political science and the profession of law
TRANSCRIPT
Lastyearwhenweresearchedthequestion,“Whatcanyoudowithadegreeinpoliticalscience?”itwasevidentthatmanyofouralumnihavechosencareersinlaw.Weknowthatmany
ofourundergraduateschoosepoliticalscienceasamajorbecausetheybelieveitwillbegoodpreparationforlawschool.Insharingtheirverydifferentlawcareers,thefollowingfivealumsprovidetheirownviewsaboutthisperceptionalongwithadvicetostudentswhomightbeconsideringthelawprofession.Tocompletethediscussion,ProfessorGayleBinionand Judge JosephLodge,both long-timemembersofthedepartment,offertheirownuniqueperspectives.
Ronald H. Clark, Ph.D. ’70: The professor who became a lawyer
RonaldClark’sfatherwasaprosecu-torinOrangeCountyandhegrewupinWhittier,California(“Nixon
country”),sohewasalwaysinterestedinlawandpolitics.AftergraduatingfromUCRiverside,hewantedtopursuebothtopicsfurther,soheenteredthePh.D.programinpoliticalscienceatUCSB.Hedescribestheprogramin the1960sas“perfect formyinterests,” and praises faculty membersHerman Pritchett,William Ebenstein,
DeanMann,HenryTurner,TomSchrock,andStanAndersonforthe“finetrainingtheyofferedinpubliclawandAmericanpolitics.”
AftercompletinghisPh.D.,Dr.Clarktookatenure-trackposi-tioninpoliticalscienceatDenisonUniversityinOhio.Asanassistantprofessor,hewroteacoupleofarticlesthatwerepublishedinlawreviewsanddecideditwouldbeaboosttohisacademiccareerifhegotalawdegreeaswell.However,aftercompletinghisJDatCapitalUniversity,hereceivedajobofferfromtheAntitrustDivisionoftheU.S.DepartmentofJustice.Sincethiswasanareaofinteresttohimandacademicopportunitiesatsmalluniversitiesweredwindling,Dr.ClarkdecidedtotakethejobinWashington,DC.AfterastintintheAntitrustDivision,henextspenttwoyearsasanAssistantU.S.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA SPRING 2007
Political Science and the Profession of Law
AttorneyinNewJerseyconcentratingonwhite-collarfraud(“whereIreallylearnedtotrycases”),andthenreturnedtotheDepartmentofJusticeastrialattorneyandseniorcounselinmattersoffraudagainstthegovernmentundertheFalseClaimsAct(FCA).
In 1995, Dr. Clark changed sides from prosecution todefensebyjoiningthefirmofArentFoxinWashington,DC,wherehepracticestodayasaspecialistinFCAlitigation.HehaspublishedextensivelyinmattersrelatingtotheFalseClaimsAct,governmentinvestigations,andcomplianceissues,andservesasarevieweroflegalpublicationsforAmazon.com.Hewisheshestillhadtimetoteach,buthopesthatinafewyearswhenhiscareerphasesdown,hecan“fillinsomeoftheareasIwasinterestedinwhileteaching.”
Dr.Clarkbelievesthatpoliticalscienceisoneofseveralpos-siblemajorsthatcouldservestudentswellinalawcareer,though“perhapsit’sbetterforstudentswhoareinterestedinpoliticsbecauseitprovidesthebestunderstandingofhowthesystemworks.”Headvisesundergraduateswhoareinterestedinlawcareerstopickamajorthatwillhelpthemlearnhowtowrite,organizematerials,analyzetextsanddata,andexplainthem.Aboveall,heemphasizesthatit’simportanttolearnhowtolistenandtobecomfortabledeal-ingwithlotsofwrittenmaterial,althoughhenotes“thismaybeachallengefortoday’smorevisually-orientedstudents.”
David Gray Carlson ’74: The lawyer who became a professor
DavidCarlsondecidedtogodirectlytolawschoolaftergraduatingfromUCSB,thoughitwassortofade-
faultcareerdecision.Herecalls,“Initially,IthoughtImightgointojournalism,butayearofeditingtheNexusendedthat!”Hewasoneofthestudentswhothoughtpoliti-calsciencewouldbegoodpreparationforlawschool,andhewasalsogladthatthemajoratthattimedidnotrequireanymathclasses.Buteventhoughlawwasadefault
careerchoice,oncehegotthere,hefoundhelovedlawschool.
AftergettinghisJDfromHastingsCollegeofLawin1974,CarlsonwasofferedapositionwithCravath,Swaine,andMooreinNewYorkCity,“aWallStreetfirmwithlotsofhighprofilefinanciallitigation.”Afterafewyears,hedecidedthatwasnotquitewhathewaslookingforandconsideredchangingtoagovernmentcareer,butwasn’tsuretherewasaplaceforhimintheReaganadministra-tion. Hekeptreflectingonhowmuchheenjoyedlawschoolandthefactthathislawprofessorsobviouslyenjoyedteachinglaw,so
In this issue:
Political Science and the Profession of Law p.1
Political Communication: A New Focus p.5
New Public Policymaker in Residence p.7
From The Chair p.7
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hedecidedtotryforateachingposition.NeedingtostayinNewYorkCitybecauseofhiswife’sbuddinglegalcareerwithanintel-lectualpropertyfirm,hegottwooffers,oneofthemattheBenjaminCardozoSchoolofLawatYeshivaUniversity —“Anewlawschoolwithgreatambitions.”HetookthefacultypositionatCardozointhefallof1981,hasbeenthereeversince,“lovesit.”
