News
Archived News
Ali Ahmida publishes new book, Post-Orientalism, in Arabic; Forgotten Voices also translated in Arabic
Post-Orientalism: Critical Reviews in North African Social and Cultural History, a new book by Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, Ph.D., professor and chair of the University of New England's Politcal Science Department, is a critical assessment of the reactions to Said's Orientalism, especially with respect to the literature on North Africa in the last 30 years.
Post-Orientalism was published in Arabic in June 2009 by the Center of Arab Unity Studies, Beirut, Lebanon, one of the most prestigious academic centers in the Middle East.
Center of Arab Unity Studies has also published an Arabic translation of Ahmida's 2005 book, Forgotten Voices: Power and Agency in Colonial and Postcolonial Libya, originally published by the Routlege Taylor & Francis Group.
Internship Analysis PSC 411 A Spring 2009
1. Dora K. Clements - Senator Susan Collins
2. Samuel S. Karcher - Senator Susan Collins
3. Donovan S. Marvin - Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
4. Marissa M. Simoes - WCSH Channel 6
5. Matthew C. VanDeusen - Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
Senior Thesis Spring 2009
1. Amy A. Cloutier - An Examination of Germany Policies and their Consequences Regarding Turkish Immigration
2. Jamal F. Cole - The Politics and Struggle for the Unionization of Kentucky Coal Mines
3. Amy E. Davis - Hannah Arendt and the Politics of Genocide in Europe and Africa
4. Samuel S. Karcher - Corporate Influence on the United States Government: Military Contracting and Defense Privatization
5. Ashley A. Katon - Beyond Orientalism: The Politics of Dress in France and Egypt
6. Matthew C. VanDeusan - Politics of Race Relations and Sports as Weapon of the Weak
Ali Abdullatif Ahmida
Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, Ph.D., chair and professor, Department of Political Science, was interviewed on the Sirius XM Satellite Radio program "Make it Plain with Mark Thompson" on Feb. 3, 2009 in a discussion of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's election as chair of the African Union. Ahmida is author of book, Forgotten Voices: Power and Agency in Colonial and Postcolonial Libya and The Making of Modern Libya: State Formation, Colonialization and Resistance, 1830-1932.
Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, Ph.D., professor of political science, will spoke as part of Yale University's Genocide Studies seminar series on Nov. 13, 2008. His topic was "An Italian Genocide in Colonial Libya, 1929-34."
Brian Duff
Brian Duff, Ph.D.,assistant professor of political science, was interviewed in a WMTW 8 news story analyzing the impact on the presidential election of the revelation that GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's unmarried daughter is pregnant. In the story, Duff said that the Obama campaign is wisely staying away from trying to exploit the story but that the non-traditional news media, such as the blogosphere, are likely to keep the story alive. He also noted that if similar revelations continue to surface, McCain's judgment is likely to be questioned.
Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Political Science Department, is an invited speaker at at the Wilton Park Conference on “Libya 2020: Future Perspectives” to be held at Wiston House in Sussex, UK, July 17-20, 2008. This is the fourth in a series begun in 2004 as part of an informal Libya-Wilton Park process. Ahmida was invited to speak on “Empowering Civil Society.” Wilton Park, set up at the behest of Sir Winston Churchill sixty years ago, is one of the world’s leading institutions for in-depth discussion of policy challenges. It is a non-profit, academically independent, Executive Agency of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The conferences bring together senior policy practitioners, politicians, business people, academics and other opinion formers, from a range of countries for informal, off-the-record debate. Numbers at our secluded country manor house base are restricted to provide a highly participative framework with ample opportunity for networking.
Political Science Senior Theses, Spring 2008
- Barry, Caitlin. “The Virgin Queen: Gender, Traditions and Stability During the Elizabethan Reign”
- Klebes, Mathew. “The Rise and Fall of Collective Obligations”
- Hommel, Mare. “The Politics of Humanitarian Intervention”
- Mathews, Keith. “Veganism and Politics”
- Noreska, Emmy. “The Social Role of Delinquency”
- Pittman, Justine. “Foucault, Scott, and Malcolm X”
- Thomas, Laura. “The US Kyoto Fiasco”
- Walker, Lynn. “Gringolandia and Terrorism”
Political science among UNE's top majors
Based on the number of graduates in political science at UNE in 2008, political science has moved to the top five list of bachelor degrees offered by UNE based on the categories used by U.S. News and World Report and other publications. The Political Science Department at UNE has been growing steadily over the past few years and with its rising upperclassmen, it is now in one of our biggest degree granting categories. The incoming freshmen class for Fall 2008 is its largest ever.
Political Science Department praised by accreditation team.
It is also worth noting that the Political Science Department, under the leadership of Dr. Ali Ahmida, has been praised recently (2007) by its accreditation team who deemed the Political Science Program at UNE to be among the best in the nation:
"Please find enclosed my review of the program of the Department of Political Science. First, I would like to declare at the outset that I consider the Political Science program at the University of New England to be exceptional in breadth and depth, in its coverage and its creativity and above all, its coherence. It is a program that can be compared favorably with those of major universities and in many respects, which I discuss below, it may be superior to them."
Three PS majors named to Alpha Chi
Three political science majors were inducted into the Alpha Chi honors society: Amy Davis 09, Ashley Katon '09 and Laura Thomas 08.
Students take part in Model UN in New York
Eight University of New England political science students participated in the March 2008 National Model United Nations in New York City. The National Model United Nations (NMUN), hosted by the National Collegiate Conference Association, is a unique opportunity for college students to participate in a simulation of the mechanics and issues that the United Nations deals with on a daily basis. Read more ...
Ali Abdullatif Ahmida
Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, was recently invited by the United Nations Development Programme to serve on committee of six scholars to evaluate educational performance in five Arab countries. The countries are Bahrain, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.
An encyclopedia, to which Ahmida contributed a chapter on the Libyan revolution, recently won recognition from the American Library Association's Booklist magazine. Revolutionary Movements in World History: From 1750 to the Present is edited by James V. DeFronzo, who with 95 other expert contributors wrote entries covering 79 revolutions and 25 thematic essays for the alphabetically arranged work. "The entries are scholarly yet can easily be understood by the general reader and by high-school students." http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&pid=2526428
