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Saint Joseph's College Department of Economics, History, International Studies, and Political Science 2nd Floor Core Building |
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Welcome
Prospective and Current Students
Click on one of the following links to go
to information on the following academic programs.
Economics History Political Science International Studies To learn more about the faculty teaching in this Department click on Faculty Profiles Department contact information: Prof. Susan Chattin 866-6392 Dr. David Dixon 866-6239 Prof. Michael Oakes 866-6353 Dr. Robert Schenk 866-6241 Dr. Ilicia Sprey 866-6387 Dr. Peter Watkins 866-6350 Dr. William White 866-6236 Dept. fax - 219-866-6300 Web links of interest |
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Students
in Economics of Sports Start
Semester with Baseball Meeting
August 2007 Students enrolled in ECN 452: Economics of Sports will start the semester with a business fieldtrip to Indianapolis where they will meet with the managers of the Gary South Shore Railcats baseball team and members of the Indianapolis Sports Corporation. The trip, scheduled for August 27, will give the students a chance to hear first hand from those who are involved with sports management about the practical economic and business aspects of professional athletics in the current economic conditions, as well as in the long term. Department
Faculty Go to China this Summer
July 2007  Great Wall, ChinaThe trip began in Hong Kong where they met with Martin Lee, the founding chairman of the Democratic Party of Hong Kong and member of its Legislative Council. In traditional neighborhoods in Shanghai they met and talked with Chinese citizens, visited Buddhist temples in Xian, and travelled to Beijing. Subjects of concern and discussion included Human Right, challenges to traditional Chinese culture not only in the face of the fast-approaching Olympic games and Western fast food chain restaurants, but the general swift movement within China towards building a modern economy based on global industry and technological and scientific advances, the related changes in education, and the very real challenges these changes present to Chinese societal structures and traditions at all levels of society. The trip was an eye opening experience and one which will further strengthen the internationally-oriented Cores 7 & 8, and the experience and understanding of all SJC students who will take these classes far into the future.  10/25/05 Political Science Students Hold Class in Boston On October 19-21, Associate Professor of Political Science Dr.Peter Watkins and several members of his Political Science Seminar Course on the presidency of John F. Kennedy made the long trip to Boston, MA to walk where Kennedy walked. For Watkins, the trip was an opportunity for his students to get to know the man behind the nation's 35th President. "Seeing places like the Kennedy Library Museum and personal items belonging to Kennedy really lent a sense of physicality to the ideas we have been learning in class," Marxer explained. "It makes what you're learning more than ideas in a textbook; you really get the chance to experience Kennedy as a person more than just a president. We had the opportunity to stand behind the same podium as Kennedy did when he accepted the position of President." While in Boston, the group visited the JFK Library Museum, the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, where Samuel Adams and fellow patriots planned some of their revolutionary activities, the Granary Burial Grounds, which houses the graves of Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, the parents of Benjamin Franklin, the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and the mass grave of the victims of the Boston Massacre, and lastly, the State House and the site of the Boston Massacre. More such trips are planned for the future.  4/16/05 - History Students Spend Day Exploring America's Past The annual Phi Alpha Theta (History Honors Society) field trip took place this Saturday. History majors, minors, those in other areas of study including Political Science, and several of our graduates who came back from their graduate programs visited Conner Prairie Living History Museum and get a hands on sense of what living in 18th and 19th century American midwest would have been like. After going through an exhibit on the development of the Indiana region, students wandered through the site visiting historically accurate trading posts, reconstructed and resituated housing of both American Indians and settlers, tried tomahawk throwing, and plowing fields with horse-drawn plows. After this the group went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch and a brief fun introduction to Japanese culture and cuisine. 3/22/05 - Former American Hostage Speaks to US
History Class
Rick Kupke, who was one of the 53 American hostages taken in Iran on November 4, 1979, spoke of that experience in Dr. William White's class on Recent America. Mr Kupke provided the class with elaborate and chilling descriptions of what happened on that day and during his subsequent captivity. The students asked a variety of questions during their hour and a half with Mr. Kupke with many feeling as did sophmore Cristin Cook who said it was "by far the best presentation I have ever come across." If Mr. Kupke's speaking schedule permits, Phi Alpha Theta, the History Honors Society on campus will have Mr. Kupke back in the fall of 2005 for a campus-wide presentation to mark the 25th anniversary of the Iranian hostage taking. Political Science Prof. Plays Role at SPSA Conference in New Orleans At the start of January 2004, Peter Watkins, Associate Professor of Political