Dear Readers:
This month we asked the chair of the Barnard College political science department for her view from the halls of academia. Dr.Berman discusses some of her teaching methodology, including how to encourage the next generation of students to keep up with current events . Some of her answers are abridged below, and you can view the whole interview in the Foreign Affairs Classroom section.
Also in this newsletter,
Hot off the Press - The Shock of the Global: The 1970s in Perspective
New on ForeignAffairs.com
I'd also like to remind you that Foreign Affairs has announced its first ever Essay Contest for Undergraduate Students. We are accepting submissions through June 1st . Please spread the word to your colleagues and students. Contest guidelines are available at ForeignAffairs.com/StudentEssay.
Best,
James F. Hoge, Jr.
Editor
Faculty Spotlight
Dr.Sheri Berman is an associate professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at Barnard College, Columbia University. Her most recent book is The Primacy of Politics: Social Democracy and the Making of Europe's Twentieth Century (2006).
Dr.Berman's reading list on Modernization Theory and March/April article, "From the Sun King to Karzai," are available for free on ForeignAffairs.com.
What do you cover in your course "Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe?"
In this course we look at democracies and dictatorships in Europe from the French Revolution to the present day. Students analyze the nature and dynamics of European political history and use the European experience as a foundation...Continue Reading
What is your favorite dictatorship to study?
That's tough. If I had to chose one, I would go with the obvious: National Socialism in Germany. Trying to figure out how such an economically advanced country, with an educated population and a culture respected the world over could turn to such a barbarous dictatorship remains a central puzzle for social scientists. Also, the National Socialist dictatorship was a new kind of dictatorship... Continue Reading
Any thoughts on how political science and international relations disciplines are changing? Is enrollment up at your school?
The political science discipline has indeed changed a lot in the last 20 years or so. There has been a long-standing slide towards a slavish imitation of the methods and madness of economics... Continue Reading
Read more of this interview and Dr.Berman's opinions on academia and current events at ForeignAffairs.com
Hot off the Press
The Shock of the Global: The 1970s in Perspective
In early March Harvard University Press released The Shock of the Global: The 1970s in Perspective edited by Niall Ferguson, Charles S. Maier, Erez Manela, and Daniel Sargent. Viewed through the lenses of academia and pop culture, the 1970s are often cast in a Western European or U.S.-centric light...Read More
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