Friday, January 20 | 3:00 p.m. | CUE 203
In January, we welcomed panelists Lt. Col. Brian Anderson (Air Force Reserve), Col. Christopher M. Bado (Army), Col. J. Jay Updegraff (Air Force) from the U.S. Air Force War College to discuss varying perspectives on the future director of foreign policy. Our Panelists, moderated by WSU political science alumnus Col. Jeffrey J. Smith (Air Force), presented the perspectives in terms of an assertive grand strategy, a liberal internationalist strategy, and a strategy of constraint.
Coffee & Politics: Thursday, February 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Bundy Reading Room, WSU Pullman
Why Negative Ads Are Good for You!
Michael M. Franz is Associate Professor of Government at
Bowdoin College. His research interests include political
advertising and campaigns, interest groups politics, and media and politics. His research has been widely published in leading political science journals and is a former recipient of the American Political Science Association’s E.E. Schattschneider Award for research on American government.
Coffee & Politics: Thursday, February 2 | 2:45 p.m. | Bundy Reading Room, WSU Pullman
Why Good Science Fails to Become Good Policy
Brian Baird is a former U.S. Representative for Washington’s 3rd congressional district, serving from 1999 until 2011, where he served on the Committee on Science and Technology, and was the Chairman of the subcommittee on Energy and Environment. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and is a former chairman of the Department of
Psychology at Pacific Lutheran University.
Coffee & Politics: Thursday, February 2 | 6:00 p.m. |CUB auditorium
When Money Talks: Political Campaigns after the Citizens United Decision.
Panel specialists Brian Baird (Former U.S. Congressman, Washington’s Third District), David DeWolf (Professor of Law at Gonzaga Law School), Michael Franz (Associate Professor of Government at Bowdoin College),and Melanie Sloan (Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) discussed the effects of the Citizens United ruling on political campaigns,and the possible implications for elections and democracy in the U.S.
Coffee & Politics: Thursday, February 16 | 10:30 a.m. |CUE 518
How the Past Is Present in Chinese Politics.
Hu Shih, Professor of Chinese History at Cornell University, argues that it is important to know Chinese history in order to comprehend its current situation. Sherman Cochran, one of the leading historians of China in the United States, is author, editor, or co-editor of seven books on Chinese history, including his 2006 book ‘Chinese Medicine Men: Consumer Culture in China and Southeast Asia’ (Harvard University Press), which won the prestigious Joseph Levinson Prize in Chinese Studies. He has also won numerous teaching and advising awards.
Coffee & Politics: Thursday, February 17 | 11:45 a.m. | General Administration Auditorium- Olympia, WA
A Century of Citizen Initiatives in Washington: Are They Still Democratic?
In 1912 Washington State amended its constitution to allow greater democratic participation of citizens through the ballot initiative and referenda process. In recent years, a growing number of initiatives have been sponsored by interest groups and corporations spending millions of dollars, and this new form of “citizen lawmaking” has raised deep
concerns about whether the initiative continues to be a mechanism for democratic policymaking. Our panel of experts- Katie Blinn (Washington State Elections Co-Director); Todd Donovan (Professor at Western Washington University); Tim Eyman (Initiative Activist); Lynn Kessler (Former Washington State House Majority Leader)- will discuss the initiative process from an historical view and examine its contemporary role.
Coffee & Politics: February 28 | 12:00 p.m. | CUE 518
1960s Counterculture and WSU
Paul Brians (emeritus professor of English, Washington State University) shared his experience as an on-campus activist in the 1960’s. Professor Brians worked with groups such as Students for a Democratic Society and recalled a time when communes, demonstrations, and underground publications played a central role in student life.
Coffee & Politics: April 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Honors Hall Lounge
Poisoned Food: Lawsuits and Food Safety
Coffee & Politics. Bill Marler, WSU alumnus and accomplished personal injury attorney, and Jeff Benedict, best-selling author, visited campus in April to discuss food safety and food-borne illnesses. Their discussion centered on Benedict’s latest book, Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. Coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat, which chronicles Marler’s involvement in the political and legal battle that unfolded after America’s largest outbreak of food-borne illnesses stemming from tainted Jack-in-the-Box hamburger meat.
When discussing the Jack-in-the-Box outbreak, they explained how the food industry could avoid future outbreaks, and what changes we can make at an individual level to avoid such infections.
April 3 | 6:00 p.m. | CADD Auditorium
Adventures and Escapades: A Life in Journalism and Beyond
Charlotte Friel Memorial Communication Lecture. Marilyn Berger presents “Adventures and Escapades: A Life in Journalism and Beyond.” 6:00 p.m., CADD 21. Reception will follow lecture. Book signing precedes lecture at 4:30 p.m. in the CADD Atrium.
April 5 | 1:00 p.m. | Phase 1 Classroom Building, Rm. 122
A Rational Conversation about Health Care Reform: Moving from Politics to Policy
Public symposium. “A Rational Conversation about Health Care Reform: Moving from Politics to Policy.” 1:00–4:30 p.m., Phase I Classroom Building, Room 122, WSU Spokane at the Riverpoint Campus.
View videostream, session 1 »
View videostream, session 2 »
April 12 | 4:30 p.m. | Todd Hall 276
SEPP Series: The Ethics of Global Climate Change
In April, the Foley Institute and the School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs initiated a new annual symposium series focused on science, ethics, and public policy (SEPP).
The first symposium focused on ethics and global climate change, and featured Andrew Light, director of international policy at the Center for American Progress and director of the Center for Global Ethics at George Mason University.
He was joined by Bill Kabasenche (WSU School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs), Kent Keller (WSU School of the Environment), and Gene Rosa (WSU Department of Sociology). The panel discussed the role of policymakers and scientists and the ethical dilemmas they face when attempting to define the climate change issue, as well as when seeking solutions.
Coffee & Politics: April 19 | 10:30 a.m. | Bundy Reading Room
Richard McKinney, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs and WSU alumnus, joined us in April to discuss US space policy. He talked about 4 different space sectors- civil, commercial, intelligence, and defense. He noted that while there is little financial benefit to space travel at this time, “All nations have the right to explore and use space for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of humanity in accordance with international law.” He concluded his remarks by noting that there can be no national claims of sovereignty made over space.
Coffee & Politics: April 20 | 12:00 p.m. | CUE 518
Professor J. Budziszewski from the University of Texas, Austin, met with students, faculty, and community members on April 20 to discuss religious toleration.
Dr. Budziszewski described religion as a supreme and unconditional commitment to any cause which leaves no room for neutrality. He stated that, “If neutralism is impossible, then bias is inevitable”. This bias, he finds, gives an advantage to religions which do not call themselves religious.
Media & Politics Symposium | April 25 | 1:15 p.m. | Todd Hall 276
Infotainment: Keeping the News Interesting
The fourth annual Media and Politics Symposium, cosponsored with the Edward R. Murrow College of communication, focused on the growing emphasis of entertainment in news programming.
Our panelists, Erica Austin (WSU), Geoffrey Bayam (University of North Carolina), and Danna Young (University of Delaware) discussed the roles of shows such as John’s Stewart’s The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert’s Colbert Report, and the impact on informing democratic debate.
They noted that in a nightly segment, these forms of alternative public affairs journalism cover more hard news and offer more political discourse than traditional news outlets, all while catering to a more cognitively aware and politically active audience.View videostream »