Science, chaired a panel on "Learning Communities" at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association in New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition to chairing the panel, Watkins also acted as one of two discussants. The topic of the panel was "Learning Communities: The Next Best Thing?" Poli Sci Class on Human Rights Going to Local Battlesite to Get Hands-on Experience with Sources On April 6, students in PLSC 410: Human Rights will go to Tippecanoe Battle Ground Memorial Park to gather artifactual and archival data to construct a simulation for Prof. Dixon's final exam. They will attempt to find out if the world leaders in 1811 (Shawnee, U.S., U.K., France, Ottomans and Spain) had substantial treaty, contract and theoretical resources to avoid war and terrain seizures. Department Awards - 2003 Hard work, inquisitive minds, and academic success led to recognition for several students in the EHPS Dept. at the Academic Awards Banquet in April. Economics: Jason Funk received the Fr. Kenkel, CPPS award. Jason graduates in May and will work at Adecco in Ft. Wayne History: Brandon McGann received the Downard Award Political Science: Amanda Daily received the David E. Osterfeld Award. International Studies: Lawrence Poleski received the International Studies Award. History Students Undertake Oral History Interviews at the Buckley Homestead Six students in Dr. White's American History II survey traveled to the Buckley Homestead in Lake County to interview both those who were veterans and civilians in Indiana during World War II about their experiences. Phi Alpha Theta Inducts New Members and Continues to Contribute to College Experience The History Honors Society welcomed four new members at its induction ceremony in April 2003. They are Brian Bugajski, Shannon Cheek, Brandon McGann, and Renee Pugh. Elections for office for the 2003-04 year were held in May. The new slate of officers are: President: Eric Hall Vice-President: Brian Bugajski Treasurer: Brandon McGann Secretary: Shannon Cheek Historian: Renee Pugh In 2002-03 PAT began a speakers bureau bringing in experts in various fields from Indiana colleges and universities to speak to specific classes, but also to the larger College and Rensselaer community on a wide range of relevant issues. This will continue into 2003-04. History Major Interns in U.S.
Congressman Visclosky's Washington Office
Eric Hall, now a senior in the History Program, spent the winter 2003 term in Washington, D.C. interning in Congressman Visclosky's (IN - R) office. His duties ranged from dealing with the congressman's Indiana consistency to attending hearings, including that of the Energy and Water Dept. Subcommittee, to preparing reports for the Honorable Mr. Visclosky. This was a fantastic opportunity for any student and Eric made the most of it professionally and personally, but also shared the experience with his fellow Pumas be taping stories weekly in D.C. to be played at WPUM here on campus. Eric is now back in Rensselaer. |
Department
Welcomes 19 New Majors to our Programs Aug. 9, 2007: This fall the Department welcomes nineteen new freshmen as declared majors with a wide variety of courses (see below). Courses Offered Fall 2007 July 28, 2007: With students arriving in a few weeks, faculty are eagerly looking forward to introducing the new students to their area of specialization and to having the upper classman return to SJC. Courses the Department's faculty are offering this fall include: Economics: ECN 120: Principles of Marketing and Price ECN 210: Statistics for Business and Economics ECN 436: Public Finance ECN 437: Labor Economics ECN 452: Economics of Sports History: HST 121 - U.S. History I HST 125: European Civilization HST 209: American Foreign Relations HST 336: Recent America HST 358: Siege of Leningrad HST 359: Pre-Modern Middle East (500-1453) Political Science: POL 101 - American Politics POL 103 - International Relations POL 204 - Death Penalty and the Right to Privacy POL 209 - U. S. Foreign Policy POL 225 - Statistics POL 434 - Philosophy of Law Economcis Majors Have Jobs Lined Up In Chicago Before Graduation May 2007 Mario Leggero has been hired by Crow Chizek & Company and Corey Hecht now works for CheckFree Corporation. Department Pre-Law Program Helps 8 Students to Go to Law School This Coming Falll May 2007 The Department's Pre-Law Program overseen by Dr. Peter Watkins, has seen a record number of our graduates be accepted to law school this spring for the coming fall semester. These students, who worked hard to earn their place in law schools across the country are: Bridget Callahan, Allison Chappell, Adam Deno, Dan Ford, Emily Lyons, Meghan Mallory, Brian McLeish, Rene Pugh, and John Simon. It should be noted that Brian McLeish was accepted to both Harvard Law, Georgetown, and University of Chicago. History Honors Society Inducts Two and Graduates Seven May 2007 The SJC chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honors Society induked two new members late this spring: Sarah Quartuccio and Matt Stajduhar. Along with these two seniors, another 5 PAT members took their diplomas and are heading out to jobs or graduate school: Marcie Keyes, Joe Larson (writing for the Lafayette Journal & Courier), Andrew Jendraszak (graduate school, University of Saint Louis), Aimee Genova (graduate school, SUNY Albany) , and Jeff Lawrence. SJC Grad Appointed Associate Counsel to the President of the United States January 2007 Michael Scudder, Jr. ('93) was appointed by Mr. Bush as Associate Counsel to the President. Michael previously served as Counsel to the U.S. Deputy Attorney General, Dept. of Justice, and had clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Anthony Kennedy. He received his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. Political