Department of Political Science Bulletin
MAY, 2005

Congratulations to: 

 The following undergraduate and graduate students have been honored by the Political Science Department:

Ralph Yarborough Award for Best Undergraduate Paper to Cynthia Colley

 Fred Gantt Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Student to John Riewe

 Sam B. McAlister Award for Outstanding Graduate Student to Brian Calfano and Mehmet Gurses

 Pender Award for Best Graduate Paper to Nicholas Rost

 Buell Award for Best Comparative Politics Student to Laura Dominguez and Osama Gharizi

Morrisson Award for the: best pre-law student to Leslie Chaggaris and Christian Alvarado

 Best Student in International Studies to Raissa Hickman

Nicolas Rost, Dean Haddock, Peter Brigaitis, and Anne Etienne all successfully defended their theses this semester.

Marvin King accepted a tenure-track position in the Department of Political Science at the University of Mississippi.

Acceptances

Prof. Patrick Brandt and John R. Freeman's (University of Minnesota). "Advances in Bayesian Time Series Modeling and the Study of Politics: Theory Testing, Forecasting and Policy Analysis", was accepted for publication in Political Analysis.

Prof. James Meernik and Christopher Fariss's (UNT BA, 2005) "International Criminal Defense: The Influence of Background and Resources at the ICTR" was accepted for publication at Judicature.

Getting Ink

Prof. Kimi King and Prof. James Meernik's chapter, "Bringing Her Out of the Shadows: An Empirical Analysis of Sentences in Rape Cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia" appears in, Courts Crossing Borders: Blurring the Lines of Sovereignty (Mary Volcansek and John F. Stack, eds.).

Madhav Joshi's "Democracy's Effect on Economic Growth: A Theoretical Debate", was published in Readings on Governance and Development.

Grants

Prof. Peter Vondoepp has been awarded one of the prestigious Fulbright-Hayes Fellowships for $67,900.  His research will take him to Namibia, Zambia and Malawai where he will apparently open up his homes there to any and all PSCI types who wander through.

Victories

From the UNT Press Office: For the second year in a row, the University of North Texas’ Moot Court Squad ended its season by having a team of students ranked first in the state by the Texas Undergraduate Moot Court Association.  The squad won all three statewide moot court tournaments sponsored by the association this past academic year. The association presented its year-end awards this month at the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law Tournament, the last TUMCA-sponsored tournament of the 2004-05 academic year. 

 Jennifer Poole of Denton, a senior political science major, and her partner Joe Rivera, a senior accounting control systems major from Bowie, were ranked first in the state by TUMCA, based on their performances at five tournaments throughout the year.  Another team of UNT students – Rebecca Cormier, senior political science major from Krum, and Chris Taylor, sophomore political science major from Fort Worth – were ranked second in the state by TUMCA.

 In addition, UNT Moot Court members swept the individual speaker awards for the year presented by TUMCA.  Kinzie Craig, senior political science major from Allen, was named the best individual speaker in the state by TUMCA, with Rivera ranking second, Cormier third, Taylor eighth and Poole ninth.  A sixth member, senior logistics major Bethany Hoover from Lewisville, was ranked fifth. 

 At the Texas Wesleyan tournament held before the TUMCA year-end awards ceremony, Poole and Rivera placed first after defeating Cormier and Taylor.  All four students and Hoover received speaker awards for the tournament, with Hoover selected as the top speaker. 

Events

The Annual Pi Sigma Alpha Banquet for graduating political science seniors was held, Friday, April 29th at Fremaux's Metropolitan Catering.  The Department honored its graduating seniors and graduate students, award winners, Moot Court team, Peace Science students and faculty mentors

Raissa Hickman receives her Peace Studies certificate from Professors Poe and Mason.

Nico Rost receives his Pender award for best graduate student paper.

Mehmet Gurses (top) and Brian Calfano (bottom) receive their McAlister awards as "Best Graduate Students".

Marvin King and Shawn Williams announce the winner of the best mentor award to Prof. Don Smith. 

Recognition

Eddie Meaders has been named a member of the Pro Bono Advisory Board of the Denton Branch of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.

Appearances

At the recent International Studies Association Meetings in Honolulu, March 1-5:

Prof. Andrew Enterline presented, “The War—Civil War Connection”.

Prof. Seonjou Kang presented “Government Spending and Economic Growth” and “Islamic Banking, Private Incentives and Economic Growth.”

