Break and Beyond...

We hope that your Thanksgiving break was relaxing and delicious! If you're shocked that it's already December, you're not alone.

Everyone's focus is on catching up and getting through exams right now, but it's never too early to think about summer opportunities. Application deadlines come up faster than you might expect. Below are a few useful links to get going on summer planning:

Taubman Center for Public Policy's Guide to Internships
Career Development Center (duh)
A list of think tanks
The American Political Science Association's Internship Resources

Don't forget: professors are probably the best resources, since they can (and are eager to) share personal experience, professional insight, and their networks with you.

Events this week:

• Internship, Research and Funding Showcase, Wednesday, 5-7 pm: Alumnae Hall
  
• Janus with Prof. Lawless: Why Are There so Few Women in Politics? Wednesday, 7-8 pm: B&H 166
• Juan Pablo Luna on Unpacking the Concept of Party System Institutionalization in Latin America, Wednesday, 5 pm: McKinney Conference Room (Watson)
• Jarat Chopra on The Neutralization of Impartiality in Peacekeeping, Friday, 4 pm: Joukowsky Forum

Recent News Items of Interest:

• "Politics of Presence? Congresswomen and Symbolic Representation" Political Research Quarterly: Do a little background reading before attending the Janus Conversation event on Wednesday. Reading your own faculty's academic work is always interesting.
  
• "Romanian Socialists Win Most Votes on Social Spending Promises" Bloomberg: A quick summary of very recent election returns in Romania.
• Update: Here is another article on the Romanian election from Reuters.
  
• "The New Power Landscape" National Journal: A fascinating look at the shifting balance of interest groups, lobbyists, and the like on the Hill. Central topics include measuring the strength of Obama's ties to labor and breaking down business's defense strategies.
  

Good luck over the next couple of weeks!

Getting Involved

Welcome to all new visitors! We hope that you find this a useful, accessible tool in the future. Below are just a few pieces of information about the blog.

1) In addition to weekly event/news updates, there will be a weekly post tentatively titled the "Weekly Postscript." We're hoping that each week an undergrad will submit a short post (maybe 100-400 words) with thoughts about a current event, news article, or a summary of a PS-related event on campus that you attended.

If you'd be interested in writing a Weekly P.S. or two, please email brownpsdug@gmail.com. It's a quick, easy way to get your voice heard and become involved! You will not be required to submit any more often than you want to, and posts probably won't begin until next semester, but we'd like to gauge interest now.

2) Please share any events or news items you'd like to see included in the weekly updates by emailing brownpsdug@gmail.com. Feel free to also email feedback on the blog or any DUG-related matters. You can also reply to any post by adding a comment, but please behave.

3) If you'd like an easy way to stay up to date on the blog, just click "Subscribe to: Posts" at the bottom of the page and you will be able to import the blog as a bookmark in your browser. This way you can check for new content here without even leaving another site.

4) Have a great Thanksgiving break! And check back soon.

Mission

The PS DUG aims to foster community among undergraduates, create opportunities for interaction between students and professors, bring politicians and other individuals to speak at campus, and promote opportunities for students to engage in academic, professional, and social work in the realm of politics.

In furtherance of these goals, we will organize regular meetings for concentrators, informal talks by professors in the political science department, guest lectures by politicians and other individuals involved in government, visits to government sites in Rhode Island, and other events for the benefit of students concentrating in political science.

In this way, the PS DUG seeks to supplement the academic offerings of the political science department by building a community where both students and professors can engage with one another in meaningful ways outside of the classroom.

Welcome

Hello all! Thanks for your interest in Brown's Political Science DUG.

For now, this brand spanking new blog will serve to provide a quick, easy way to keep interested undergrads informed about upcoming events and relevant news items.

Other kinds of content will be added in the coming weeks. Details and ways to get involved will also follow shortly. Please feel free to use the comment feature to leave feedback and ideas.

Know of any additional events or news items? Email them to brownpsdug@gmail.com.

Check back soon as things get rolling. This should be a great space for communication and collaboration, and we look forward to hearing from you all.

Events before Thanksgiving:

• Tomasi Lecture on Liberalism (+ food!), Wednesday, 7 pm: Barus & Holley 166
• Government Jobs Workshop, Thursday, 12-1 pm: Taubman Center at 67 George
• Globalization: A Race to the Bottom?, Thursday, 7 pm: MacMillan Hall
• BPU Debate: Has Globalization Benefited Developing Nations?, Monday, 7 pm Wilson 101
  

Recent News Items of Interest:

• "The Imperial Presidency" The NY Times: Insight into how the Bush presidency has changed the Senate's role viewed through the specific experiences of Senators Graham, Warner, Leahy, Specter, and McCain surrounding issues of interrogation and detainment.
  
• "Money, Faith and Votes" The Economist: A recap of recent Jerusalem elections that pays particular attention to the Palestinian and secularist constituencies.
• "Brookings VP Gives Pointers to Obama" National Journal: An article that summarizes former Brown Professor, Darrell West's, recent memo to the president elect. The memo is also included in its entirety.