Science Grad Now Indiana's Newest Deputy Attorney General Heather Hagan ('01) was recently appointed as Indiana's new Deputy Attorney General for Complex Litation. After graduating from SJC, Heather earned her Juris doctorate at Indiana University School of Law. EHPS Courses offered Winter Term 062 The following is a list of courses being offered for the Winter Term 062 beginning in January 2007. Economics ECN 210 - Statistics ECN 121 - Macro-Economics ECN 221 - Intermediate Macro. ECN 335 - Money and Bankiing ECN 450 - Applied Econ. Seminar History HST 122- US History, Part II HST 282 - 20th Century Europe HIS 358: History through Literature HIS 359: Shakespeare's World Political Science POL 112 - Introduction to Logic POL 415 Congress POL 242- Latin American Politics POL 403 - Constitutional Law/American Community POL 407 - International Law 9/22/06 - History Dept. Holds Mentoring and Success-building meeting Members of Phi Alpha Theta, the History Honors Society, met with freshmen and upperclass History majors and minors to discuss strategies and study skills that will help all students to improve their their oral and written analytical skills. The PAT members also spoke of internships they have held while part of the SJC History Dept, of secondary education with a History degree, and in general, ways to study and get the most out of their courses. PAT members and other upper classmen in the Dept will act as mentors particularly to the freshmen to help them become more aware of the kind of work it takes to succeed in the program. This meeting is part of a continuing effort to teach students the skills they need to succeed not only in this Dept. but at SJC and out in the real world. 9/12/06 PAT Plans Chicago Fieldtrip Open to All Members of Phi Alpha Theta, the National Honors Society, are planning a fieldtrip to Chicago for early November. They will take the train from Rensselaer to Chicago for the day, visit the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Field Museum among other activities and eat at a local ethinic restaurant. The trip is open to all members of the SJC community. If you are interested in joining the group or need additional information, please contact Ilicia Sprey, Advisor, PAT at ext. 6387 or via e-mail at ilicias@saintjoe.edu. 10/25/05 - History/Poli Science Double Major Receives Internship in the Indiana State House. Andrew Jendraszak has received the Indiana State Democratic Caucus internship for the Spring 2006. Starting in January, Andrew will work in the State House while also continuing to take classes at SJC. Students throughout the state compete for this prestigious opportunity and the application required tests of writing ability, knowledge of Indiana and national politics and the American political system, and letters of recommendation from faculty in both Political Science and History. 10/1/05 - New Inductees to PAT honor society named. The three newest members of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society at SJC are: Maggie Broderick, Matty Bush, and Dan Hawthorne. These sophmores and returning student, respectively, have taken at least 4 History classes and earned a History gpa of at least 3.1 and maintained an overall gpa of at least 3.0. Induction will take place in January. On November 4, PAT sponsored a "Welcome to the History Program" pizza party to allow our new majors and minors to have a chance to meet some more of our upper classmen and to interact with our faculty members outside of the classroom. 5/7/05 Updated List of 2005 Dept. Graduates going on to Grad School This semester has been filled with wonderful news of our graduates being accepted into outstanding graduate programs in their areas of interested. The Dept - faculty and fellow students - are all very proud of them and wish them luck in the future. *Michael Barry (Political Science & Human Services-Social Work) - Law school * - Brian Bugajski (History) - Ball State University: Historic Preservation for M.A. *Caleb Kopczyk (Political Science) - Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Political Science for Ph.D. * Jacob Lofgren (Political Science & Economics) - Drake University Law School for JDMPA * Pamela Renee Pugh (Political Science)- Purdue University: Political Science for Ph.D. * Robert Siegel (Economics) - Thomas Cooley Law School 5/7/05 - Student and Faculty Members of the Dept. Receive Awards During End of Semester Michael Barry, a Political Science and Human Services-Social Work double major received the prestigious Saint Joseph's Educator Award for his work at the College and in the Community. Dr. Peter Watkins, Professor of Political Science, received the Scientia Award, presented by the graduating class to the professor who has shared his knowledge and love of his discipline with students in an exemplary fashion. Earlier at the Academic Awards Ceremony Michael Oakes, Associate Professor of Economics receivied the Teaching Excellence Award. 4/15/05 - History Major names Senior of the Year Brian Bugajski was named Senior of the Year by the Alumni Board at the Senior Banquet. 2/6/05 - Soon-to-be History Grad in the News Brian Bugajski was fthe focus recently in the NWITimes.com. The Ceder Lake resident and full-time SJC senior, who is applying to graduate programs in Historic Preservation explained his long-term love for hands on history that was fed by his work while at the College. Brian prepared for his graduate career in the field by an internship at the Buckley Homestaed County Park in Lowell, Indiana. He is currently president of the SJC chapter of the National History Honors Society Phi Alpha Theta. Archived articles from 2004 |
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Last updated 11/11/05 by IJ Sprey (ilicias@saintjoe.edu).