ProfessorCarlsonsaysthatpoliticalsciencehasservedhimwellasalawprofessor.Heteachesandpublishesinbothpoliticalscienceandphilosophy,andwillhavetwobooksoutonHegelianphilosophy this year. He sees great connections between thesedisciplines,observingthat“Lawishighlypoliticalandhighlyphilo-sophical.Ithasoftenbeendescribedas‘philosophywithbayonets.’”Hehasalsopublishedsignificantlyon theconnectionsbetweenpsychoanalysisandjurisprudence.
Ontheotherhand,ProfessorCarlsonobservesthatalotofothersubjectswouldalsohavepreparedhimtobea lawyerandaprofessor:“economics,philosophy,andmath.”Thestudentwhoavoidedmathclassesincollegefoundthathehadtoteachhimselfgametheorysothathecouldteachitinlawschool,“anditwouldhavebeenaloteasierifIhadlearneditasanundergrad.”Herecommendsthataspiringlawyerstakeseriouscoursesinallthesedisciplinesasthebestpreparationforlawschool.
Kathryn Fritz ’81: Intellectual property litigator and managing partner
Kathryn Fritz chose to major inpolitical science in part for the conventional reason—because
shewantedtobecomealawyer—andin partbecausethemajoratUCSBincluded
apublicserviceemphasis,whichshecalls“the inspirational component” of hereducation.ShealsotookseveralcoursesinEnglishliteratureandwasabletocombinebothinterestsduringherinternshipthroughtheCapitolHill (UCDC)program,where
sheworked in thepublicationsandgrant-writingdepartmentofthe Folger Shakespeare Library. She believes she was attractedto theprofessionof lawbecause itwas“achallengingprofessionand involved both working in the public interest and workingwithpeople.”
After obtaining her JD degree at Georgetown University,Ms.FritzfirstpracticedinNewYork.ShemovedtotheBayareain1990,whereshepracticestodayatFenwick&WestLLPasabusi-nessandintellectualpropertylitigator,dealingwithsuchmattersascopyrights,trademarks,tradesecrets,andunfaircompetition.Inaddition,sheiscurrentlythemanagingpartnerforbothofficesof the firm and its 270 attorneys. In that capacity, she overseesbusinessmatters,setspolicies,andservesonthefirm’sexecutivecommittee.Sheadmitsthatit’salotofwork,buttherewardis“get-tingtospendlotsoftimewiththeotherpeopleinthefirm,peopleIliketoworkwith.”
Ms. Fritz fulfills her continuing interest in public servicethroughprobonoworkoncasesthatinterestherbothwithinandoutsidehernormalareaofpractice.Thatworkhasincludedadvis-ingdocumentaryfilmmakersonintellectualpropertymattersand
dealingwithWeb-relatedfirstamendment issues,aswellasacaseinvolving political asylum. She has also been working on a deathpenaltycaseformorethan10years.SheisanadjunctprofessoroflawatBoaltHall.
Lookingback,Ms.Fritzbelievesherpoliticalsciencemajorwasawisechoice.“Itprovidesagoodhistoryofhowwegotwhereweareandhowourcommunitylifeisorganized.It’sagooddegreeforthinking,writing,andlearningtoexpressyourselforally,”allfineskillsforanattorneytohave.However,shebelievesstudentscouldgetthosesameskillsinothermajors,too,“aslongasyoubecomedisciplined,learntoapplyyourself,andareintellectuallychallenged.It’simportanttofeelthatyourmindisbeingquickenedbywhatyouarestudying.”Sheem-phasizesthatlawyersneedtohaveacuriousmindbecause“especiallyinareaslikeintellectualproperty,thelawisalwayschanging.”
Douglas R. Irminger ’77: Public defender
The 1970’s was a turbulent periodin theUnitedStates,andcoming toUCSBfromEurope(wherehisfather
wasstationedasacareerStateDepartmentemployee),DouglasIrmingerfoundhehadalotofquestionsandwantedtolearnmoreaboutwhatwasgoingon.Afreshmanpoliticalscience course got him interested, and hediscoveredthatthemajorwouldallowhimtopursueawiderangeofcourseswhilefocus-ingonthepoliticalaspectsofoursociety.As
anundergrad,hewroteaboutcampuspoliticsfortheNexus,servedasemester’sinternshipinSacramentowiththeUCStudentLobby,andcontinuedastheLobby’sAnnexDirectorin1976.Hecitesthisinvolve-mentwiththestudentcommunityandthepubliclifeoftheUniversity,alongwithHermanPritchett’scourse,“LawandtheModernState,”ashavingsignificantimpactsinhisfuturecareer. Hedecidedtogotolawschoolin1980becausehewantedtogetinvolvedindisputesandresolveconflicts,andsawlawas“asignificant,honorableprofessionthatprovidesawayofmakingalivingwhiledoingthat.”
