Department of Political Science

On Thursday, April 11th, SWIPS (Supporting Women in Political Science) hosted a resume workshop featuring two members of Career Services as well as Dr. Lauren Rowlands, a member of the poli sci faculty. The meeting was accompanied by pizza, snacks, and drinks provided by the department.

Career Services had a pre-prepared PowerPoint presentation detailing the “do’s and don’ts” of resume crafting. They also provided a worksheet for students that included steps on how to craft a resume tailored to the student’s skills and interests. After that they set up two stations to personally work with students on their resumes and let them know where improvements could be made.

Madelyn Byers, the Vice President of SWIPS, said that the group “was thrilled to see so many people engaged with building their resume considering how tedious and stressful the process can be. This is a testament to the power of orgs on campus to help get students the resources needed for success.”

SWIPS is a nonpartisan women’s organization at Texas State University. They are a professional education and development organization centered around aiding political science majors and other students with exploring all facets of political science so they may discover their professional and academic interests. SWIPS meets every other Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. If you’d like to learn more information about this organization, you can contact SWIPS President Myleen Gamez at mlg269@txstate.edu.

On Thursday, April 4th, more than 80 students attended a talk by a distinguished alumnus of Texas State: United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Nelva Gonzalez Ramos. Born in Port Lavaca, Texas, Judge Ramos attended Texas State as an undergraduate and went on to graduate from the university’s Legal Studies Program before attending law school at the University of Texas at Austin. Titled “From TXST to the Federal Judiciary,” Judge Ramos spoke about her undergraduate experiences at Texas State and her later experiences at law school, her work as an attorney and as a judge at the state and local level, and experiences as federal district court judge.

The floor was then opened up for students to ask questions. Judge Ramos answered several questions ranging from personal experiences, the election process,  interesting cases, her adjustment from state to federal court, methods to judge cases, the process of writing an opinion, and the Texas State classes that helped prepare for her career.

The event was followed by a dinner attended by fifteen students and faculty. This dinner provided an opportunity for students to talk with Judge Ramos individually and ask her further questions.

Zoie Sanders, an undergraduate political science major who attended the event, said that Judge Ramos was, “an inspiring, informative example of a successful woman in the federal judicial system. I enjoyed hearing about the election process as well as the stories she shared regarding her work-life balance and her time at Texas State.”

For information about pre-law at Texas State, please contact the university’s pre-law advisor, Dr. Ken Ward, at kw12@txstate.edu.

On Wednesday, March 27th, more than 400 students and faculty attended a lecture sponsored by Discourse in Democracy, featuring Dr. Brandon Rottinghaus of the University of Houston. Entitled “Do Presidential Scandals (Still) Matter? White House Scandals and Accountability in a Partisan Era,” Dr. Rottinghaus spoke about the various presidential scandals that have happened over the course of American history, how to differentiate a scandal from misunderstandings or misinformation, and how scandals could potentially shape future presidencies.

Brandon Bain, a graduate student who attended the event, said that “the lecture was insightful and interesting. Dr. Rottinghaus shared a lot of data about scandals and what era of American history housed the most, as well as the projected trajectory of presidential scandals. He was very knowledgeable on the subject and I enjoyed the Q&A session after the presentation as well.”

In addition to the lecture, Dr. Rottinghaus hosted a seminar for around 20 undergraduate and graduate students. The seminar was dedicated to ongoing research being conducted by Dr. Rottinghaus and two of his colleagues about the geographic politics of congressional district office locations.

Dr. Rottinghaus holds a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University. His books include The Dual Executive: Unilateral Orders in a Separated and Shared Power System (Stanford University Press), The Institutional Effects of Executive Scandals (Cambridge University Press), and The Provisional Pulpit: Modern Presidential Leadership of Public Opinion (Texas A&M University Press).  He is also the co-founding designer of the Presidential Proclamations Project at the University of Houston, an online resource documenting presidential use of unilateral powers through executive proclamation. He has provided commentary on national and Texas politics in hundreds of media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, The Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, and Texas Tribune.

At our March 27th Inklings gathering, Professor Emeritus Dr. Paul Kens presented his current research and an overview of his forthcoming book titled, “Munn’s Warehouse: Warehouse: A Story of How Gilded Age Corporations Tried to Add a Right of Freedom from Regulation to the Constitution – And Failed.” The talk explored the legal and constitutional background to Munn v. Illinois, a landmark 1877 Supreme Court decision upholding the right of state government’s to regulate business.

Jaquel Gibbs, a graduate student in the department who attended the event, said that “Dr. Kens’ ongoing research really casts light on how the state of Illinois understood the role of government and its constitutional powers in the nineteenth century.” David Rodriguez, another graduate student who participated in the gathering following the presentation, said that “Kens was extremely knowledgeable on the subject matter, and the presentation has me eagerly awaiting for his book to be on shelves.”

