Political Science InformationJack's Office HoursSpring 2012 For advisement, appointments are necessary, even if during office hours. No drop-ins for advisement, but feel free to drop in to make an appointment.
Office Hours for SPRING 2012 Session: Office Hours:
Tuesdays: 9:30am to noon. Thursdays: 9:30am to noon.
Also available by appointment. Please email me at jlechelt@nvcc.edu to schedule an appointment.
Go to the advisement page of my website to make sure you are properly prepared for advisement meetings. Here is the page. You will need your Degree Progress Report and Program Advisement Sheet. Information on how to get those forms is detailed on the advisement page.
Office located in Bisdorf Building (AA), room 252. AA-252 is the office for the Liberal Arts Division (formerly the Humanities and Social Sciences Division). NOTE: No appointments during final exam week, and limited availability the week before exams.
Political Science Course InformationAll the POLITICAL SCIENCE (PLS) courses offered at NOVA: Click here (or scroll down to the bottom of this page). Schedule of Classes to see what is offered during any particular semester: Click here. (Narrow the search by selecting PLS in the "Subject Area" and by selecting "Alexandria" in the "Campus/Center" field.)
SPRING Political Science Courses at NOVA-Alexandria: Another course dealing with political science, among other disciplines, is
SSC 115, Introduction to Global Affairs. See the SPRING 2012 listings for SSC 115 HERE. Upcoming Events: NOVA-Alexandria International Studies Committee INTERNATIONAL FILM SERIES Spring 2012 All screenings will take place at NOVA-Alexandria, in room AA-196 (Bisdorf Building). Directions to NOVA-AL Campus: http://www.nvcc.edu/about-nova/maps-directions/alexandria/index.html These events are free and open to all. The performance rights were graciously paid for by a grant from the NVCC Educational Foundation. Tues, 02-21-12, 12:30pm: Maria Full of Grace. Wed, 03-14-12, 12:30pm: Children of Heaven. Thur, 03-22-12, 12:30pm: El Mariachi. Tues, 03-28-12, 2:00pm: Rabbit-Proof Fence. Mon, 04-23-12, 4:30pm: Stoning of Soraya M. Also, in April we will be facilitating a seminar on the Arab Spring. Events are still in the development stage, with more information to follow. However, this one event we are already sure of: GLOBAL VOICE HALL Town Hall on the Arab Spring, which will take place on March 15. More details soon. “History of Big Band Music and its Practitioners” Performance with the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra directed by Brad Linde and the NOVA Alexandria Jazz Ensemble directed by John Kocur Tuesday February, 21st 7:30 p.m. Northern Virginia Community College – Alexandria Campus Schlesinger Concert Hall 3001 N. Beauregard St. Alexandria, VA 22311 FREE, no tickets or registration required The NOVA Alexandria Music Department will be hosting the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra (BCJO) on Tuesday Feb. 21st at 7:30 p.m. in the Schlesinger Concert Hall. All NOVA faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the free performance. The BCJO is a 17-piece big band in residence at the historic Bohemian Caverns in Washington D.C. The only house band in the District, the BCJO performs every Monday night at 2001 11st NW at U Street. “History of the Big Band” is an artistic performance and educational outreach, designed to explore the developments in jazz music and the big band repertoire from the inception of jazz with Louis Armstrong through the composers and arrangers active today. The program consists of important pieces from the bands of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thad Jones, Woody Herman, Claude Thornhill, Stan Kenton and others. Along with the performance and program notes, the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra will offers a masterclass for students to learn from and workshop with members of the band. NOVA students are invited to participate in a clinic discussing key elements of style and techniques exemplified by the greatest big bands, in addition to building vocabulary for improvisation. The masterclass will take place at 2 PM on February 21st in the Tyler Building rm. 130 (AT-130) and is free and open to the public. For additional information: Phone: 703.845.6156 Some Past Events: International Education Week November 14-17, 2011 Facilitated by the International Studies Committee The NOVA-AL Address: 3001 North Beauregard St. Alexandria, VA 22311 ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO ALL From the International Education Week (IEW) website (and facilitated by the US Departments of State and Education): “International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of our efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States. We encourage the participation of all individuals and institutions interested in international education and exchange activities, including schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations.” IEW website: http://iew.state.gov/index.cfmFor more information, please contact Dr. Jack Lechelt at jlechelt@nvcc.edu Or view his web page at https://sites.google.com/site/jlechelt/ Monday, 11-14 @ 3:30pm, in AA-196: Development Economics: What Makes an Economy Grow? One Idea. Professor John Min, a NOVA-AL economist, will discuss one approach to helping economies develop, and then take questions from the audience. Tuesday, 11-15 @ 2:00pm, in AA-196: Ms. Isabel Castillo, founder of DreamActivist, a DREAM Act spokesperson, "Undocumented and Unafraid: Personal Lessons from Community Organizing." Ms. Castillo has been a tireless proponent of the DREAM Act, working in Harrisonburg, VA to garner support for this legislative proposal. What does it mean to be an undocumented youth today in the United States? What is the significance of coming out and sharing your story? What avenues do pieces of legislation such as the DREAM Act provide for these youth, and how can you lend your support? Isabel Castillo will share her life experiences as an undocumented youth and community activist. She is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of San Francisco. DREAM Act: acronym for “Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors.” For more on the DREAM