ideopolis volume 1, issue 2, spring 2014

Volume 1, Issue 2 Rhode Island College Spring, 2014

INGOS SPRING LECTURE Corporate Accountability International: "Stop Corporate Abuse" by Nicaurys Heredia, '17 Political Science major, INGOS minor

It was a pleasure for me and the others who attended this event to meet the Campaign Administrator of Corporate Accountability International (CAI), Ari S.M. Rubenstein. CAI is a non-profit organization that, for more than 35 years, has waged campaigns to protect and promote public health, human rights, and the environment from corporate abuse. The mission of Stop Corporate Abuse campaign is essentially to stop life threatening abuses caused by global corporations. Rubenstein spoke about how global corporations have grown richer and more powerful than many nations because they increasingly operate without limits on the power they have.

Rubenstein gave examples of campaigns that CAI is working on, including “Challenge Corporate Control of Water." In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognized the universal right to water and sanitation, saying they are essential to all human beings. However, Rubenstein clarified for us that one in nine people lack access to clean and safe drinking water in the world, despite the fact that everyone has the right to water, and this is because water corporations, and those who financially back them, want to transfer public water into private hands. As a result, water corporations create projects that prioritize profit instead of people’s needs to access clean and safe drinking water. CAI works with other organizations and leaders from all over the world calling for public officials and the World Bank to stop the promotion and investment in water privatization.

In addition to campaigns, CAI challenges corporate power using several strategies. One such strategy is a "Corporate Hall of Shame" where a variety of organizations mobilize grassroots pressure on different corporations. The giant agribusiness, Monsanto, has now been inducted into the Corporate Hall of Shame not once, but twice!

Having Ari Rubenstein come to Rhode Island College and share his work and the work of CAI was a great experience. Personally, I was not aware of many of the facts that Rubenstein spoke about, but, after his presentation, I felt I was capable of understanding how different corporations abuse the power they have. It was awe-inspiring to have someone come and talk about situations that many people around the world are unaware of.

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idea noun \ī-ˈdē-ə, -ˈdēə also ˈī-(ˌ)dē-ə or ˈī-dē\: a thought, plan, or suggestion about what to do; an opinion or belief; something that you imagine or picture in your mind

polis noun \ˈpä-ləs\: a Greek city-state; broadly: a state or society especially when characterized by a sense of community

ARI RUBENSTEIN, CAI Photo courtesy of Robyn Linde


GEOGRAPHY News

In March, RIC geography students participated in a Giant Traveling Map activity. For more pictures of Dr. Dixon and his students hanging out on a GIANT map of Africa, go to: http://rigea.org/!

The Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance (RIGEA) has supported federal legislation that will strengthen geography education. A group of Alliance members, including Professor Seth Dixon, went to Washington D.C. to encourage our local congressmen to support the bill, Teaching Geography is Fundamental. We are pleased that James Langevin, a noted alumnus of the department, has agreed to support this bill.

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Geography Corner

Oh, the PLACES You'll Go... with GEOGRAPHY!


In the KNOW about INGOS?

The INGOS Program introduces students to international nongovernmental organizations (like Amnesty International, Doctors without Borders and Greenpeace), and explores the many

ways these important organizations are shaping the world. The program offers two tracks: a certificate and a minor; both tracks are open to all students. For more information, contact Professor

Robyn Linde at [email protected]. INGOS News In INGO 302 INGOs and Social Entrepreneurship, students this semester are partnering with Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island (DIIRI). DIIRI is a local organization that serves immigrants and refugees, helping them to “become self-sufficient and fully participating members of our diverse community.” Through a range of diverse programs, DIIRI resettles refugees, provides education and job

training, and promotes a welcoming environment in Rhode Island. Students are working on projects in areas including database management and development, community building, grant-writing, event organizing, volunteer tutoring and legal assistance, and direct service to new refugee families. Through the practical, on-the-ground experience gained at DIIRI, students acquire valuable skills that help to guide their academic and professional interests. Professor Linde is also taking a group of INGOs students to Brown’s social entrepreneurship conference (SEEED) this April. INGOS Spring Lecture: Corporate Accountability International (See Nicaurys Heredia's article on page 1).