The original Inklings consisted of a small group of intellectuals (whose ranks included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis) who met weekly at Oxford University to read aloud and discuss their works in a spirit of fellowship and civil conversation. In the spirit of these Inklings, the Department of Political Science at Texas State University has held similar gatherings for more than two decades.

For more information on the series, please contact Dr. Arnold Leder at al04@txstate.edu.

More than two dozen Texas State students participated in the Southern Regional Model United Nations (SRMUN) competition held March 20^th – 24^th in Charlotte, NC.  At the SRMUN competition, students debated numerous global topics ranging from combating the illicit trade of cultural artifacts and property to ensuring the accessibility and sustainability of urban transportation.

Approximately 600 students, comprising 85 delegations from 45 universities competed in the SRMUN competition.  Participating universities included the University of Kentucky, Auburn University, North Carolina State University, Georgia Tech, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Appalachian State University.  Texas State students represented the nations of the Italian Republic, the Republic of Peru, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and the Republic of Bulgaria at SRMUN.  Representing Italy was Cadi Powers, Madison Buchanan, Reme Okasheh, Simon Kinski, Ethan Guinn, Gabbie Lindsay, and Sofia Hernandez.  Peru was represented by Mike Grubbs, Robet Mancha, Sarah Benitz, Jorge Tamayo, Isabella Snyder, Emily Hanna, and Justin Williams.  Meanwhile, Sandra Trujillo, Zoe Williams, Amber Gulamhusein, Thiago Rocha Leite, and Isabel Durate represented Bulgaria.  Finally, Maddie Gau, Preston Love, Austin Wright, Nolan Ruhland, Braiden Touchette, Lillian Martinez, and Zack Estrada represented Bangladesh.

Texas State students, once again, performed extremely well at SRMUN.  Highlighting our students’ accomplishments, the delegation representing Team Italy won Outstanding Delegation (1^st Place Overall). This marks the seventh SRMUN competition in a row that Texas State has had at least one delegation placing in top three, with Texas State delegations finishing in first place in five of the last seven SRMUN competitions. Capping off her experience at SRMUN, Lillian Martinez, Texas State Political Science Sophomore, said that, “the SRMUN competition was a fantastic opportunity that helped me gain more exposure to the diplomatic process and pushed me to come up with speeches faster in the committees, ultimately making me gain more confidence in writing and speaking to persuade others.” Another political science sophomore, Braiden Touchette, commented that “SRMUN emphasized the importance of collaboration to cultivate unconventional and comprehensive solutions.  It showed me how to lead a room towards innovative solutions, enhancing my confidence in delivering timely persuasive and provocative speeches.”

We can certainly be proud of our Texas State students.

The complete list of the awards and honors our received by Texas State students is as follows:

– Gabbie Lindsay and Sofia Hernanez

  Best Delegate (1^st Place in Committee), Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

– Ethan Guinn and Simon Kinski
Best Delegate (1^st Place in Committee), United Nations Habitat Assembly.

– Ethan Guinn and Simon Kinski
Outstanding Position Paper (1^st Place in Committee), United Nations Habitat Assembly.

– Gabbie Lindsay, Sofia Hernandez, Cadi Powers, Reme Okasheh, Ethan Guinn, Simon Kinski, and Madison Buchanan

Outstanding Delegation (1^st Place Overall), Team Italy.

The Model United Nations (MUN) is an academic organization through which students learn how the United Nations operates by competing in student debate competitions, such as the Harvard National Model United Nations.  In MUN, students study parliamentary debate, diplomacy, and current global issues. For additional information, email Prof. Ben Arnold (ca17@txstate.edu).

On Thursday, March 21st, SWIPS (Supporting Women in Political Science) and Pi Sigma Alpha hosted a bowling social event. Around 20 students attended, and the organizations were thrilled with the high turnout. The social event offered a relaxed atmosphere for members to connect through competitive bowling games and delicious food. Officers brainstormed various ideas to further engage members in upcoming projects, and members expressed a strong interest in continuing to participate in future political science events.

Zoie Sanders, a member of SWIPS, said that the event was, “super fun and a great opportunity to connect with fellow organizations and members. I had an amazing time and am looking forward to attending future social events and meetings with SWIPS.

Pi Sigma Alpha’s Rho Eta Chapter is the national political science honor society chapter at Texas State University. Open to eligible political science, public administration, and legal studies majors and minors, Pi Sigma Alpha’s goal is to connect those interested in politics and policy with a wide variety of professionals from across the state and help its members get jobs, internships, and experience before and after college. If you are interested in learning more about the Rho Eta chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, check out the chapter’s page on the department website.

SWIPS is a nonpartisan women’s organization at Texas State University. They are a professional education and development organization centered around aiding political science majors and other students with exploring all facets of political science so they may discover their professional and academic interests. SWIPS meets every other Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. If you’d like to learn more information about this organization, you can contact SWIPS President Myleen Gamez at mlg269@txstate.edu.