Afterlawschool,IrmingerenteredprivatepracticeinMarylandand, inhiswords,“didnotknowIwanted tobeapublicdefenderuntilIwasone”—whenhewasassignedtoapublicdefendercaseasapanelprivateattorney.Hedescribesthejobofthepublicdefenderincriminallawas:“Protectingtheindividualrightsofpeopleindif-ficultcircumstances.Itensuresthatpeoplewholeastcanaffordithavelegalcounselandcompetentrepresentationincourt.”Thecasehadamajorimpactonhim,soaftermorepanelwork,hejoinedtheStateofMarylandPublicDefenderOfficeasacontractattorneyin1986andbecameacareeremployeeinthefelonytrialdivisionin1988.Today,heisaChiefPublicDefenderinthe35-attorneyofficeinPrinceGeorge’sCountyandhasthreetimesreceivedtheannualawardforoutstandingpublicdefenderinhisdistrict.
Irmingerbelievesapoliticalsciencemajorisexcellentprepa-ration forapracticingcourtroomlawyerbecause“politicalscienceprovidesagoodphilosophicalperspective forhowthingsare,”andaffordsabroadliberaleducationinavarietyofsubjects.Sincelawrequiresalotofthought,headvises:“Don’tjustlimityourselftoonesubject.Youneedbreadthwhenyou’reanadvocateandwhenyouneed
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torelatetoallkindsofpeopleandidentifydifferentissues.”Healsorecommendsthekindofpracticalexperiencehegotinthecommu-nityasanundergraduatetobeaveryhelpfulcomponentofafuturelawyer’seducation.
Sara Nelson Bloom ’80: A legal career in the financial world
Sara Nelson (later Bloom) knew earlyon thatshewanted tobeanattorney,sohercareerdecisionwasmadebefore
shecametoUCSB.Sherecallsthat“myuncle,adedicatedlawyerinpublicservice,wasaninspirationtome,andIfeltthatalawdegreewouldopenthedoortomanyopportunities.”She decided to major in political sciencebecauseshefeltitwouldbeagoodfounda-tion for law school, and because she wasinterestedinpoliticsandgovernment.Asan
undergraduate,sheservedasummerinternshipwiththeUCStudentLobbyinSacramentoandcontinuedastheLobbyAnnexDirectorthefollowingyear.ShewentdirectlytolawschoolaftergettingherB.A.,receivingherJDfromUCDavislawschoolin1983.
Ms.Bloom’sfirstlegalpositionwaswiththeDivisionofEnforce-mentoftheU.S.SecuritiesExchangeCommission(SEC),prosecutingcasesof securities fraud.Shedescribes itas the“perfectposition”afterlawschoolbecauseshehadalong-timeinterestininvestmentandsecurities,likedtheideaofpublicservice,andwantedtoworkinWashington,DC.After fouryears,shemarried, left theSEC,andworkedinprivatepracticerepresentingbroker-dealers,firstinDallas,theninWashington,DCagain.ShereturnedtopublicservicewhenshebecameaSeniorCounselattheResolutionTrustCorporation(thetemporarygovernmentagencythatwasformedtodealwiththefailedthriftcrisis),wheresheoversawateamoflawyersresponsibleforcivillitigationtorecoverlosttaxpayerdollars.
Afterabouttwoyears,Ms.BloomreturnedtotheprivatesectorasAssociateGeneralCounselfortheNASDAQstockmarket,whereshespentthenextsevenoreightyears.IntheGeneralCounsel’sOffice,shehandledlegalissuesrelatingtoNASDAQ-listedcompaniesanditsownsecuritiesproducts.Inaddition,toimproveinvestorconfidencefollowingcorporatescandalssuchasEnron,Ms.BloomwrotethenewproposedcorporategovernancerulesforNASDAQ-listedcompaniesthatwerelaterapprovedbytheSEC.Aftercompletingthatassignmentseveralyearsago,shejoinedNASDasaHearingOfficer.NASD(for-merlytheNationalAssociationofSecuritiesDealers)istheprimaryprivatesectorregulatorforthesecuritiesindustryandoverseesmorethan600,000broker-dealermembers.AsaHearingOfficer,shepresidesoverdisciplinaryhearingsforthosechargedwithfailingtocomplywithNASDrules.Aboutthissignificantadvancementafteryearsofpublic,private,andcorporate lawpractice,shesays,“It isa terrificopportunity,andIlovethisjob!”
Ms.Bloomstillbelievesthatpoliticalscienceis“agreatfounda-tionforlawpractice,”inpartbecausetheacademicdiscipline“generallyunderscoresthesignificanceoftheruleoflaw.”Shenotesthatpoliticalsciencecoursesalsorequirealotofanalyticthinkingandwriting,andadvisespre-lawstudents,“themoreexperienceyoucanget in thisdiscipline,thebetter.”
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Gayle Binion returns to teaching and research
This year, the department wel-comed back Gayle Binion, whoreturned after an absence of
severalyearsduringwhichshetookonavariety of challenging assignments.ProfessorBinioncame toUCSB in1976after completing her Ph.D. in politicalscience at UCLA. In addition to herpolitical science faculty appointment,sheservedasChairoftheLaw&SocietyProgram,apositionsheheldfrom1976-
1994.Aspecialistinpubliclaw,herresearchhasconcentratedonhowthecourtshavedefinedandlimitedthemeaningofequalityinregardtorace,socialclass,andgender.HermanyarticlesonthesesubjectshavebeenpublishedinsuchjournalsasSupreme Court Review,Human Rights Quarterly, International Journal of Law,andPolicy and the Family,aswellasinpopularnewsmediasuchastheLos Angeles TimesandSacramento Bee.
