WORKING AS A POLITICAL THEORIST - GOVT 296 Spring 2019 - March 23rd and 30th - 10 AM – 5 PM Prof. Office: Kerwin 215 - Office hours: By Appointment Email: [email protected] Phone: (301) 346-4504 (cell)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course explores a variety of career options for graduates in Political Theory by meeting with visiting scholars and public intellectuals who have opted for employment outside the academy. Students will participate in discussion groups and read supplemental texts related to the lectures and debates sponsored by the Political Theory Institute and have private meetings with its speakers.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Mark Rowh, Great Jobs for Political Science Majors

Additional readings for each speaker: Foreword by Lt. Gen. (then-Col.) Michael R. Eastman, to The Art of Peace: Engaging a Complex World, by Juliana Geran Pilon An Executive Order on Campus Free Speech, by Adam Kissel, NR March 4, 2019 https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/03/donald-trumps-executive-order-on-campus-free-speech/; https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/home/programs/civic-education “Vote. Otherwise, the Hackers Win,” by John Fortier, Roll Call, October 24, 2018 https://www.rollcall.com/news/opinion/vote-otherwise-hackers-win https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/tag/john-fortier/ Chris Kiritz - Recent interview with HTC VR for Impact program about using #techforgood! Steve DeCaroli - “From Prison Terms to Midterms,” podcast by Jess Mayhugh, Baltimore Magazine, September 20, 2018 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/listen/from-prison-terms-to-midterms-goucher- college-brings-education-into-maryland-prisons Jacquie Pfeffer Merrill - The Report of the Committee on Free Expression, The , 2015; The Report of Colgate University’s Task Force on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression, 2018. “Cross: , Defending Liberty at Cato,” Mimesis Law, Feb. 22, 2017 http://mimesislaw.com/fault-lines/cross-roger-pilon-defending-liberty-cato/16364 Steve Bryen - http://www.bryensblog.com/whatever-happened-to-export-controls/ Eric Brown - Countering Violent Extremism conference video, C-SPAN May 30, 2018 https://www.c- span.org/person/?114128 “Helping Others Help Themselves: The Power of Collaboration,” by Kristen Eastlick, Capital Research Center, November 21, 2017 - https://capitalresearch.org/article/helping-others-help-themselves-the- power-of-collaboration-part-four/ LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1) Students will recognize which aspects of political theory are relevant to work outside the academy, and why 2) Students will demonstrate the ability to adapt theoretical concepts to practical contexts 3) Students will identify categories of practical activity that apply different theoretical concepts 4) Students will demonstrate the ability to interact professionally not only with scholars and public intellectuals but also with practitioners, in both formal and informal settings

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1) Readings: Reading selections chosen by speakers will be emailed to students before our meeting. Students are expected to complete the reading assignments and come prepared to discuss them. 2) Attendance and Participation: Students are required to attend scheduled meetings and lectures and participate in group discussions. One half of your grade will be decided by your attendance at and thoughtful participation in these discussions. 3) Assignments: Students are required to prepare a complete job application for a position to which they believe to be suited. The position will be chosen in individual consultation with the professor and is due on April 15st, to be submitted via Blackboard. This assignment must be all the student’s own work and collaboration with other students is not permitted.

GRADING:

Participation in scheduled events and meetings will be graded on a points scale with one point given for attendance at each event or meeting and up to 4 points given for participation. NOTE: Absence from one of the two class sessions will result in a 10 point loss. Points are assigned on the basis of quality of participation, not quantity. At the end of the semester the student will receive a grade for participation based on the number of points accumulated as a percentage of the total number of points possible.

The Final Assignment will be graded on a typical A-F scale. There is some variation in what these grades mean to various instructors, so here's a brief guide:

A 94-100 A- 90-93 B+ 87-89 B 84-86 B- 80-83 C+ 77-79 C 74-76 C- 70-73 D+ 67-69 D 64-66 D- 60-63 F Below 60

A-level assignments will be extremely well written, concise, excellently argued, comprehensive and insightful. They will indicate a good understanding of the job requirements and offer compelling arguments why their education, experience, and goals prepares the applicant for the position. B+ assignments meet all of the indicated criteria but show insufficient appreciation of the complexities of the position. Those assignments which are insightful yet fail to meet all other criteria may also be awarded a B+

B assignments and essays are average. They may contain explicit mistakes, such as an erroneous understanding of the job requirements. Assignments which contain no explicit mistakes yet fail to provide sufficient detail or explanation may also be awarded a B.

