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Northern ArizonaUniversity

Ernest Calderon is a man of many talents: lawyer, educator, citizen, and defender of Northern Arizona University. He currently serves on the Arizona Board of Regents and recently was a member of Governor Jan Brewer’s transition team.

Ernie credits his professional and public success to the education he received as a political science student at NAU in the mid-1970’s. “I still remember the words of influential professors like Lenny Ritt and

Bob Poirier. They told me that anything is possible in politics. All it takes is hard work.”

He champions the interests of NAU whenever he gets the chance. Reflecting on his work with the Arizona Board of Regents, Ernie is most proud of helping NAU to receive financing for the largest wave of building construction in the university’s history. He has also helped NAU achieve financial stability during a period of cuts in higher education.

With friends like Ernie Calderon, NAU is better prepared to weather the storm of budget deficits. He continues to help NAU stay on track with growing enrollment and continued excellence of program delivery.

Ernest Calderon (B.S. Political Science ‘79)

Alumni Profile

Alumni, keep us posted! Perhaps we could profile you in an upcoming issue, or welcome you back to talk to current students. How are you using your degree? Are you working in the political realm – for a government agency or non-profit group? Did that internship help you land a job after graduation? Tell us about your law or graduate school experience.

Send us your information and be sure to include your current business card so we can post it on our wall of fame!

To keep up on the latest from the Department of Politics and International Affairs, check out our website at nau.edu/pos. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter (NAU_Politics). And please consider donating to the department or scholarship funds to assist current students.

Keep In Touch

Note from the Chair

Welcome to the latest edition of the Department of Politics and International Affairs newsletter. As the new department chair, I’m happy to share all the good news coming out of our department. Although this has been a difficult year for universities, especially in Arizona, I’m proud to say that our department remains strong and continues to do excellent work. Our faculty and students are receiving wide recognition for their many accomplishments. Join me in reading about and celebrating these achievements.

Do you enjoy staying in touch with the department on a regular basis? We have jumped into the digital age. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (NAU_Politics) where we regularly post department news and event announcements. Stay tuned for the launch of our e-mail newsletter, which will initially be published monthly. E-mail me at Fred.Solop@nau.edu if you’d like to receive this mailing. Finally, we’ll be posting a new website soon. In addition to being a primary source of information about department programs, the website will allow users to create profiles and interact with each other. The bottom line… we invite you to stay in touch with your Department of Politics and International Affairs.

Fred Solop Professor and ChairDepartment of Politics and International Affairs

Dr. Carol Thompson and Zimbabwean agronomist Andrew Mushita recently published a book: Biopiracy of Biodiversity: Global Exchange as Enclosure. The book provides an analysis of Northern financial and trade institutions that impose ‘free’ trade agreements, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and Bill Gates’ ‘Green Revolution’ upon African farmers.

According to Carol, biopiracy involves the failure to recognize or compensate indigenous sources of seeds and other genetic resources and stealing or destroying seeds and other genetic resources, either by patenting them or by polluting them through use of genetically modified organisms. The patenting of genetic material is a cultural affront to an indigenous perspective which rejects the ownership of life.

Carol has spent 10 years living in Africa and learning how these issues affect Africans. She works as a policy analyst for the Community Technology Development Trust in Zimbabwe, directed by Mushita. The Trust supports indigenous seed banks and seed exchanges across southern Africa and promotes the sustainable use of natural resources among small farmers.

Carol emphasizes that the purpose of her work is not to ‘enlighten,’ but to learn. She notes that Africans already have sustainable alternatives to U.S. industrial agriculture. At a time when localization is becoming increasingly popular as a solution to the problems of globalization, she says that Africans have a lot to teach us.

Inside This Edition

Biopiracy of Biodiversity

Politics and International Affairs

Graduate Student News

Faculty Profile

Student Profile

Professor Spends Time at Princeton

Alumni Quotes

Alumni Profile

Politics and International Affairs Newsletter

Biopiracy of Biodiversity

SPR 2009

Politics and International Affairs Graduate Student News

DefensesAleticia Tijerina successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on November 19, 2008.

Paul Vaughn successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on November 21, 2008.

The department congratulates our spring 2009 Ph.D. graduates: Brigette Bush, Anna Nalwood, and Naomi Piñion.

JobsSara Rinfret, Ph.D. candidate, recently accepted a full-time tenure track position at University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.

PublicationsErvin, Justin [Ph.D. Student] and Smith, Zachary A. 2008. Globalization. ABC-CLIO.

Smith, Zachary A. and Taylor, Katrina D. [Ph.D. Student] 2008. Renewable and Alternative Energy Resources. ABC-CLIO.

Bengtsson, Elin, Björklund, Frida, Dahlström, Hanna [M.A. Student], et. al. 2008. Alerta – Reportage från ett Ecuador i förändring. Stockholm, Nixon.

Hanna Dahlström [M.A. Student] published a chapter in the book: Klint, Anna, ed. 2008. Ursprungsfolk i Världen. ”Oljan i Ecuador – företagens myter och huaoranifolkets verklighet” p. 56-61 and ”Huaorani – till regnskogens försvar” p. 62-63. Stockholm, Föreningen Fjärde Världen.

PresentationsAna Caballero-Mengibar, Ph.D. candidate, presented “Constructing Neo-racialized Discourses and the Imagining of a Spanish National Identity” at the International Studies Association Conference, February 2009.

Sara Rinfret, Ph.D. candidate, presented “Changing the Rules: Interest Groups and Federal Environmental Rulemaking” at the Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting, March 2009.

Benning Tieke, Ph.D. student, presented “Evaporated Sovereignty: The Legacy of British Colonialism and Indigenous Water Rights” at the Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting, March 2009.