Fortheperiod2001-2003,BinionservedasViceChairandChair of the University-wideAcademic Senate at the Office ofthe University President in Oakland. She found this experienceextremelyrewardingbecausetheSenatewasdealingwithissuesonthepublicagendathatshewasdeeplyinterestedin.ThefirstwasaresponsetoProposition54—theso-called“racialprivacyinitiative”—thatwouldhavedeniedpublicfundingforanyresearchwhereracewasusedasanidentifier.BinionwrotetheSenate’sposi-tionopposingtheproposition,whichinfluencedthepositiontakenby theU.C.Regents.TheSenaterewrote theAcademicFreedomStatementduringhertenureandalsotackledonasystem-widebasis the very sensitive issue of faculty-student dating.WhilemostUCcampuseshadindividualpoliciesinplacebanningsuchrelationships,in2003theSenatedrafted,passed,andforwardedtotheRegentsauniformpolicythatwouldapplywheneverthefacultymemberinvolvedhasapresentorfutureacademicresponsibilityforanystudent.Binionnotesthat“thesystem-wideSenateismarvel-ouslyefficient.Attendeesdotheirhomeworkandcomepreparedtogetthingsdonebecausetheyknowtheycan’tcomebackthenextdayandhaveanothermeetingaboutatopic.”
UCSB Grads and Law School, 2002–2006
Applicationstoaccreditedschoolseachyear:450–550
Averagenumberofapplicationsperstudent:9
60%applied1-2yearsaftergraduating
60-70%majoredinPoliticalScienceorLaw&Society
60-80%admittedtoatleast1accreditedlawschool
80%choseCalifornialawschools
Eachyearincludedadmissionstotop10lawschools
Estimates provided by Britt Johnson, Pre-Law Advisor, College of Letters & Science
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After completing her term as Chair of the Senate, BiniontookthepositionofDirectorof theEducationAbroadProgram(EAP)inLondonfor2004-2006.ShesaysitwasgreattobebackincontactwithstudentsagainandfoundtheEAPstudentstobeanexceptionalgroup:“Theycomepreparedtohitthegroundrunningandtheydo.”ThemostmemorableeventofhertermasDirectorwaslivingthroughtheLondonsubwaybombings.ShenotesthatallEAPstaffmadeitintoworkthatday,eventhoughittooksomeofthemfivehourstogetthere;theneveryonewenttoworktolocateeachoneoftheir400students,someofwhomwereonfieldtripsabroad,tobesuretheyweresafeandaccountedfor.
ProfessorBinionisgladtobeteachinginthedepartmentonceagain.Hercourseofferingsthispastyearincludedaclassongenderequalityandthecourts,andLawintheModernState.Inthecomingyear,shewillbeteachingtwocoursesonConstitutionalLawandiscurrentlyworkingonabookentitled“TowardaFeministRegroundingofConstitutionalLaw.”Fromherperspectiveofmanyyearsasaspecialistinpubliclawandthecourts,Binionofferedsomeastuteobservationsaboutwhymanypoliticalsciencegradu-atesturntotheprofessionoflaw.
First,shenotesthatmanystudentsthinklawschoolspreferapoliticalsciencedegree,wheninfact,theydon’t.“Thereisnothingparticularlyuniqueaboutthepoliticalsciencecurriculumexceptperhapspubliclawclasses.Inthese,studentswillcoversomeofthesamegroundthatiscoveredinlawschool,butfromadiffer-entperspective;thatis,nothowtoreadandinterpretthelaw,butrather‘whatistheeffectonpublicpolicy?’Whatlawschoolsareactuallylookingforaregoodreasoningandwritingskills,whichcancomefrommanymajors.”However,shebelievesthatstudentsoftentakepoliticalsciencecoursesbecausetheyareinterestedinpoliticsorpublicpolicyandwanttoworkintheseareas,especiallyinWashington,DC.Studentsandgraduatesquicklyrealizethat“alawdegreeislikeaunioncard—itgivesyouentréetothatworld,eventhough(unlikepoliticalscience)littleyoulearninlawschoolactuallyapplies.”
Judge Lodge reflects on political science and the law
“I ’m hesitant to say this because I don’t want to lose my job, but I don’t recommend that pre-law
studentsmajor inpolitical science.”Thatcommentmayseemsurprisingfromsome-onewhoisbothalong-timeinstructorinthedepartmentandadistinguishedjurist,butitisareflectionofthehonestythattheHon.JosephL.Lodgebringstotheclassroomandthecourtroom.
Judge Lodge was recently profiled in theDaily Journal of Los Angelesas“thelongestservingCaliforniajudgestillonthebench.”Hisjudicialcareerbeganin1958,whenasanewattorneypracticinginGoleta,theoutgoingincumbentpersuadedhimtotryforthevacancyintheGoleta/HopeRanchJusticeCourt,forwhichheranunopposed.In1965,hewaselectedaJudgeofthe
MunicipalCourt;thenin1998,hemovedtoJudgeoftheSuperiorCourt,CountyofSantaBarbara.
