PSA News September 2007
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September 2007 ISSN 0955-6281 Vol. 18 No. 3 NEWS Contents APSA Annual Conference, Department News | 2 Chicago 2007 Centre for Democracy and Governance, University of Huddersfield | 2 Department of Politics, University of Sheffield | 3 Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science | 4 Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University | 5 Department Profile | 6 Politics and International Relations at Bristol | 6 Celebrating Public Policy and Political Science at UCL | 8 Department of War Studies, King’s College London | 10 University of Reading, Political Theory Centre | 10 Specialist Group News | 12 News from the German Politics Specialist Group | 12 Jon Tonge, Chair (on the right), and John Benyon, Treasurer (on the left), New Political Studies Association Specialist Andrew Seaton, British Consul General, Chicago (on the right), welcomes Political Studies Association Chair, Jon Tonge, to a reception for delegates present a gift on behalf of the Political Studies Association to Professor Group on Citizenship and Democracy | 12 at the 2007 APSA Conference organised by the British Politics Group Sam Beer, Harvard University, to mark his long and distinguished contribution to the study of British politics Association News | 14 UK Politics Research “in good shape and getting even better” | 13 Political Studies Association Annual Conference 2009 | 14 Association says goodbye to Revered Politics Political Scientist | 15 Majorie Thompson joins Association | 15 Election to the British Academy 2007 | 15 ‘A’ Level In Full View | 17 Doing Political Research at Houses of Continues Parliament | 16 C-SAP | 16 What do you tell the President in Increase In Three Minutes about Iraq? | 17 The International Association for Political Science Students, 10th Anniversary | 18 Members and guests of the American British Politics Group enjoying Popularity Woodrow Wilson International Centre for the reception hosted by the British Consul General Fellowships 2008-2009 | 19 A record number of students sat an A level in A Time to Confer | 17 APSA 2008 - British Politics Group Panels | 19 Political Studies in 2007. 12,194 students sat British and Comparative Territorial Politics the examination, an increase of 7.5% on the Specialist Group Conference | 20 11345 takers in 2006. Students performed even epsNet Innovative Teaching Award | 20 Annual Conference, Conservative better than on other A levels, where the rise in Women’s Organisation | 20 A grades to 25% caused renewed controversy. APSA Teaching and Learning Conference | 21 Males formed 58.6% of Politics A level takers. ASEN, 18th Annual Conference | 21 CANE 2007 | 21 Almost one-in-three females taking a Politics ‘Conference in UK Political Ideologies’, A level received the highest grade and 29% University of Liverpool | 22 of males scored similar success. The A grade C-SAP “Teaching in Public” Conference | 22 is now the most common single award for a Association Annual Conference |23 Politics A level. The full figures, with last year’s Political Studies Association 58th Annual The Political Studies Association sponsored a ‘Related Group’ panel in brackets, are shown on table page 21. Conference | 23 ‘Islamic Extremism in Britain: Causes, Consequences and Solutions’ at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association held in Political Studies also enjoyed the sixth APSA Annual Conference, Chicago 2007 | 24 Chicago, 29 August-2 September 2007. Pictured (from left to right) Terrell largest increase in terms of University study of Carver (Panel Chair, and Chair of PSA’s External Relations Sub-committee; Jonathan Githens-Mazer (Academic Organiser of the Panel; University any discipline in 2006/07 at UK Universities. of Exeter); Brendan O’Duffy (Queen Mary, University of London); Robert Lambert (Metropolitan Police and Exeter University); and Marc Howard Ross (Discussant; Bryn Mawr College). 2 Department News ‘Mind the Gap! Democracy in theory and in practice’ Centre for Democracy and Governance, University of Huddersfield Karen Celis (Hogeschool Gent, Belgium); Mike Saward (Open University); Anika Gauja (Cambridge University); Brendan Evans (University of Huddersfield); Adriana Jimenez-cuen (London School of Economics); Andrew Clifton (University of Newcastle); John Craig (University of Huddersfield); Albena Kuyumdzhieva (Institute of Pubic Administration and European Integration, Bulgaria); Georgina Blakeley (Open University); Philip Wood (Queens University, Canada); Valerie Bryson (University of Huddersfield); Chris Gifford (University of Huddersfield); Polly Flinders (University of Huddersfield); Peter McLaverty, (Robert Gordon University); Andrew Taylor (University of Sheffield); Esref Aksu (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand); Chris McInerney, (University of Limerick). The University of Huddersfield Centre for Democracy and Governance influence its operationalisation in the future. This common approach hosted a highly successful political theory conference on 21st-22nd encouraged the development of themes and cross referencing, and June, 2007, in association with the Open University and sponsored by as the conference progressed a clear sense of common engagement the Participatory and Deliberative Democracy specialist group of the emerged, with theoretical debate informed by a wide range of Political Studies Association. empirical research from community politics in East Manchester to the Organised by Georgina Blakeley (Open University) and Valerie workings of transnational organisations, via case studies that included Bryson (Huddersfield University), the aim of the conference was to the Scottish Parliament, the EU constitution, migrant Mexican workers, bridge the gap between political theory and democratic practice penal policies in the US, and the Great Ape Project. through an exploration of what happens when people attempt to Many of the conference papers are available on the Centre’s website operationalise key democratic concepts. The fourth in a series of (http://www.hud.ac.uk/hhs/dbs/cdg/index.htm). It is intended that Political Theory conferences at Huddersfield, it brought together the proceedings will give rise to an edited volume, as with the previous subject specialists from nine UK and five overseas universities to share three conferences (G.Blakeley and V.Bryson eds: Contemporary Political knowledge, ideas and experiences. Concepts addressed included ‘party Concepts: a critical introduction, Pluto: 2002; Marx and Other Four Letter government’, ‘accountability’, ‘equality’, ‘republicanism’, ‘the majority’, Words, Pluto: 2005; The Impact of Feminism on Political Concepts and ‘inclusion’ and ‘cosmopolitanism’. Paper givers were asked to assess Debates, Manchester University Press: 2007). the different ways their chosen concept had been operationalised The conference organisers would like to thank the Participatory over time and to assess the ways in which our understanding of the and Deliberative Democracy specialist group in general and Peter concept has been modified through practice and how this might McLaverty in particular for their active support for this conference. Beatrice Heuser to Reading Professor Heuser’s research interests focus primarily on the political dimension of strategy, alliance politics, and bureaucratic The University of Reading is delighted to announce that policy making, especially in Europe and North America. She is Beatrice Heuser is to be the first incumbent of a new chair in also interested in genocide and nationalism as a cause of violent International Relations. Professor Heuser first took an interest conflicts, and in culture/mentality as a variable in attitudes in war when living in Thailand as a child when the Vietnam War towards war and peace. She is currently working on books on threated to spill over across Cambodia into Thailand. Having the Evolution of Strategy and early strategic thinkers. been brought up by her German parents on stories about Beatrice Heuser has previously held a chair in International the Second World War (persecution of Jews, effects on other and Strategic Studies at King’s College, London, Department civilians), she became very conscious of the effects of war of War Studies. She worked at NATO Headquarters in Brussels and concerned about the danger of further wars, especially for a year, and has most recently been Director of Research at nuclear war. This concern drove her to study international the Military History Research Office of the Bundeswehr. She is relations first at the LSE and then at Oxford. married to a French historian of cinema, and they have one child. 2 Department News Department News 3 ‘Mind the Gap! Democracy in theory and in practice’ Department of Politics, University of Sheffield The last year has been an exciting period of change, achievement and • The award of £150,000 to Sheffield University’s Public Services new developments in the Department of Politics at the University of Academy, under the leadership of its inaugural Director Professor Sheffield. Andrew Geddes from the Department of Politics. SUPSA is a Politics-led knowledge transfer initiative founded in 2006 to work Staffing across the social sciences and with public service organisations to The Department has made 4 appointments to permanent positions develop collaborative research and serve as a regional think tank. It in the last twelve months, at both senior and junior levels. We works with a range of bodies including the Gangmasters Licensing have appointed to Chairs Professor