B- assignments and essays meet most of the criteria outlined above and are fairly well written and yet contain one or more major interpretive mistakes or other errors.

C- level assignments are below average. Assignments that miss the point of the assignment, contain severe grammatical problems, or commit interpretive mistakes, will be awarded grades of C or below.

D level assignments are those in which an attempt has been made to answer the question asked, but nothing more.

Failure to turn in a assignment will result in a zero.

Final grades will be calculated based on the following formula:

Participation and Attendance: 50% Final Assignment: 50%

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Students are expected to read and abide by AU’s Academic Integrity Code. Copies of the Code are available at http://www.american.edu/american/registrar/ AcademicReg/ New/ reg80.html and the Registrar’s Office. The Code provides AU’s policies about academic dishonesty and plagiarism. These include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating on exams, multiple submissions, and unauthorized collaboration. By registering for this course, you have acknowledged your awareness of the Academic Integrity Code. You are obliged to become familiar with your rights and responsibilities as defined by the Code. Standards of academic integrity are strictly observed in this class and violations will be followed up rigorously.

REMINDER: According to the Academic Integrity Code suspected violations must be submitted to the Dean of the School of Public Affairs for adjudication. The Dean will determine if a violation has taken place and assign appropriate punishment.

DISABILITY, ACADEMIC, AND PERSONAL SUPPORT SERVICES

If you experience difficulty in this course for any reason, please do not hesitate to consult with me. In addition to the resources of the department, a wide range of services is available to support you in your efforts to meet the course requirements.

Academic Support Center (x3360, MGC 243) offers study skills workshops, individual instruction, tutor referrals, and services for students with learning disabilities and ADHD. Writing support is available in the ASC Writing Lab or in the Writing Center, Battelle-Tompkins 228. Counseling Center (x3500, MGC 214) offers counseling and consultations regarding personal concerns, self-help information, and connections to off-campus mental health resources.

Disability Support Services (x3315, MGC 206) offers technical and practical support and assistance with accommodations for students with physical, medical, or psychological disabilities.

Writing Center in 228 Battelle-Tompkins offers free, individual coaching sessions to all AU students. In your 45-minute session, a student writing consultant can help you address assignments, understand the conventions of academic writing, and learn how to revise and edit your own work. The Center offers appointments on the hour from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, and 3 to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Call 202- 885- 2991 to arrange a session.

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please notify me in a timely manner with a letter from the Academic Support Center or Disability Support Services so that we can make arrangements to address your needs. If your accommodations allow you to take exams in the testing center and you wish to avail yourself of that opportunity please make your appointment as soon as possible.

MEDIA POLICY:

Students are not permitted to make visual or audio recordings, including live streaming, of classroom lectures or any class related content, using any type of recording devices (e.g., smart phone, computer, digital recorder, etc.) unless prior permission from the instructor is obtained , and there are no objections from any of the students in the class. If permission is granted, personal use and sharing of recordings and any electronic copies of course materials (e.g., PowerPoints, formulas, lecture notes and any classroom discussions online or otherwise) is limited to the personal use of students registered in the course and for educational purposes only, even after the end of the course. Exceptions will be made for student who present a signed Letter of Accommodation from the Academic Support and Access Center. See: Documentation and Eligibility.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS:

In the event of a declared pandemic (influenza or other communicable disease), will implement a plan for meeting the needs of all members of the university community. Should the university be required to close for a period of time, we are committed to ensuring that all aspects of our educational programs will be delivered to our students. These may include altering and extending the duration of the traditional term schedule to complete essential instruction in the traditional format and/or use of distance instructional methods. Specific strategies will vary from class to class, depending on the format of the course and the timing of the emergency. Faculty will communicate class-specific information to students via AU e-mail and Blackboard, while students must inform their faculty immediately of any absence due to illness. Students are responsible for checking their AU e-mail regularly and keeping themselves informed of emergencies. In the event of a declared pandemic or other emergency, students should refer to the AU Web site (american.edu/emergency) and the AU information line at (202) 885-1100 for general university-wide information, as well as contact their faculty and/or respective dean’s office for course and school/college-specific information. SCHEDULE

March 23

10 – 10:30 Juliana Geran Pilon 10:30 – 11:40 Adam Kissel 11:50 – 1 John Fortier

Lunch served

1:20 – 2:30 Chris Kiritz 2:35 – 3:45 Steven DeCaroli 3:55 – 5:05 Jacquie Pfeffer Merrill