JudgeLodge’steachingcareerbeganin1959whenhewasaskedtoteachalaw-relatedcourseintheeconomicsdepartment.Acoupleof years later, he started teaching in the political science depart-mentaswell.“IwassohonoredtobeaskedtoteachthatitcameasacompletesurprisewhenIlearnedtheywerealsogoingtopayme.”HehastaughtPS165,“CriminalJustice,”sincethe1960s,whichheexplainsis“notalawclass—itisapoliticalscienceanalysisoftheentirecriminaljusticesystem.”Buteventhoughit’snotalawclass,hehasfoundthat65-75%ofhisstudentsindicatewhenpolledthattheyhaveaninterestinalawcareer.JudgeLodgefurtherobservesthatmanyoftheattorneysinpracticeinSantaBarbaraandelsewhereinthestatehavetakenthisclassfromhim.
JudgeLodge’sopeningcommentwasmadeinresponsetoaquery about the relationship between political science and a lawcareer.Bywayofexplanation,henotesthathegivesthatadvicetostudentswhoexpress interest inmajoring inpoliticalscience justbecausetheybelieveit’sgoodpreparationforlawschool.Hebelievesthat’s thewrongreasontoselectamajor. Instead, theonlyreasontomajorinpoliticalscience(“agreatwaytolearnhowourwholesystemworks”)isbecausethestudentfindsitinteresting,nottotrytogetaleguponalawcareer.Headvisespre-lawstudents,“Youwilllearnallthelawyouneedtoknowinlawschool,soexplorelifeasanundergraduateandtakethetopics that interestyou.” Whenaskedforspecificrecommendations,hesuggestsEnglishcourses(“forthewritingandappreciationoflanguage”)andeitherphilosophyormath(“foranalysis”),butrepeatsthatstudentsshouldtakethesubjectstheywanttoexplore.
JudgeLodgealsodisagreeswithanother traditionformanypre-law students: working in a law office during summers or theundergraduateyears.Instead,herecommendsthatstudentsspendtheirsummers“doingsomethingyoucan’tdoduringtheacademicyear.Exploretheworldinwaysyoucan’tafteryouhaveyourdegree,startapractice,andhavetoprovideforafamily.”Forstudentswhomustwork,hebelievesajobintherealworldisbetterpreparationforawould-belawyerthanworkinginalawoffice,for“yourfirstdayonthejobasalawyer,youwilllearneverythingyouwouldhavelearnedthere.”JudgeLodgeisspeakingfromhisownexperience:heworkedasahospitalorderlyandasadishwasherwhilehewasattendinglawschoolandvaluestheperspectiveitgavehim.
Thoughinrecentyearshehasbattledlymphoma,JudgeLodgestillmaintainsafullscheduleandatage75,hasnoplanstoretire.Regardless of their focus, he welcomes students from all majorsintohisclass,andhealthpermitting,looksforwardtomoreyearsofteachingthemaboutthecriminaljusticesystem.
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Over the course of the last year, our faculty has engaged ina planning process to develop new areas of strength thatconnect toothersacross thecampus.Oneof theseareas is
politicalcommunication,withaspecialinterestinnewmedia.
Communication is inseparable from politics. Candidates forofficecommunicatewithpotentialvoters,leadersofsocialmovementscommunicatewithparticipants,citizenscommunicatetheirideasandinterestsamongthemselvesandexpresstheirwishestogovernmentofficials,andnationsalsocommunicatetheirintentionsandintereststooneanother.Thoughcommunicationhasbeenpartofpoliticsforaslongaspoliticshasexisted,itwasnotuntilthe1940sand50sthatpoliticalscienceasadisciplineturnedexplicitlytoitsstudy,driveninpartbyinterestintheeffectsofnewformsofmediaonthemasspublic.Bythe1970s,thestudyofpoliticalcommunicationwasaregularpartofunderstandingpublicopinion,campaigning,votingbehavior,politi-calparties,andothertopicscentraltopoliticalscience.Tounderstandthesetopics,thedisciplinehadtodevelopaclearerpictureofhownewsfunctions,howmassmediainfluencespolitics,andingeneral,howprocessesofcommunicationwork
Fromtheoutset,scholarshaveunderstoodthattheeffectsofmediaandthedynamicsofpoliticalcommunicationareoftenmoresubtlethantheyseem.Peoplerarelychangetheirbasicviewsbecauseofwhattheyreadinanewspaper,nordotheylettelevisiontellthemwhat to think;yet themediahaveanenormous influenceonwhatpeople thinkaboutandhowtheymakesenseof theworldaroundthem.Theinfluenceofmediaisoftenindirect.Forexample,peopleareinfluencedsubstantiallybywhatothersaroundthemseeorhearinthemedia,ratherthansimplybywhattheyseethemselves.IntheUnitedStates,thehighcostoftelevision-basedcampaignadvertisingcanbeasimportanttotheelection’soutcomeaswhatcandidatesactuallysaybecauseitcanlimitcandidates’abilitytogettheirmessageout.