Katrina Taylor, Ph..D. student, presented “Climate Activism: An Indicator of U.S. Transformation Into a Risk Society?” at the Western Social Science Association Conference, April 2009.

Heather Farley, Ph.D. student, presented “A Contemporary Analysis of the National Environmental Policy Act” at the Western Social Science Association Conference, April 2009.

Kristi Ross, Ph.D. student, presented “Environmental Policy in Less Industrialized Countries: What’s Pluralism Got to Do With It?” at the Western Social Science Association Conference, April 2009.

Departmental Graduate Research AwardsJustin Ervin — Globalization and Environmental DegradationNaomi Piñon — Marriage Equality in Arizona and MassachusettsSara Rinfret — Changing the Rules: Environmental RulemakingBeth Brown — Hind Swaraj a Hundred Years Later: Gandhi, Globalization, and Resistance in IndiaHanna Dahlström -- Endangered Peoples and Engendered Representation: Huaorani and Oil “Development”

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Professor Carol Thompson presented her sabbatical talk, African Alternatives for 21st Century Sustainability, on March 11.

Faculty Profile

Dr. Stephen Nuño began his first semester as an assistant professor in the department in a whirlwind of activity. During the 2008 election, Stephen put many hours into designing and implementing an exit poll in Los Angeles, in addition to his teaching load. The project was funded by Loyola Marymount University’s Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles, and employed 200 students.

Stephen and his associates found that while the major polls reported 68 percent of African Americans voting for California’s Proposition 8, the Leavey Center data indicated the vote to be closer to 50 percent. Stephen attributes the difference to the number of polling locations used in different exit polls. While some exit polls collected information at about 15 locations, the Leavey Center poll canvassed 50 sites, thus increasing the potential for more accurate results.

With funding from the Pew Center, Stephen is working to increase online voter registration at the state level. He will also be contributing to an edited volume on the 2008 primaries and authoring an article on Latinos in the 2008 election for PS: Political Science and Politics.

Student Profile

Danielle Winder, an NAU undergraduate student, is spending the semester as an intern at the Bureau of Economic Analysis in Washington, D.C. As part of the Washington Semester Program, she is doing research on regional economic developments and their effects, or lack thereof, on state Gross Domestic Product. Danielle’s internship in Washington, DC was made possible by generous support with a scholarship from the Department of Politics and International Affairs Roy and Delores Morey Award. The Morey Award is awarded once a year to an NAU student conducting an internship in Washington, DC.

Danielle is also learning a great deal by attending the lectures of government officials from agencies such as the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The experience of working with economists in this environment is invaluable for Danielle, who aspires to be an economist herself – and the timing is great.

Danielle also enjoyed the great timing afforded by being in D.C. during the inauguration, saying the experience was “inspirational, memorable, and essential.” Now that she has adjusted to commuting by public transportation in lieu of her own car, she is finding herself right at home. For students considering a future out-of-state internship, Danielle says, “research the company, have an idea of what you want to contribute to the company, and a clear understanding of the dynamics of the organization.”

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Professor Spends Time at Princeton

Dr. David Schlosberg spent this spring as the Currie C. and Thomas A. Barron Visiting Professor in Environment and Humanities at Princeton University. The position promotes the interdisciplinary exchange of academic ideas and teaching experiences involving environmental issues. It is a joint appointment between Princeton’s Environmental Institute (PEI) and the University Center for Human Values.

This latest honor gave David the opportunity to teach an undergraduate course on environmental, ecological, and climate justice. David also traveled around the country promoting his latest book, with speaking engagements at Hamilton and Swarthmore Colleges, Tufts University, Penn State, and Northeastern University, in addition to a public talk at Princeton.

David also used his time in Princeton’s academic environs to complete papers he has been working on in the areas of indigenous environmental justice, justice to nature and natural systems, and on a theory of climate justice. He brings his experiences back to the NAU community early summer 2009.

“Many of NAU’s faculty in Politics and International Affairs share their knowledge at various national and international conferences, invited talks, faculty exchanges, and visiting positions like this one. This helps increase the presence of NAU, and especially our areas of expertise such as environmental politics, diversity politics, and global development,” David said.

David recently served as Lecturer of Political Theory at the London School of Economics and as a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the Australian National University.

Alumni Quotes

“In the Department of Political Science, I found dedicated faculty eager to offer intellectual stimulation and support. This allowed me to grow as an individual and undertake greater challenges. Furthermore, it facilitated active, sustained involvement on campus. For example, when I arrived at NAU the Model United Nations group was small and unimpressive. By the time I graduated, we had tripled membership, won numerous awards, and built a strong relationship with NAU faculty and administrators. Model UN continues to thrive today because of a mutual commitment to excellence by students and the department. This experience has inspired me to stay connected and give back.”

Corey Bennet

B.A. International Affairs, ’03Law Clerk, Rukin, Hyland, Doria, and Tindall

“As a graduate of the Political Science Department, I was lucky to have professors and classmates that opened my mind to different ways of thinking about the world. What I learned in classes like Women, Power, and Politics; Campaign and Elections; and Modern Political Thought stays with me today. Being fortunate enough to parlay my degree into a career where politics plays a central role, I’m truly grateful for all the experiences I had during my four years in the department.”

Tracy Keller

B.S. Political Science, ‘99Capitol Reports Coordinator, Arizona News Service /Arizona Capitol Times

“I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for the MPA program at NAU. My work with the professors and fellow students laid the foundation that opened tremendous windows of opportunity. The academics combined with my internship at Coconino County really put my career on the right track. I love what I do now, make a good living and really feel like I make a difference in the community. My experiences with the Politics and International Affairs Department heavily contributed to my success and I encourage others to explore opportunities here.”

Jeremy Legg

M.P.A. Political Science, ‘02Economic Development Program Manager, City of Phoenix