March 30

10 – 10:30 Juliana Geran Pilon 10:30 – 11:40 Roger Pilon 11:50 – 1:00 Stephen Bryen

Lunch served

1:20 – 2:30 Eric Brown 2:40 – 3:50 Kristen Eastlick 4:00 – 5:00 Summing Up

SPEAKERS

Eric Brown is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute where he studies Asian and Middle East affairs, international security and social development, alternative geopolitical futures, and U.S. diplomacy and strategy. He is also the editor, with Hillel Fradkin and Husain Haqqani, of the review Current Trends in Islamist Ideology. For the last 15 years, he has conducted research throughout Eurasia on strategic, governance, educational and political issues as well as on developing new expeditionary diplomacy tools and plans for aiding contested and fragile countries. He has a special interest in the geopolitics of mountainous areas, from the Himalayas to the Atlas and the Zagros. He is now directing a new initiative on transforming U.S.-India relations. As a student, he lived and studied in Asia, and his graduate work at St. John’s College was in Eastern Classics. Brown serves on the Board of Trustees of the American University of Iraq at Sulaimani. Stephen Bryen has 40 years of experience in government and industry, having served as a senior staff director of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Trade Security Policy, as the founder and first Director of the Defense Technology Security Administration, as the President of Finmeccanica North America, and as a Commissioner of the U.S. China Security Review Commission. Prior to his government career, Dr. Bryen was Assistant Professor of Government at Lehigh University. Dr. Bryen is the author of three books, numerous articles, and chapters in compendiums on technology and strategy. His books include: The Application of Cybernetic Analysis to the Study of International Politics; Essays on Technology, Security and Strategy and Technology Security and National Power: Winners and Losers. Dr. Bryen serves on the editorial advisory board of Common Defense Quarterly, and on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the U.S.-Israel Bi-national Science Foundation, which promotes bi-national research in basic science. For his work at the Defense Department, Dr. Bryen was twice awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal. Steven DeCaroli is Associate Professor and Director of the Philosophy Program at Goucher College in Baltimore where he holds the Cushing Distinguished Professorship in the Humanities. He has advanced degrees in comparative literature and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin and Binghamton University and has taught as a visiting professor in the graduate school of National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei and as a visiting scholar in the Faculty of Law at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. He also regularly teaches courses in philosophy at two Baltimore area prisons as part of Goucher’s prison education partnership and serves as vice president of the program’s advocacy board. He is currently working on a longitudinal study of the concept of equity in Western thought, with particular attention paid to its formulation in classical Greece and its transformation and eventual decline in early modern Europe. Provisionally entitled,Aequitas: Law’s Other Exception, the study sets the tradition of equity in contrast to the tradition of equality, exposing the dangers implicit in the later. Kristen Eastlick is Vice President of Programs at the Capital Research Center, responsible for CRC’s publications, special projects, and the promotion of the organization’s research and communications efforts. Prior to joining the CRC team, she spent nearly 20 years at Berman and Company, a public affairs/issue advocacy firm that engages in public awareness campaigns to promote limited government, leaving as the firm’s Chief Administrative Officer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in literature and a master’s degree in political science, both from American University. She currently serves on AU’s Alumni Board, and she was appointed by the Alexandria City Council to serve on the George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee. Eastlick serves on the Board of Directors of the Gadsby’s Tavern Museum Society, and she is an active member of The Center for Association Leadership and the Society of Human Resources Management. John Fortier is the director of BPC’s Democracy Project. Prior to joining BPC in April 2011, he was a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he served as the principal contributor to the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project, the executive director of the Continuity of Government Commission, and the project manager of the Transition to Governing Project. He was a regular contributor to AEI’s Election Watch series. He also served as the director of the Center for the Study of American Democracy at Kenyon College. Fortier is the author of Absentee and Early Voting: Trends, Promises and Perils, the author and editor of After the People Vote: A Guide to the Electoral College, and the author and co-editor with Norman Ornstein of Second Term Blues: How George W. Bush Has Governed, and numerous academic articles in political science and law journals. Fortier has been a regular columnist for The Hill and Politico. Fortier is a frequent commentator on elections and government institutions and has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, CNN, Fox News, PBS’s News Hour, CBS News, NBC’s Today Show, C-SPAN, NPR, Bloomberg, and BBC. He has taught at Kenyon College, University of Pennsylvania, University of Delaware, Harvard University and Boston College. Fortier has a Ph.D. in political science from Boston College and a B.A. from Georgetown University. Chris Kiritz is the president of Prevent Human Trafficking (PHT), which she founded in 1999 to address this heinous phenomenon that has been rampant in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia - and now also in the US. Her professional trajectory was driven by her upbringing in South and Southeast Asia where she was born and raised in a cult, and where she encountered exploited children daily. Her expertise has contributed to policy and legislative change, including passage of the original Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000. Through PHT, Chris has helped hundreds of individuals, and organizations and several governments, to tackle the root causes of human trafficking through direct support, technical assistance and using transmedia to document and promote their work. Chris has consulted with over 100 companies, agencies, governments, foundations and nonprofit organizations worldwide, and taken hundreds of people on annual anti-trafficking study tours to Southeast Asia, to learn about the issues first hand, from some of the pioneers of the global movement, who risk their lives daily on the front lines to prevent human trafficking. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriskiritz Adam Kissel is the director of civic and higher education programs at The Philanthropy Roundtable. Adam has supported higher education through teaching, writing, research, philanthropy, government service, and defense of academic freedom and individual rights for professors and students. He supported civic literacy through programs of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, fundamental rights through the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and philanthropy through the Charles Koch Foundation, where funded projects included the $30 million in naming grants for George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School and the roughly $50 million in grants to The Catholic University of America to name the Busch School of Business and Ciocca Center for Entrepreneurship and to establish CUA's Institute for Human Ecology. As deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs at the U.S. Department of Education, he was responsible for more than $2 billion in annual spending and a roughly $2 billion loan portfolio. He is also a visiting scholar at American University. Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill is the director of the Campus Free Expression Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Earlier in her career, she was the executive director of the Fund for Academic Renewal (FAR), a program of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, where she worked closely with donors to design, monitor and evaluate transformative gifts to higher education that meet their philanthropic objectives. Prior to that, Merrill was vice president of development at ACTA, where she led the organizations fundraising efforts, working closely with individuals and foundations nationwide interested in improving academic quality, standards, and freedom. Before joining ACTA, Merrill served on the faculties of St. John's College, a private liberal arts college in Annapolis, Maryland, known for its “Great Books” curriculum, and the College of William & Mary. She also has taught at Duke University, the University of Calgary, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and in the college program at Maryland's only prison for women. Her essays on philanthropy and higher education appeared in Philanthropy, Philanthropy Daily, and other forums. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University and her B.A. from the University of Calgary. Roger Pilon is the ’s inaugural holder of the B. Kenneth Simon Chair in Constitutional Studies, Vice President Emeritus, Founding Director Emeritus of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, and the founding publisher of the Cato Supreme Court Review. Prior to joining Cato, Pilon held five senior posts in the Reagan administration, including at State and Justice, and was a national fellow at Stanford’s . In 1989 the Bicentennial Commission presented him with its Benjamin Franklin Award for excellence in writing on the U.S. Constitution. In 2001 ’s School of General Studies awarded him its Alumni Medal of Distinction. Pilon lectures and debates at universities and law schools across the country and testifies often before Congress. His writing has appeared in , , , the Los Angeles Times, Legal Times, National Law Journal, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Stanford Law and Policy Review, and elsewhere. He has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, CBS’s 60 Minutes II, Fox News Channel, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, C-SPAN, and other media. Pilon holds a BA from Columbia University, an MA and a PhD from the University of Chicago, and a JD from the George Washington University School of Law. See https://www.cato.org/people/roger-pilon Juliana Geran Pilon is a Senior Fellow at the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization in Clinton, NY. Previously, she was the Director of the Center for Culture and Security and professor of Politics and Culture at the Institute of World Politics, where she has taught, intermittently, since 1993. She has also taught at the Air Force University's Culture and Language Center, the National Defense University, St. Mary's College of Maryland, George Washington University, American University, Rochester Institute of Technology - Center for Advanced Strategic Studies, , and . Elected as full member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she is the author of several books, and articles ranging from international affairs to philosophy. As first Director and then Vice President for Programs at the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), she has designed, conducted, and managed projects related to a wide variety of democratization projects. Born in Romania, she emigrated with her family to the US; she earned a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Chicago and was an Earhart Foundation post-doctoral fellow at the Hoover Institution. See www.julianapilon.com