Act: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DREAM_Act DREAM Act Portal: http://dreamact.info/ Article on Ms. Castillo’s efforts: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/education/21winerip.html?pagewanted=all Also, from 10am to 2pm, in the AA 1st floor hallway, we’ll have a table set up informing students of our international courses. Wednesday, 11-16: NO EVENTS PLANNED Thursday, 11-17 @ 12:30pm, in AA-196: International Media and the BBC, with Ms. Joan Soley. Ms. Soley has been with BBC's Washington Bureau for 3.5 years, and she is currently the Pentagon producer, although she works on stories and pieces that vary in subject matter. Recently, Ms. Solely was the North America co-planner for the BBC's coverage of the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and was the Live & Continuous producer for the United Nations General Assembly. @ 2:30pm, in AA-158: International Education and Studying Abroad. Why You Should Do It? Prof. Nadia Duchdlle will discuss the benefits of studying abroad and how students can learn about study abroad opportunities. More specifically, Prof. Duchdlle will discuss her 2012 study abroad course in Morocco. Two weeks later, or the week after the Thanksgiving break: Thursday, 12-01-11 @ 12:30pm, in AA-196: Inside Job. SYNOPSIS: From Academy Award® nominated filmmaker, Charles Ferguson (“No End In Sight”), comes “INSIDE JOB, the first film to expose the shocking truth behind the economic crisis of 2008. The global financial meltdown, at a cost of over $20 trillion, resulted in millions of people losing their homes and jobs. Through extensive research and interviews with major financial insiders, politicians and journalists, INSIDE JOB traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships which have corrupted politics, regulation and academia. Narrated by Academy Award® winner Matt Damon, INSIDE JOB was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: This film attempts to provide a comprehensive portrayal of an extremely important and timely subject: the worst financial crisis since the Depression, which continues to haunt us via Europe’s debt problems and global financial instability. It was a completely avoidable crisis; indeed for 40 years after the reforms following the Great Depression, the United States did not have a single financial crisis. However, the progressive deregulation of the financial sector since the 1980s gave rise to an increasingly criminal industry, whose “innovations” have produced a succession of financial crises. Each crisis has been worse than the last; and yet, due to the industry’s increasing wealth and power, each crisis has seen few people go to prison. In the case of this crisis, nobody has gone to prison, despite fraud that caused trillions of dollars in losses. I hope that the film, in less than two hours, will enable everyone to understand the fundamental nature and causes of this problem. It is also my hope that, whatever political opinions individual viewers may have, that after seeing this film we can all agree on the importance of restoring honesty and stability to our financial system, and of holding accountable those to destroyed it.” Quote from http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/_pdf/insidejob_presskit.pdf Movie website: http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/ Official Teacher’s/Study Guide: http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/_pdf/InsideJob_StudyGuide.pdf This screening has been funded by a grant from the NVCC Educational Foundation as part of the International Studies Committee’s International Film Series. From the International Education Week website:
For more on International Education Week as discussed by the US Departments of State and Education, please go to http://iew.state.gov/. International Studies Committee Spring 2011 Seminar on Afghanistan Events Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 12:30pm to 2:00pm. Northern Virginia Community College - Alexandria Campus. Bisdorf Building, room 196 (AA-196) Help the Afghan Children (HTAC) presentation by Director of US Operations, Mr. Stephen Perlman. Mr. Perlman plans to actively engage the audience and focus on the following questions: 1. How do Americans form their opinions about Afghanistan? What are those opinions? Are Americans getting the full picture? 2. What is the state of education for Afghan children and what are some of the critical (unmet) needs? 3. How does education play a role in reducing the cycle of violence and terrorism that Afghanistan has endured for over 30 years? 4. What is HTAC trying to do to help address these unmet needs? 5. How might a new generation of educated and empowered Afghans benefit Afghanistan, the region and America? 6. What can Americans (especially young people do) to support these efforts? From the HTAC website: Help the Afghan Children (HTAC), a non-profit, non-partisan, charitable organization, was established in 1993 by Suraya Sadeed, an Afghan-American woman, in response to the horrible conditions of Afghan children she witnessed during Afghanistan’s civil war in the early 1990s. At HTAC, we are committed to educating and empowering a new generation of Afghan children to become proud, productive citizens and future leaders of their country. We believe that investing in children is the best long-term strategy in ending Afghanistan’s continuous conflict, poverty, ignorance, fear and neglect and to establish peace, stability, and prosperity in Afghanistan and beyond its borders. HTAC accomplishes its work by: Establishing model schools ; Delivering innovative learning programs; and Investing in local communities. HTAC knows Afghanistan. All of our in-country operations officers and staff are Afghan professionals living in Afghanistan. We know the culture; we speak the language, we are in touch with the country’s ‘pulse’ and what people want and expect in bringing quality education to their respective communities. http://www.helptheafghanchildren.org/index.htmThis event is FREE and OPEN to ALL! Many people have contributed relevant articles and movie and book recommendations relevant to the events on Afghanistan. Please click HERE for those articles and recommendations.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 12:30pm to 2:00pm.
