In This Issue

Received the Law and Courts Lasting Contribution Award from the American Political Science Association, in recognition of a book or journal article, 10 years or older, that has made a lasting impression on the field of law and courts.  Caldiera was honored for his article "Organized Interests and Agenda Setting in the U.S. Supreme Court," co-authored with John Wright (American Political Science Review, 1988).

Received the Philip E. Converse Book Award for an outstanding book in the field published at least five years before for War, Presidents and Public Opinion (Wiley, 1973).  The award is given by the Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior organized section of the American Political Science Association.

Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs

"Rural southern Ohio school districts courting Chinese students"
September 18, 2013
Columbus Dispatch

Associate Professor of Political Science

"Never Mind the Generals, Here Come the Technocrats"
September 8, 2013
Symposium Magazine

Jacob E. Davis and Jacob E. Davis II Chair in Law

"Using the Syria Debate to Launch War Powers Reform"
September 9, 2013
Huffington Post

Professor of Geography

"Geography and CURA Team up with U-Haul for Sustainability Study"
September 13, 2013
College of Arts and Sciences

Mershon Memo is a weekly e-mail newsletter distributed by the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, a unit of the Office of International Affairs at The Ohio State University.

        

Shirin Tahir-Kheli was the first Muslim ambassador for the United States, sworn-in in 1990 as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in special political affairs. As senior adviser to the secretary of state (2005-09), Ambassador Tahir-Kheli played a key role in policy formulation during a critical year for reform efforts in the United Nations and was central to the effort to support the empowerment of women.  Tahir-Kheli was listed by Newsweek in 2011 as one of the "150 Women Who Shake the World." In 2012, she was part of a short list of "Immigrants: The Pride of America" noted in The New York Times. Read more and see the webcast at go.osu.edu/tkheli

In this symposium, Bruce E. Cain will respond to interdisciplinary perspectives by Ohio State scholars on his new book Fixing American Democracy: The Quandaries of Political Reform. Cain is professor of political science at Stanford University and director designate of the Bill Lane Center for the American West. Ohio State participants include Edward Foley and Dan Tokaji, Moritz College of Law; Piers Turner, Philosophy; Paula Baker, History; Mike Neblo, Political Science; Stephane Lavertu, John Glenn School of Public Affairs. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/fixingdemocracy

Orlando Patterson, a historical and cultural sociologist, is John Cowles Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. Patterson is author of Slavery and Social Death(1982);Freedom in the Making of Western Culture(1991); and The Ordeal of Integration(1997). He was special adviser for social policy and development to Prime Minister Michael Manley of Jamaica. . Read more and register at go.osu.edu/opatterson

A panel on Cybersurveillance, Privacy and Security will highlight privacy and security implications of federal surveillance practice. The event features speakers from Ohio State who specialize in national security, surveillance practices, constitutional and privacy law, and counterinsurgency to provide analysis of key public discussion on the future of security measures in the United States and abroad. Panelists include Peter Shane, Jacob E. Davis and Jacob E. Davis II Chair in Law.  Read more and register at go.osu.edu/cybersurveillance

Norman, MacLeod is dean of post-graduate education and training at the Natural History Museum in London. His research has made significant contributions to new morphometric data-analysis methods, the punctuated-equilibrium controversy, as well as the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction controversy. MacLeod is author of The Great Extinctions: What Causes them and How They Shape Life (NHN Press, 2013). He will discuss causes of ancient extinctions in the context of the modern biodiversity crisis. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/nmacleod

The Confirming Presidential Election of 2012 will examine the 2012 presidential campaign and election, analyzing factors that affected voting, including the impact of domestic, foreign, and military policy debates.  The 2012 election confirmed Obama's 2008 voter coalition of African-Americans, Hispanics, women, gays, and young people, with each of these groups continuing to vote Democratic and with higher than their normal turnout levels. Thus, the 2012 election could be seen as confirming a pro-Democratic realignment of the electorate that had emerged in the 2008 election, which could have long-term implications. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/election2012

Kirk W. Larsen is associate professor of history and director of academic programs and research at the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies at Brigham Young University. His talk will examine the idea of a China-centered "tribute system" that has exerted a powerful influence on generations of scholars and students of traditional East Asian international relations. An exploration of international relations during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) periods reveals a variety of relations, many of which are not well explained by resorting to notions of "tribute." Read more and register

In both Greece and Thailand, the emergence of social anthropology and other social science disciplines has necessitated the invention of new technical vocabularies for describing the facts of everyday social existence.  Greek scholars have followed the well-established national pattern of recasting ancient words as modern terms. Many of them, however, also have vernacular currency, creating a distinctive mixture of confusion and clarity.  In Thailand, by contrast, while recourse to Sanskrit is common, English has dominated.  Michael Herzfeld (Harvard University) will explore the cultural, political, and linguistic reasons for the difference between two countries located within the penumbra of colonial influence. For more information, see sawyer.osu.edu.