Prof. Kimi King presented “Gender Justice at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia: Policy Entrepreneur.”

Prof. James Meernik and Michael Ault (Cal State Bakersfield) presented, "The Tactics of Foreign Policy Agenda Setting: Issue Choice and the President's Weekly Radio Address".

Prof. Phillip Paolino presented “China and Taiwan’s Electoral Politics”. 

Prof. Steven C. Poe, Nicolas Rost, and Sabine C. Carey (UNT MA) presented, "Recognizing Regimes Risking Repression - A Systematic Risk Assessment for Global Human Rights".

Prof. Peter VonDoepp presented “The Politics of Judicial Development: Horizontal Accountability and Supreme Courts in Malawi, Zambia and Namibia”

At the Southwestern Social Science Association meeting, Prof. Elizabeth Oldmixon presented "Senate Support of Israel". 

Graduating PSCI Majors

Veronica Acosta          

Jacob Antekelian         

Erik Aponte                 

R. Bacchus                  

Stuart Birdsey              

Julie Bloxom                

Samantha Bostick        

Joshua Brinkley           

Kara Brock                 

Michael Burgess          

Tiffani Butler                

Byron Campbell          

Michael Cannell           

Amarie Carnett

Greg Cassius               

Lekesha Chatman        

Heather Clark              

John Collard                

Jeff Collard                  

Paul Cooper                

Victor Cristales

Christopher Fariss       

Osama Gharizi 

Cade Hamilton

Jacob Hampton           

Rebecca Hinkley         

Jannatara Hogue          

LaShunta Holmes

Briana Hulet

Alan Lewis

Graig Liszt

Linda Lostetter

Marzia Martinez

Dena Melvin

Don Menotti

Aaron Moore

Jacqueline Nel

Mark Niswander

Shelley Phlegar

Jennifer Poole

Jeremiah Prophet

John Riewe

Elvia Rodriguez

Robert Sammons

Doshia Scott

Sara Simons

Michael Slaughter

Deborah Turner

Stephanie Watson

Victoria White

Zachary White

Christopher Wood

Blake Worrell

Marsha Wright

Joshua Yaklin

Whitney Zondor

International Studies Graduates

 Veronica Acosta

Coleen Ahern

Darryl Beatty

Salvador Becquer

Deborah Beyea

Staci Bryan

Gregory Burchfield

Kristin Clayton

Paul Cooper

Eric Cuyler

Cassandra Davis

Daniel Diaz-Alcaraz

Laura Dominguez

Osama Gharizi

Raissa Hickman

Lindsey Hodge

Sophia Johnykutty

Stephen Lease

Rumi  Makabe

Marzia Martinez

Lisa Maxey

Jon McGuire

Tyrell Muse

Vanna Ngo

Paul Roberts

Elvia Rodriguez

Andy Rottman

Suspiro Salinas

Appearances Continued

Prof. John Booth presented, "Political Violence, Participation, and Democratic Norms in Central America, Revisited" (with Patricia Bayer Richard, PSCI Honorary Faculty) at the Regional Latin Americanist Conference organized through the Program in the Cross National Study of Politics at Texas A&M Saturday, April 29.

The Political Science Department was well represented at the recent Midwest Political Science Association meetings, April 7 - April 10 in Chicago, IL.

Prof. John Booth and Patricia Bayer Richard (PSCI Honorary Faculty) presented, "Political Violence, Participation, and Democratic Norms in Central America: Violence and Political Behavior in Post-Conflict Countries".

Prof. Patrick Brandt presented “Advances In Bayesian time Series Modeling and the Study of Politics.”

Prof. Emily Clough presented “Strategic Behavior in and Out of the Voting Booth”

Prof. Corey Ditslear presented “Women Lawyers Before the Supreme Court.”

 Anne Etienne and Ekong Peters presented, "“Give War a Chance Revisited: The Effects of Non-Intervention on Peace Duration”.

Prof. Michael Greig and Nicolas Rost presented, "Which Tool Gets Used? A Multidimensional Analysis of Conflict Management Within Civil Wars".

Mehmet Gurses presented, "Wealth Source and Regime Type: Economic Origins of Democracy and Authoritarianism"

Mehmet Gurses, Patrick McLeod, Nicolas Rost presented "Mediating Civil War Settlements and the Duration of Peace".

Jong-Han Yoon presented "Sustainable Society and Peace: Socio-Economic structure and Violent Conflict"