Northern Virginia Community College - Alexandria Campus. Bisdorf Building, room 196 (AA-196) Dr. David Kilcullen on Counterinsurgency Warfare in Afghanistan Dr. Kilcullen is the president and CEO of Caerus Associates (http://www.caerusassociates.com/Site/Welcome.html); he will speak for 40-45 minutes and allow 15-25 minutes for questions and answers. Prior to joining private industry Dr Kilcullen had a distinguished career in both the Australian and United States governments, including 22 years as an infantry officer in the Australian Army, during which he served in counterinsurgency, stability and peacekeeping operations in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East. After leaving the Army, Dr Kilcullen served in Australia’s Office of National Assessments, then with the U.S. State Department, first as Chief Strategist in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, then as Special Adviser for Counterinsurgency to the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. He served in the Iraq war as Senior Counterinsurgency Adviser to General David Petraeus during the successful 2007 “surge” and in Afghanistan as counterinsurgency adviser to the International Security Assistance Force during 2009-2010. He was a member of the White House review of Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy in 2008, and has advised the highest levels of the Bush and Obama administrations, as well as several allied governments. Dr Kilcullen’s academic background is in the political anthropology of conflict in traditional and developing societies. His doctoral dissertation, completed in 2000, is a study of the impact of insurgency on political development, and draws on his extended residential fieldwork with guerrillas, militias and local people in remote parts of Indonesia, New Guinea and East Timor. He is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow of the Center for a New American Security, is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, regularly teaches and presents at academic institutions and industry conferences worldwide, and is the author of numerous scholarly articles and books, including The Accidental Guerrilla (2009),Counterinsurgency (2010) and Out of the Mountains (forthcoming in 2011), all from Oxford University Press. The Accidental Guerrilla: http://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Guerrilla-Fighting-Small-Midst/dp/0195368347/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298493680&sr=1-2 Counterinsurgency: http://www.amazon.com/Counterinsurgency-David-Kilcullen/dp/0199737495/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298493680&sr=1-1 This event is FREE and OPEN to ALL!Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 12:30pm-1:50pm.