Politicalscienceasadisciplinehasbeenquicktorespondtothe revolution in media brought about by the Internet and otherassociated technologiesover the lastdecade.Thenewmediahavechangedsomeoftheoldfactorsinpoliticalcommunicationequations.Forexample:thecostofaccessinginformationandreachinglargeaudienceshasdroppedduetotheInternet;candidatesforofficeareexperimentinginwaystousenewmedia;“oldmedia”businessesarelosingaudienceandtheirabilitytoserveasgatekeepers.Yetinspiteoftherelativerecentnessoftheseresponses,therehasalreadybeencreated a considerable body of political science literature. Books,journal articles, and dissertations now address how the Internetaffectspoliticalattention,news,campaigns,culture,themeaningof
citizenship,governmentefficacy,protest,andmuchmore.
ThesameistruehereatUCSB.Inpoliticalscienceandallieddepartments such as communication, an estimated half-dozengraduate students are now studying political communication,helping build knowledge about this changing but fundamentalpartofpolitics.Bycombiningtheexpertiseofitsownfacultywiththatofscholarsinotherdisciplinesoncampus,thedepartmentispositioningitselftocontributetotheleadingedgeofknowledgeinthisfundamentalandchangingareaofpoliticalscience.
This article was prepared with the assistance of Professor Bruce Bimber.
CNN’s Jeff Greenfield Shares Keen Political Analysis
Aspartofitsnewemphasisonpoli-ticalcommunication, thepoliticalscience department was pleased
that our undergraduate students had auniqueopportunitythisyeartostudywithCNN’sSeniorPoliticalAnalyst,JeffGreen-field,whowasappointedinWinterquarterasanadjunctprofessorinfilmstudiesandcommunication.Mr.Greenfieldtaughttwocoursesbasedonhisextensiveexperience:aseniorseminarforpoliticalscienceand
communicationmajors,“EthicsinPolitics,”and“PoliticalMediaintheUnitedStates”forfilmstudies.Afour-timeEmmyAwardwinner,hehasauthoredseveralbooks,mostrecently,Oh Waiter! One Order of Crow(2001),whichwasaboutthe2000PresidentialElectionandrecount.
Greenfield’s political media class concluded with apubliclectureonthehistoricalroleofmediainelectionsandwhatwemightexpectinthe2008campaign.Onequestionthatfrequentlyarisesis:“Doesthemediacreatearealitythatdecidescampaigns?”Hedeniesthatisthecase,pointingoutthatacontinuityofthemeshas historically prevailed throughout various campaigns. Onethemeistheconceptofthe“outsider”takingontheestablishment;anotherthemerelatestotheperceptionofacandidate’scharacter,whichcanoftenoverridevoters’differenceswithhis/herpositionsonspecificissues.Candidateshavethereforetriedtousethemediatoportraythemselvesas“regularguys,straightshooters”wheneverpossible.Whiletelevisioninparticularcanopenthatkindofcon-nectiontotheelectorateveryeffectively,hepointsoutthattelevisiondidn’tcreateit.
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Cory Azumbrado Charles, MA ‘88Senior Director, CNN International
Though athletics might seem an un-usualpathtoacareerinjournalismandforeignaffairs,itwasherability
asafast-pitchhighschoolsoftballstarthatgot Cory Charles an NCAA scholarship toLongIslandUniversityinNewYork.Butwhileattending college, she worked at The New York Daily Newsasacopypersonandmetawomansportsjournalistwho,asfriendandmentor,inspiredhertobecomeajournalist.Sheinitiallythoughthercareerwouldalsobe
insportsjournalism,butasapoliticalscienceminor,shecametotheconclusionthatherrealinterestlayinforeignaffairs,anddeterminedthatagoodjournalistneedstounderstandtheworld.AfterservinganinternshipatNBCduringhersenioryear,participatingintheNationalHonorsProgram,andgraduatingcumlaude,shefollowedtheadviceofoneherpoliticalscienceprofessorsandappliedtograduateschool.
Ms.CharleswasacceptedtotheM.A.programsatUCSBandtheUniversityofHawaii(“bothplaceslookedprettygoodtoagirlfromBrooklyn”),butchoseUCSBbecauseofitsstrongemphasisonEuropeandtheMiddleEast.Shespeakshighlyofherstudiesinthegraduateprogram,andaboutUCSBingeneral.“GoodspeakerssuchasJesseJacksonwereconstantlycomingtocampus,andIwantedtoworkwithpeoplelikethat.”(Eventually,shewouldinterviewhimforCNN.)Aftergraduating,shethoughttheplaceforjournaliststobewasWashingtonDC,sowiththehelpoftheUCSBCareerCenter,sheobtainedaCNNinternshipthere.
The internship led toapositionasAssistantDirectorofRe-searchwiththeMcLaughlinGroupwhosepublicaffairsprogramsarebroadcastonPBSandNBC.However,Ms.Charlesmissedtheall-newsatmosphereofCNNandwantedtodomoreforeigncorrespondentwork, so in1990, shemoved toCNNAtlanta,firstasa researcher,thenasaneditorialproducer.In1998,shetookapositionwithCNNInternationalasDirectorofInternationalGuestBooking,responsiblefordailyliveandtapedinterviewsofprominentfiguresandexpertsfromaroundtheworld.Since2004,shehasbeentheSeniorEditorialDirectorandExecutiveProducerforthisdepartment.