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INGOS Corner


The PERKS of Being a PUB AD Major!

PA News

This semester, Public Administration students Lucas Dieter '14 and Maria Murcia-Lopez '14 learned what it means to be research assistants… and something about arts policy in Rhode Island.

Professor Leazes received a grant from The Collaborative , a research program of the Rhode Island Foundation and the RI Commerce Corporation, to assist state policymakers in developing arts and culture policy for the state. This year marked the first time that the U.S Bureau of Economic Analysis released a satellite account specifically for the sector, putting arts and culture output at 3.2% of the nation’s GDP.

The RIC team worked with Dr. Deborah Johnson, a Professor of Art History and Women’s Studies at Providence College, and her student assistant, Patricia Krupinski. The intrepid team of research assistants visited the numerous national arts online data repositories to review the quantity, quality and type of data available used to measure the economic development potential of the arts and culture sector of the economy.

Lucas spearheaded data gathering from the national and regional sites and developed a few case studies that appear in the Report. Maria also contributed to case studies and was responsible for collating data gathered by students in Professor Leazes’ State and Local Government class, which developed community profiles of six New England towns and cities with successful arts initiatives. That class also collected information about the nearly 600 cultural tourism sites in Rhode Island’s cities and towns. Dr. Seth Dixon’s Geographic Information Systems class helped create a map of these art clusters. In all, about 45 students at RIC participated in this research effort. For Lucas and Maria, if someday they are offered a Research Assistantship heading to graduate school--they’ll know what to expect!

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WATERFIRE Photo courtesy of Deborah Johnson

Public Administration

Corner


NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS NEW COURSE! In Summer Session I and Fall, 2014, I am teaching a new hybrid course, POL 266, "Investing in the Global Economy." It is a Connections course available to students with 45 credits who have completed FYS and FYW (It also counts as a Core 4 for students following old general education program). The course compares nations around the world in their capabilities for economic development leading to lucrative global trade. Students learn about the role of the United States in leading and promoting worldwide trade in a free market setting. Students choose for themselves a company to study that is engaged in global trade. It can be an American company such as Microsoft or a foreign company such as the huge South Korean steel conglomerate, Posco. Students also learn about investing in stock without paying brokerage fees and the techniques for slow and steady investing which can result in accumulating $1,000,000 in assets during their working career. Much of the course is online; it will meet in person for about half of the course meetings. Prof. Nancy Oppenlander HONORS THESIS DEFENSES This April, two political science students will defend their honors theses before their committees. These defenses are open to the public. Gary Pascoa '14 "Congress, Interest Groups and the Strategic Use of Judicial Review: A Case Study of the Affordable Care Act and the Independent Payment Advisory Board." Wednesday, April 9th, during the free period, C-L 224. Patrick Pride '14 "Thoroughly Under the Skin: Raymond Williams, Structures of Feeling, and Affect Theory." Date to be determined. WASHINGTON DC INTERNSHIP WINNERS Congratulations to this year's winners of the one week congressional internships (and $800 stipends for travel and lodging from the SCG) in Washington, DC! Each student will be placed with a member of the RI congressional delegation (Senators Reed and Whitehouse, Representatives Langevin and Cicilline) during the weeks of May 12-16 or 19-23. Look for applications for this fantastic opportunity each spring in February. Chantel Bemeh Adam Fague Julia Russo Tyler Darcy Albert Jordan Morgan Whittier

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Goings on in Craig-Lee and Beyond

A look at student organizations, events and activities...Go ahead, get involved!