Sixty years after the end of the Korean War, U.S.-South Korea relations remain close. South Korea is the seventh-largest goods trading partner for the United States. In 2007, the countries signed a bilateral trade agreement, paving the way for an anticipated increase in U.S. exports of $10 billion annually. The United States and South Korea also collaborate on issues of national security, particularly with regard to the threat posed by North Korea. American military troops on the Korean Peninsula number around 28,500. Mitch Lerner is associate professor of history at The Ohio State University and has served as the director of the Institute for Korean Studies since 2011. Read more and register

A third of the world's population lives in water-stressed countries. With increasing water demands, this number is expected to rise to two thirds by 2025. Join Kazunari Yoshimura as he gives a general overview of global water issues and discusses the possibility of U.S.-Japan cooperation in terms of water treatment, water security and disaster prevention. In his lecture, Yoshimura will also go into detail on wastewater treatment technologies in both the United States and in Japan  and will discuss his experience as a technical advisor to the United Nations as well as Japan's official development assistance and contributions as a member of the international community.. Read more

Eric Klinenberg is professor of sociology, public policy, and media, culture, and communications at New York University.  His most recent book, Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone, was published in 2012. He is also the author of award-winning books Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago and Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America's Media. Read more  

 

Valentine Moghadam, professor of sociology and director of the international affairs program at Northeastern University, spoke at the Mershon Center on October 12, 2012, about "Women and Gender after the Arab Spring: Promises and Perils of Democratization." Her presentation focused on three early cases of the Arab Spring -- Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco -- to discuss causes and likely outcomes, gender dynamics, and prospects for successful democratic transitions. For more information and to view a streaming video, see the event news page.

Origins has just published its new article: "Viewpoint Iran: The Past and Present of the U.S.-Iran Standoff," by Annie Tracy Samuel. Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and the taking of American hostages that year, Americans have tended to see the Iranian regime as dangerous, reckless and irrational. Recent concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions and anti-Israel declarations have only underscored the sense many Americans have that Iran is a "rogue" nation, part of an "axis of evil." There is, however, another side to this story. This month, historian Annie Tracy Samuel looks at American-Iranian relations from the Iranian point of view and adds some complexity to the simplified story often told. The whole article can be found at origins.osu.edu. As always, you can listen to the podcast. 

All-star cast to highlight Glenn Leadership Forum

Former Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives Jo Ann Davidson will deliver the keynote address in the morning and Sen. John Glenn will lead a conversation between senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown on issues they are facing in Washington during lunch, on Friday, September 27, at the 4-H Center. The forum is designed for alumni, students and individuals working in the public management field and provides professional development sessions in public policy, administration and leadership that are both practical and insightful for leaders in the public, nonprofit and private sectors. Read more at glennschool.osu.edu/rocket

 

The fall conference on Public/Private will take place October 3-4, as part of a yearlong program sponsored by Conversations on Morality, Politics, and Society (COMPAS). Regular conference sessions will take place on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning on the 11th Floor of Thompson (Main) Library, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall.

 

Co-sponsored with the Humanities Institute, a lecture by Ezekiel Emanuel will take place on Thursday, October 3, at 6 p.m. in Room 106, Meiling Hall, 370 W. 9th Ave.  A keynote address by Cass Sunstein will take place on Friday, October 4, at 2 p.m. in the U.S. Bank Theater of the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High St.

See a complete conference program at http://compas.osu.edu/events/fall-compas-conference. Read more about the yearlong Public/Private conversation at compas.osu.edu/publicprivate 

 

The University of Dayton will hold a conference on The Social Practice of Human Rights: Charting the Frontier of Research and Advocacy on October 3-5, 2013. Two full days of programming are scheduled.  Friday will include 18 panels of original research in the field of human rights, and Saturday will feature three plenary panels comprised of speakers from major NGOs, philanthropic foundations, and academia to engage in critical issues confronting the human rights community.  More information including a program and registration is at go.udayton.edu/humanrightsconference