CoryCharlesstronglyencouragesanyoneinterestedinacareerinjournalism,whetherinfrontoforbehindthecameras,topursueaca-demicsubjectslikepoliticalscience.“Youneedthehistory,economics,orpoliticalsciencebackgroundtodothisjobright.Youmightbesentanywhereintheworldandyouwillneedtoboneuponthoseareasandknowwhat’sgoingon.”Sheadvisesprospectivejournaliststhatthejobisn’teasy.“Youmusthaveapassionforjournalismfromthebeginninginordertosucceed.Ifyoudon’tloveit,ifyoudon’treallywanttodoit,youwon’tfinditinterestingandyouwon’tenjoyitbecauseofthehardworkandfrustratingegosyoumustdealwith.”Whetheroneisaguestproducerlookingforfutureplayersorareportertrackingworldevents,shepointsoutthat“Agoodjournalistisconstantlyreading—Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, The Economist, Time, Newsweek, New Yorker,internationalnewspapers,evenblogs”tostayontopofcurrentevents.
cnn
In the 2008 election, Greenfield believes some trends arealreadyevident.Withmanystatesshiftingtheirprimariestoearlierdates,candidatesmustraisealotofmoneysooner;thereforetheInternetisgoingtobeevenmoresignificantasavenueforraisingfundsthanitwasin2000or2004.Earlierprimariesarealsoforcingthemediatousetechniquesinmakingpredictions(i.e.,polling)thatarebetteradaptedtotimeframesclosertotheactualelection,whenvoters’mindsaremorelikelytobemadeup.Finally,withthevotersturningmoreandmoretonon-traditionalsourcesfornews(talkshows,blogs),candidatesareforcedtoparticipateinthesevenueswhetherornotitisthebestplaceforthem.
GreenfieldusedhisEthicsinPoliticsclasstofocusonreal-lifedilemmas.Thoughheacknowledgesthat“beatinguponpoliticiansisanationalsport,”Greenfieldstoutlydeniesthat“ethicsinpolitics”isacontradictioninterms.“Therearelimitsinpolitics.Mostpeopleinpoliticsdoask,‘what’sfairhere?’Butjustasinbusinessoraca-demia,somepeopledowhatevertheycantogetaheadwhileothersplaybyarealsetofrules.Thebigdifferenceisthatinpolitics,ifyoustray,youarerightoutthereinfrontofeveryone,especiallynowthatTVdominates.”Inthisclass,throughrole-playingandothertechniques,thestudentsworkedthroughrealethicalproblemsandGreenfieldwasveryimpressedwiththeresults.
Reportingontheirreactionstotheclass,threeseniorpoliti-calsciencemajorsexpressedslightlydifferentviewsonwhetherornotethicsinpoliticswasacontradictioninterms.ReedLinsk,forexample,thoughtconflictsbetweenethicsandpolitics“mainlycomeintryingtoraisemoney,”whilebothCaitlynCardineauandChrisKarlinthoughtethicalconflictsdependedmoreontheindividualsandthegroupsthatbackthem.Students’commentsindicatedtheirperspectiveonthetopichadchangedsomewhatasaresultoftheclass.“Classrole-playingmadeitclearthattherearemanydiffer-entnotionsofwhatareethicalsolutions.”“Real-lifeclassexamplesmadeusrealizehowhardthedecisionspeoplehavetomakereallyare.”“[Irealizedthat]anegativecampaignisnotnecessarilyanunethicalcampaign.Sometimesnegativity isneeded toget intodeeperissues.”AllthreestudentspraisedGreenfieldforallowingstudentstobecomfortablewiththeirownviewpointswhilestimu-latingexcellentdiscussion,andfeltitwasarealprivilegetohavetakentheclassfromhim.
Careers of Political Science Alums:
Threealumssharetheirstoriesonlineathttp://www.polsci.ucsb.edu/undergrad/Careers.php.
Michael Desmond, '90 TaxLegislativeCounsel,U.S.DepartmentoftheTreasury
James Lima, Ph.D. '94MineralsLeasingSpecialist,MineralsManagementService,U.S.DepartmentoftheInterior
Kristen Walsh Desmond '90 IndependentManagementConsultant,workingwiththeU.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecurity
We are always looking for new stories to share. Please contact the department if you’d like to add your career story to this webpage.
cory charles
6POLITICALSCIENCEATUCSB
From the Chair John T. Woolley
This past year has been one ofcontinued achievement andinnovation for our department.
Ourfacultyandgraduatestudentscontin-uetoproducesignificantandinterestingresearch,andourundergraduatesdem-onstrate an inspiring combination ofpublic spiritedness and intellectualgrowth.
Afewhighlightsfromtheyeardeservespecialmention:
• The Honorable Kazuhiko Togo, former JapaneseAmbassadortotheNetherlandsjoinedourfacultyasPublicPolicymakerinResidence. AmbassadorTogo isnotonlyahighlyexperiencedexpert in Japanese foreign policy, but also has considerableadvancedstudyinInternationalRelations.Studentshavefoundhimtobeafascinatingresource.
• InApril, Professor Lorraine McDonnell became the presi-dent-elect of theAssociation for Educational Research andAdministration(AERA),avery largeassociationofeducationprofessionalsandscholars. Thisisawell-deservedrecognitionofherdistinguishedcontributionstoeducationresearch.