What's Law School Like? Tuesday, April 1st from 4-5PM. Four RIC graduates who are currently in law school will answer your questions about the law school experience, from application and admission to exams and beyond. The event is in Craig-Lee 252. Light refreshments will be provided. Pi Sigma Alpha. Each semester, the Alpha Beta Epsilon chapter of the National Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha, invites a select group of students to become members. Members must have: completed 60 credit hours, taken a 300 (or above) level course, a 3.3 in their political science courses and a 3.25 cumulative GPA. This year, the chapter welcomes ten new members, including a faculty member, Dr. Peter Mendy, of the History Department (his Ph.D. is in Poli Sci), and an Honorary Member, Mr. Michael Smith, an alumnus of our department in who is in charge of Policy and Planning here at RIC. We will celebrate these new members and our chapter at our Annual Induction Luncheon during the free period on April 16th. Please respond to Dr. Brophy-Baermann's email if you are a member planning to attend. Learn more about Pi Sigma Alpha at: www.apsanet.org/~psa/. Operation Clean Government Candidate School, Saturday April 26th. This spring, for the second time, the Political Science Department will host Operation Clean Government’s Candidate School. This day-long event, which will be on Saturday, April 26th, provides potential candidates for political office with the information they need to run and win a political campaign. There will be plenty of Rhode Island’s political heavy-weights on hand. Potential candidates have to pay a fee to attend, but as part of our agreement to host this event, Rhode Island College students can attend for free. We are also looking for some students to volunteer to help with the organization on the day of the event. If you are interested in taking advantage of this exceptional opportunity to learn more about political campaigns and Rhode Island politics, please email Dr. Schmeling ([email protected]) .

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A note on registration for fall classes By the time this newsletter comes out, registration for Fall 2014 will have begun. If you have not registered for classes, please do so right away when your appointment time arrives. There is no benefit to delaying registration, and several potential costs. Students who register late often can’t get into courses that fill fast. POL 300, 308, 315, 328 332 and 335 are the typical problem-cases, but any course can be affected. For some students, waiting too long has meant an extra semester at RIC. Sometimes we have the opposite problem and we wind up canceling a class that would run if interested students had not delayed registration, which also hurts students. Here are some notes on particular courses: POL students who will be sophomores and have had at least 202 (and are taking the 203 and 204 soon) should enroll in POL308 next fall or spring. This class is limited to 20 students and fills fast! In order that your seat does not get taken by a non-major, make sure you register right away! POL300 is required for Poli Sci majors who started fall 2012 and after. It should be taken as a 2nd semester sophomore or 1st semester junior. The class is limited to 20 students, and it also fulfills a requirement for Public Administration students and can be taken as an option by Justice Studies students, so it should also fill fast. Make sure you register as soon as possible. POL308- Women and Politics. After several years of not being offered, Women and Politics is returning, taught by Prof. Brophy-Baermann. It is four credits and meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00-11:50. We will again offer a 2-credit course “Generation Citizen” next semester. After two successful semesters, we are making it part of the regular course registration for fall. This two-credit course gives students on-campus training and sends them as “Democracy Coaches” into Providence middle and high schools to lead those students in an Action Civics project. Over the course of 10 weeks, Democracy Coaches go to their partner school twice a week to lead students through the action-civics curriculum and to take action on an issue students choose. Previous classes have worked on a range of issues, including: pubic transportation, gang violence, school suspensions, neighborhood safety, and student leadership. This is a great chance to see democracy and political power in action. The class is POL381 and the on-campus portion meets Mondays, from 12:00-1:20. It will not start until Sept. 15. To register, contact Emily Flower at [email protected] for more information. She will give us the names of students who wish to register. Honors Thesis. Students who have a GPA of 3.25 overall and 3.4 in the major are eligible to write a thesis to earn departmental honors. This year-long project involves taking an independent study in the fall semester and another in the spring. It’s an excellent opportunity to develop research and writing skills that will help you in the workplace or graduate school. If you are graduating next May and interested in pursuing this, now is the time to start. Think about a topic that you would like to research and speak with a professor who teaches that subject. A very brief application should be completed by April 15th to get approval to start the project in the fall. You can pick up an application from our honors director, Dr. Perrotta. Thomas Schmeling, Chair of the Political Science Department

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AND NOW, A WORD FROM

THE CHAIR


The Ideopolis Rhode Island College Department of Political Science 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave. Providence, RI 02908 Editorial Board Michelle Brophy-Baermann Hillary Costa Gary Pascoa Thomas Schmeling Send all comments, questions, suggestions, news and more to [email protected].

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ideopolis volume 1, issue 2, spring 2014

Documents

water corporations

public water

water privatization

cai challenges corporate

work of cai

corporate abuse campaign

safe drinking water

corporate hall of shame