Political Science Spotlight - May 2016
Political Science Department Hosts Conference on Middle East Politics
Michael W. Suleiman Chair and Political Science professor Sabri Ciftci organized and hosted a workshop at K-State entitled “After the Uprisings: Public Opinion, Gender, and Conflict in the Middle East” on May 5th. The workshop provided a unique forum to discuss the current state of knowledge on politics in Middle East and was well attended by faculty, students, military personnel, and community members. The day-long session was one of a series of events the department has planned to highlight the Suleiman Chair and the study of Arab and Middle Eastern issues at Kansas State University.
Notable scholars from across the country presented new research at the workshop: Lindsay Benstead (Portland State University), Marwa Shalaby (Rice University), Ekrem Karakoc (SUNY Binghamton), Michael Robbins (Princeton), Steve Brooke (Harvard), Ahmed Khanani (Earlham College), Mike Wuthrich (University of Kansas), Mariya Omelicheva (University of Kansas),Soumia Bardhan (KSU, Communication Studies) and Mohaned al-Hamdi (KSU, Economics). Three K-State Political Science faculty members served as panel discussants: Sam Bell, Andrew Long, and Alissandra Stoyan.
Additional support for the workshop was provided by the College of Arts & Sciences, the Office of Military and Veteran Affairs, K-State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering, and the Vice provost for International Affairs.
Watch for announcements on upcoming events promoting the study of the Middle East at K-State!
General Richard Myers Co-Teaches KSU’s American Foreign Policy Class
Retired Air Force General and interim KSU President Richard Myers co-taught Kansas State University's American Foreign Policy class with Michael Flynn, assistant professor in political science, this spring.
"The idea was for us to coordinate on a set of topics and spend the week talking about those topics from the perspectives of academics and practitioners," Flynn said. "Myers' lectures are a great opportunity to help students translate the ideas and principles that we discuss in class into practice. These different viewpoints are not something every college student can experience."
"We will lecture on the same topic and our coverage overlaps in many respects," Flynn said. "But where I offer a broader more macro view and supplement with data, Gen. Myers tends to offer more refined and detailed information on the process and his experiences."
"We are extremely excited about Gen. Myers participation in Dr. Flynn's course," said Jeff Pickering, head of the political science department. "It provides a unique opportunity for our students, and is representative of the innovative and exciting instruction that is now common in the Department of Political Science."
Myers, who grew up in Johnson County, graduated from Kansas State University in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. His 40 year career in the U.S Air Force culminated with his term as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest ranking uniformed military officer in the United States, from 2001 to 2005. The university's General Richard B. Myers Hall, home to both the Army and Air Force ROTC programs, is named in his honor. Myers was named interim President of K-State on April 26.