• InJanuary,ProfessorKentJenningswasincludedinapublish-ed list of the“Political Science 400,” the most-cited scholarsin theprofession. Amonghismanycontributions, Jennings iswell-knownforauniqueseriesofstudiesofpoliticalattitudesthatexaminedexactly thesamesetof respondents (and theirchildrenandparents)overa40yearperiod.
• PoliticaltheoristAndrewNorris,nowAssistantProfessorattheUniversity of Pennsylvania, will be joining the department inFall2007.Norrisisalreadyanaccomplishedscholarandwelookforwardtohisarrival.
• Finally,a studyreported inThe Chronicle of Higher Educationin January shows that by measures of faculty productivityandcitationrates,our facultyranked8thamongU.S.politicalsciencedepartments—tiedwithPrinceton.
There isnotenoughspacehere toreportonourstudents’interestingresearch,thestimulatingclassesourfacultyareoffering,andthemanyvaluablepresentationsthathavebeenmadebyvisitingspeakers.Sufficeittosaythattheplaceisprettylively.Ourabilitytomakethesethingshappenispossiblebecauseofthegenerosityofsomanyfriendswhohavegivenusfinancialsupport.Asyouconsideralltheworthycausesthatdeserveyourattention,pleasekeepUCSBinmind. StatefundsandstudentfeesdonotcoverthefullcostofprovidinganeducationatUCSB.Withoutprivatecontributions,wecouldnotoffermanyofthefeaturesthatmakeourprogramspecialanddistinctive.
Thankyouasalwaysforyourexpressionsofinterestandyournews.Wealwayslookforwardtohearingfromyouorvisitingwithyouwhenyouarebackoncampus.
Former Japanese Diplomat is New Policymaker in Residence
The Hon. Kazuhiko Togo, formerlyJapan’sAmbassador to the Nether-lands,joinedthedepartmentofpoliti-
calscienceasavisitingprofessorinWinterandSpringQuartersastheDivisionofSocialSciences’ Public Policymaker in Residence.Prior to theAmbassadorship, he served invarious positions in the Japanese ForeignMinistry, culminating in appointments asDirector-GeneraloftheEuropeanandOceanicAffairsBureauandDirector-Generalof the
TreatiesBureau.AmbassadorTogoretiredfromtheMinistryin2002andisaPh.D.candidateinInternationalRelationsattheUniversityofLeidenintheNetherlands.HeistheauthoroffourbooksinRussian,Japanese,andEnglish,includingthetextbook,Japan’s Foreign Policy 1945–2003(Brill2005).
TogonotesthatitiscommonforretireddiplomatsinJapantogointoeitherbusinessoracademia.Hehadbeenattractedtoteachingsincehisuniversitydaysandthusanacademiccareermeant“com-ingbacktothebesttimeofmyyouth.”Startingin1995,hetaughtcourses inbothMoscowandTokyouniversities inaddition tohisdiplomaticassignments.MostJapanesediplomatsretireatage63,sowhenheretiredearlyat57,hefelthehadauniqueopportunitytostartanacademiccareersoonerandinmoredepthbyobtainingtheadvanceddegree.
TogobelievesthecourseshehastaughtatUCSBcoverthefullrangeofwhathehasworkedonoverthepastfiveyears.InWinter,heco-taughtacourseonRussianforeignpolicywithFacultyFellowRobHinckley(Ph.D.,2005)andapro-seminar forhistoryon JapaneseHistoricalMemory.Inspring,hetaughttwoclasses:JapaneseForeignPolicy(history)andStrategicThinkinginEastAsia(politicalscience).Hinckleyhadnothingbutpositivethingstosayabouttheexperienceof co-teaching with Togo.“On a personal level, he was very kind,open-minded,easytoworkwith.Intheclassroom,hegavestudentsaninsider’sviewofhowforeignpolicydecisionsaremadeandwhattheconstraintsareondecisionmakers.Thestudents inclasswereenthusiasticandengaged. Iwould team-teachwithhimagain inaminute.”TogonotesthatteachingJapaneseHistoricalMemorywasanewexperienceforhim.Hewasparticularlypleasedwiththewaythatstudentspresentedtheweeklyprogressoftheirresearchtoeachotheranddevelopedarealmofcommonknowledgetogetherasaclass.Hetoogainednewperspectivesfromtheirpresentations,aswellas“averyenrichingfeeling”abouttheprocess.
InconjunctionwithTogo’sresidencyatUCSB, theCenter forColdWarStudieshostedaninternationalconferenceinMayonthetopic,“HistoricalMemoriesandResurgenceofNationalisminEastAsia:PathstoReconciliation.”This isa themedeartoTogo’sheart,andhebelievesitbroughtallthelectureshehasgivenabroadduringthepastfiveyearstoafineconclusion.Afterhisresidency,hewouldliketoreturntoJapaninanacademiccapacityandpursuehisworkinJapanese-RussianforeignpolicyandJapanesehistoricalmemory.BotharecontroversialtopicsinJapan,buthehopestoberegardedasascholarwhenhereturns,“notasanopinionleader.”
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kazuhiko togo
POLITICALSCIENCEATUCSB7
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