

UW Tacoma’s 2015 Fulbright finalist

Posted on January 23, 2015 by pppauwt

UW Tacoma alumna Lizeth Garcia recently received some great news: she has been named as a finalist for the Fulbright US Student Program.

A 2013 graduate of the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics program, Garcia is hoping to teach English in Mexico through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program in 2015-16. After being chosen as a finalist by a domestic screening committee, her application has now been passed to the host country for final selection. She will hear in April or May whether she will receive the award. Continue reading →

Faculty spotlight: Rob Crawford

Posted on December 12, 2014 by pppauwt

“I hitchhiked to Timbuktu over Christmas vacation…”

That’s the sort of life Professor Rob Crawford has led—so interviewing him for this newsletter was definitely a thought-provoking, rapid-fire experience. We discussed issues ranging from his personal history and academic background, to his position as one of the founding members of UW Tacoma’s faculty, and his thoughts on a thirty-seven year teaching career. There isn’t room here to cover every topic that came up in our hour-long conversation, but the highlights are fascinating. Continue reading →

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.

Faculty hold research colloquium in Silverdale

Posted on May 29, 2014 by pppauwt

This May, PPPA held its first annual research colloquium retreat. Organized by Prof. Turan Kayaoglu, the event took place over a long weekend where eight faculty members participated in sessions discussing six different research papers. Chaired by Profs. Turan Kayaoglu and Brad McHose, the sessions included papers presented by Mary Hanneman (“Surrender, Society and National Identity: Implications of Japan’s WWII Surrender“); Rob Crawford (“The Politics of Accountability for U.S. Torture“); Jane Compson (“The CARE Protocol: A model for introducing healthcare professionals to self-care literacy“); Will McGuire, (“Institutional Barriers to Creative Destruction and the Future of China’s Economic Development“); Etga Ugur (“Contextualizing Islamist Politics: Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey in Comparative Perspective“); and Katie Baird (“Financial Crises and Transfers to the Poor: A comparison of social policies in eight European nations”). The colloquium took place in Silverdale, and in addition to the scholarly sessions, faculty also enjoyed meals together (above) and a game of disco bowling (no picture included). It was a very successful retreat, and we are now planning for next year’s second annual colloquium.

Summer course on Elections and Campaigns engages students

Posted on May 21, 2014 by pppauwt

This summer we’re providing a unique opportunity for students to gain credit while also working on election-related activities such as working on a campaign, working on campaign coverage in the news, or investigating particular issues that arise during the campaign season. In the course TPOLS 405 Advanced Elections and Campaigns taught by Prof. Ben Gonzalez, you’ll learn about the rules and organization of political campaigns, and examine the role of media and campaign finance in the outcome of elections. PPE and Law and Policy students can also use this class to meet capstone requirements! For more information, email Ben Gonzalez at bfg@uw.edu.

Professor Hashemi keynote speaker in Middle East and Africa seminar

Posted on March 12, 2014 by pppauwt

PPPA’s seminar series focusing on the Middle East and Africa continues this Spring with a keynote address by Professor Nader Hashemi (right) of the University of Denver (UD). Prof. Hashemi is an Associate Professor of Middle East and Islamic Studies at UD’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. He is also Director of UD’s Center for Middle East Studies, and the author of several books on politics and the Middle East. As a frequent guest on national television and radio shows, and with opinion pieces in places such as the New York Times, Prof. Hashemi has quickly become one of the most sought after experts on the Middle East. His address is titled “Is Hassan an Iranian Gorbachev? An Assessment of the Islamic Republic after the Geneva Nuclear Deal.” This talk will take place May 7th at 4 pm in the Tacoma Room.

Also on tap spring quarter: The distinguished Mr. Faisal Roble of the Institute for the Horn of Africa Studies will be visiting the UW Tacoma campus. Mr. Roble (left) is a well-respected intellectual, political analyst, and essayist with extensive experience in Africa’s Horn region. He will be delivering a lecture entitled “Post Civil War Somalia: Challenges and Opportunities,” on April 10th at 4 pm in the Carwein Auditorium. UW Seattle’s James Long (below), Assistant Professor of Political Science and an Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, will follow this up with a talk on “Electoral Fraud and Political Violence in Africa.” Prof. Long’s research focuses on elections in fragile and developing countries, the dynamics of electoral fraud, the causes of electoral violence, and the effects of civil war and insurgency on state-building and development. Long studies these issues in both sub-Saharan Africa and Afghanistan, and will be speaking on campus April 23rd, 12:30 pm in CP 103. Rounding out the spring schedule will be our own Michael Wotherspoon, a senior in Law and Policy, who will discuss “The Press, Ethnicity and Free Speech in Kyrgyzstan”. His talk will be based on his experiences in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan where he’s been working for Spektator Magazine. May 29th, 12:30 pm in the Tacoma Room. Thanks to both IAS and UW Tacoma’s Arts and Lecturer Committee for making these events possible. Continue reading →