Northern Virginia Community College - Alexandria Campus. Bisdorf Building, room 196 (AA-196) “Civil Society Peacebuilding Initiatives: Ensuring Inclusivity.” Ms. Hodei Sultan, Program Specialist for Afghanistan and Pakistan with the Center for Conflict Management, United States Institute of Peace. Hodei Sultan has served as the Program Specialist for Afghanistan and Pakistan programs with the Center for Conflict Management at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) since 2010. In this capacity, she serves as a liaison with the USIP Kabul Office, develops funding proposals, and provides budget oversight of the Institute's Afghanistan and Pakistan funding. Previously, she worked as a Program Assistant with USIP's Afghanistan and Pakistan Grants programs on soliciting, reviewing, and developing grant proposals with Afghan and Pakistani civil society organizations. Prior to joining USIP, she worked with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on counter-trafficking and migration work on Latin American and the Caribbean. Ms. Sultan holds an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, specialized in peacebuilding and conflict resolution with a particular emphasis on issues related to traditional dispute resolution and grassroots gender initiatives to promote peacebuilding. She has a B.A. from George Mason University in Global Affairs, with a concentration in Middle East and North African Studies and an A.A. from Northern Virginia Community College in Liberal Arts. She is fluent in Farsi. This event is FREE and OPEN to ALL!Facilitated by the International Studies Committee, NOVA-Alexandria. USIP website: http://www.usip.org/ Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 12:30pm-3pm. Northern Virginia Community College - Alexandria Campus. Bisdorf Building, room 196 (AA-196) Restrepo screening. 2011 Academy Award Nominee for Documentary Feature From the Restrepo website: RESTREPO is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, "Restrepo," named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you. http://restrepothemovie.com/This event is FREE and OPEN to ALL! Monday, March 28, 2011, 4:30pm-7:00pm
Northern Virginia Community College - Alexandria Campus. Bisdorf Building, room 196 (AA-196) Afghan Perspectives in Film: The Fruit of Our Labor From the United States Institute of Peace website for a similar event: The "Fruit of Our Labor" is a collection of short films that bring to life ordinary Afghans' efforts to address their challenging social and economic conditions, providing a fresh perspective on the needs and issues of Afghans beyond the battlefront coverage in the western media. The films, made by Afghans, were produced during a recent filmmaking training provided by Community Supported Film. Join us for a screening of several of these films, followed by a discussion with director Michael Sheridan, who heads Community Supported Film and is responsible for putting together this important collection. Community Supported Film strengthens the documentary storytelling capacity in countries where the dissemination of objective and accurate information is essential to stabilization and development. Locals are trained in documentary filmmaking to tell stories from their perspective that can influence local and international views on sustainable paths to a more peaceful and just world. After viewing a few of the short films, there will be discussion of the films, led by a moderator.This event is FREE and OPEN to ALL! http://sheridanworks.com/blog/ Tuesday, December 7, 2010, from 12:30pm to 1:45pm:
The International Studies Committee presented a guest lecture, titled... “The Rise of China and Its Implications for the United States and the International Order.” By Professor Robert Sutter, Visiting Professor of Asian Studies at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. Tues, 12-07-10, from 12:30pm-1:50pm, in room 196 of the Bisdorf Building (aka AA-196, or the main building with the library and cafeteria). For more information on Professor Robert Sutter, click HERE. Professor Sutter's book, US-Chinese Relations: Perilous, Past, Pragmatic Present, is available HERE.
David Ignatius on China in 12-08-10 Washington Post column.
The Economist's cover story overview on the rise of China. Monday, 11-15-2010, 2pm-3pm, room AA-196, Presentation on the United States Institute of Peace.
Tuesday, 11-16-2010, 2pm-3:30pm, room AA-158, Peace Corps Presentation.
Hispanic Heritage Month Events
On Thursday, 07 October 2010, the International Studies Committee hosted a viewing of the documentary 9500 Liberty. The NOVA-Alexandria Library has a copy of the film. For more info on the film, please go to the website: http://www.9500liberty.com/index.htmlPresident Barack Obama signs Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 at NOVA's Alexandria Campus on Tues, 03-30-2010!
Note: Many, but not all, of the events below are planned by the Political Science Department of NOVA-Alexandria, often with the assistance of other NOVA entities. Non-NOVA events may also be posted below because the events may be educationally useful to NOVA political science students. A non-NOVA event posted below should in no way be taken as an endorsement of the event or the activities taking place at the event, or of the group sponsoring the event. Contact Jack Lechelt at jlechelt@nvcc.edu if you want to have an event posted here. New Political Science Specialization under the Social Sciences AS Degree: On Thursday, January 28, 2010, the NOVA Curriculum Committee approved of a new Political Science Specialization under the Social Sciences AS Degree. This will provide students who are interested in political science with a framework to prepare for transferring to four year universities. Here is the official NOVA College Catalog description of the Political Science Specialization. The new specialization is effective Fall 2010 and it now appears in the college catalog. The plan code is 8824. It should also appear in the list of curriculum codes in the Fall Schedule of Classes. Bookstore InformationClick here for NOVA-Alexandria Bookstore Website.(The website allows students to find out what books are assigned for each course.) Alexandria Campus Bookstore Hours: Monday - Tuesday: 9:00 am to 7:30 pm Wednesday - Thursday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Friday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Saturday & Sunday: ClOSED Some tips for saving money on textbooks. NOVA PLS LinksLinks to other Politics and Political Science WebpagesBe a better student! Improve Scholastic Performance: Note-taking Advice and Writing Guide/Tips. Internship Opportunities and Other Unique Opportunities to Learn Need some ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT? Click HERE. Jack's EducationPh.D: University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC)
Political Science courses offered at NOVA
SSC 115: Introduction to Global Affairs | ArticlesSome Interesting Articles
A Few PicturesMy Gems
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Political Science at Northern Virginia Community College - Alexandria Campus |
