Department of Political Science Bulletin
April, 2003

Acceptances

Dave Mason's, “Structures of Ethnic Conflict: Revolution versus Secession in Rwanda and Sri Lanka,” was accepted for publication in Terrorism and Political Violence.

Dave Mason's, "Ethnicity and Politics", is due to be published in Routledge Encyclopedia of Government and Politics, 2nd ed., edited by Mary Hawkesworth and Maurice Kegan. London: Routledge. (with David Galbreath) (revised and updated version of 1995 chapter).

James Meernik's "Proving and Punishing Genocide at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda" has been acccepted for publication in the International Criminal Law Review.

Alex Tan helped organize a special issue on "Political Cleavages and New Party Systems" for the journal, Party Politics, that he will edit. Papers were presented at the Parties and Party System conference sponsored by the Charn Uswachoke Fund in April 2002.

Getting Ink

Alex Tan's and Robert Harmel's, "Party Actors and Party Change: Does Factional Dominance Matter" appears in the latest issue of the European Journal of Political Research.

Awards

Don Smith was selected as a President's Council Teaching Award Winner

Alex Tan, was named an Honors Professor by the Student Government Association.

Phil Stauffer, Clovis C. Morrisson Award for Best Pre-Law Student.

Lucy Barnard, Clovis C. Morrisson Award for Best Pre-Law Student.

Lars Christian Nielsen, for E. C. Buell Award Outstanding Student in Comparative Politics.

Alejandra Olivos, E. C. Buell Award Outstanding Student in Comparative Politics.

Cynthia Dawn Goodman, Fred Gantt Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Political Science.

Christina Schneider, Sam B. McAlister Award for Oustanding Graduate Student in Political Science.

Brian Calfano, Pender Award for the Best Graduate Paper in Political Science.

Christopher Henson, Yarborough Award for Best Undergraduate Paper in Political Science.

Elizabeth Hamblen, Outstanding Student in International Studies. 

Dasha Radin successfully defended her thesis, "The Domestic Politics of Entering International Communities: An Exploratory Analysis".  Alex Tan is her adviser.

Dean Woodard was nominated by the Department as the Outstanding Teaching Fellow of the Year.

Thanks to all those who participated on UNT Clean Up Day on April 5: Chelsea Brown, Megan Greening, Kimi King, and Eddie Meaders.

UNT Moot Court Team takes 1st Place at Texas Wesleyan Law School Tournament!

The UNT Moot Court team took first place at the Texas Wesleyan tournament held March 21-22. In addition to sweeping 11 of the total 26 awards given out overall, the team had the first, second, and fourth place speakers over all. This is UNT's third year participating in the Texas Undergraduate Moot Court Association (TUMCA). Twenty-eight teams from eight schools, including Texas A & M, UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas, the University of Incarnate Word, University of Dallas, Howard Payne University, and Florida Atlantic University competed for top honors. Two teams advanced beyond quarterfinals including Phil Stauffer (Denton Junior) and Cynthia Goodman (Senior from Spearman). Jackie Coley-(Corpus Christi Junior) and Ryan Rollo (Ft. Worth Junior) advanced to the final round where they won on a unanimous decision by the panel of judges. 

Congratulations

To the Political Science Department softball team that took second place in their intramural league.  Faculty and graduate students came up just one run short in the championship game.  Great work folks!

Appearances

Many people presented papers at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association in Chicago, IL, April 2-5 including:

Patrick Brandt presented  "Dynamics of Divided Government".

Corey Ditslear presented, "The Sources of the Solicitor General's Influence".

Elizabeth Oldmixon presented, "Why Members of Congress Support Israel: Explanations of Legislative Behavior", and was a discussant on a "Women and Legislatures panel.

Phil Paolino presented, " Divided Government and the 2001 Taiwanese Legislative Yuan Elections, with Emerson Niou and again at the Conference on Electoral Politics in Taiwan held at the University of South Carolina on April 11-13, 2003.

Steve Poe presented, "Multicultural Societies and the Resort to State Terror" with Scott Walker (Phd 2002).  Steve also served as a member of a roundtable on human rights measurement issues.

Erum Shaikh and Steve Poe presented, "Military Intervention and Human Rights", with James Meernik.

In other conference news:

Jim Battista presented, "Explaining Variation in Committee Representativeness" at the State Politics and Policy Conference in Tucson, March 14-15

John Booth presented, "Does Political Legitimacy Matter? Voter Abstention and Party Choice in Costa Rica" (with Mitchell A. Seligson) at the 24th International Congress of the Latin American Studies Association in Dallas on Friday March 28, 2003.

John also served as a discussant on one poster presentation and one panel at the Midwest meetings.

Steve Forde served as organizer of the Political Theory section at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Political Science Association in San Antonio, April 16-20. He presented a paper, "What Does Locke Expect Us to Know?," and served as Chair and discussant on a panel on "Machiavelli and Tyranny."

Phil Paolino presented, "Policy Expectations Voting in Gubernatorial Elections: The Role of Institutions", with Dean Lacy at the State Politics and Policy Conference in Tucson, March 14-15 and again at the Midwest Conference.

Don Smith presented "Corporate Policy Innovation and Diffusion: Domestic Partner Benefits in the Fortune 500" at the Southwest Political Science Association Meeting on April 18.

Alex Tan presented "Evolution of Taiwan's National Security Policy: A Political Economy Perspective" at the Conference on "China, Taiwan, and the United States: Prospects for Peace and Confrontation" Florida Atlantic University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 12 April 2003.

Alumni News

Fred Mecklenburg was chosen as the political science department's outstanding alum of the year and was recognized at the UNT Alumni Appreciation Day on April 11. Congratulations!

Events

The Annual Pi Sigma Alpha Banquet was held Friday, April 25 at Metropolitan Catering in Denton.  We had the largest turnout ever of faculty, award winners, graduating seniors, staff, and everyone else - 100 people in attendance!  Thanks go to Peter Vondoepp, Dave Mason, John Booth and Steve Forde for planning such a stellar event!

The Political Science Department "Oil and Politics" conference was held on Saturday, April 12 at the Radisson Hotel in Denton and was attended by approximately 60 persons.