Spring Semester 2021
Black Lives Matter: Race, Policy, & Democratic Governance
This course will examine race and ethnic politics through the lens of social movements, public policy, and democratic governance. The #Black Lives Matter Movement was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer and engages us to utilize a human rights lens to combat racial injustice, inequality, racism, and white supremacy. We will use a human rights and democratic governance approach often used in a U.S. foreign policy context to reconceptualize our understanding of the lived experiences and quest for freedom, justice, and equality on part of African Americans, Latinx, Asian Americans, Native Americans and other groups. Given the racial and ethnic demographic shifts over the past two decades, particular attention will focus on race, representation, and racism from President Obama to President Trump with a central focus on the 2020 elections, U.S. Census, and voting rights. We will analyze democratic governance under the Trump administration and the ways in which President Trump has invoked identity politics and white nationalism in governance. Finally, you will learn the tactics of effective social movements/activism, civic engagement, data analysis, policy influence. There will be an applied component of this course and guest speakers will bring to life the theories and literature we read and review in class. Students will leave this class smarter on the topics addressed and also equipped with the tools for effective grassroots organizing, persuasive public speaking skills, and strategic policy influence.
About the Instructor: Dr. Menna Demessie is the Vice President of Policy Analysis and Research at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. She leads the foundation’s research and policy initiatives that affect African Americans and the global black community in areas including education, criminal justice, economic opportunity, voting and environmental sustainability, among many others. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Dr. Demessie established the National Racial Equity Initiative for Social Justice at the CBCF in an effort to raise awareness and inform public policy on criminal justice reform and social justice issues writ large. She has spearheaded several partnerships with the White House, Congress, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and other nonprofit stakeholders to advance strategic efforts to influence and inform public policy. Prior to joining the CBCF, Dr. Demessie was one of five scholars in the United States to receive the prestigious American Political Science Congressional Fellowship. For the fellowship, she joined Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s team to work on federal unemployment legislation, antipoverty initiatives, and foreign affairs in the 112th Congress. She is the founder and co-managing editor of the CBCF’s Journal of the Center for Policy Analysis and Research, a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal on public policy issues related to black politics in the United States and abroad. In August 2018, Ethiopian Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, appointed her as Secretary of the Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund Advisory Council. As of August 2019, she has worked with her colleagues in raising $ 6.1 million dollars for socioeconomic development in Ethiopia. To learn more, go to www.ethiopiatrustfund.org. Currently serving her second elected term on the Alumni Board for the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, Dr. Demessie, a proud Ohio native, who was also recently nominated to the Board of Trustees for her alma mater at Western Reserve Academy and the Executive Council of the American Political Science Association. Her hobbies include piano, basketball, and spoken word.
Reducing Poverty and Inequity: Lessons from International Development (Section 2)
This is an introductory course to the International Development field. The focus is on some of the key questions, challenges, and achievements in this field. Materials from the course (readings, documentaries, discussions of current events) will enhance your understanding of the dominant approaches to poverty alleviation, the role of inter/national development actors, organizations and institutions, the promises of post-2015 Development Goals including empowerment of women and youth and environment sustainability. Exposure to the overview of the field will enhance your understanding of current world events and policy decisions during your internship experiences in the nation’s Capital.
Remote Syllabus
About the Instructor: Professor Loubna Skalli-Hanna is a teacher, scholar and practitioner with subject area expertise in development, gender, youth and communication. She has taught at numerous universities in Morocco and the United States, including the American University (2003-2015). She is the author, co-author and editor of numerous peer reviewed journal articles, book chapters and books. As a practitioner, Professor Skalli Hana co-founded many women’s organizations and participated in the activities of a few others. She also consulted with numerous intern/national development organizations and agencies including USAID, World Learning, U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of State. Professor Skalli Hana earned her BA from Mohamed V University in Rabat (Morocco), her MA in social and cultural anthropology from Essex University (England), and her PhD in International Communication from the Pennsylvania State University.
A Biden-Harris Presidency : Understanding Executive Power in Historical and Contemporary Context
Most of us have been inundated with elections and politics for the past year. Many Americans can name several presidents and even have opinions on “good” versus “bad” presidents. But what do they actually do and how do we measure and evaluate their performance and our expectations for their leadership? What can we expect during the next four years of a Biden/Harris administration? This course will put the modern presidency in historical and theoretical context, drawing on a variety of readings and approaches to determine which framework best explains presidential (in)action. At its core, this class is about the question of executive power in democratic government. In addition to studying and reflecting on the theme of presidential power, we will also consider the limits to this power and how presidents achieve their goals. Ultimately, we aim to understand the work of the presidency and some of the different perspectives by which we might analyze or assess presidents and their administrations, especially at a time when we transition from one administration to another.
Disclaimer: We will deal with real world issues of today. Our discussions will reflect these parameters and engage in some controversial topics. This is an important part of our course, and you should be prepared to understand the politics of the situation separated from your own views.
About the Instructor: I am a Ph.D. of American government and politics with specializations in the American presidency, public policy, and polarization. My research focuses on presidential governance via executive orders and how political factors influence the ability of presidents to issue their most significant orders. I have taught UCDC’s presidency seminar since Fall 2017. While earning my degree at the University of Maryland, I taught classes about public policy and Congress to students who had internships related to those fields in a format similar to the UCDC program. Outside of the classroom, I work at Community Change & Community Change Action, non-profit organizations focused on building a movement led by everyday people to create change in their communities and across the country. As the Electoral Data Manager, I work with many different teams and partner organizations to identify target audiences and track the work we are doing in communities affected by injustice.
Washington Media: Fake News, Social Media, and the Reshaping of American Politics
The U.S. Supreme Court: Conflict, Change and the Court
Researching World Politics in Interesting Times
Reducing Poverty and Inequity: Lessons from International Development (Section 1)
General Research: Developing Critical Writing and Thinking Skills Through Independent Research
Activism, Protest, and Social Movements: Taking on the Power Structure in Washington DC
How does political and social protest bring about change? What strategies and techniques do social movements and protests use to take on entrenched and established powers in the nation’s capital? Achieving real change is difficult. Yet, there are several examples of successful social movements in American history and politics that came to Washington and effectively changed the course of the nation's politics and history. This class will explore the dynamics of mass mobilization and advocacy on the national stage. By discussing protests and other advocacy events and interacting with guest speakers, students will learn about the successes—and failures—of social groups’ efforts to make change in American politics and society.
About the Instructor: Professor Dale Crowell serves as the Congressional Liaison for the Organization of American States headquartered in Washington, DC; the premier political multilateral organization for the Western Hemisphere. In that capacity, he advises the Organization's top leadership on strategies to engage and communicate with the U.S. Congress and works to ensure that their priorities are better understood by decision makers on Capitol Hill. Prior to his work at the OAS, he managed press and media relations for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, directed public relations for Bethesda-based Honest Tea, and served as the communications director for a member of Congress from New York during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He also has extensive experience managing USAID and State Department-funded international development projects for various non-profit organizations promoting social, political, and economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean. He is currently a PhD candidate in American Politics at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC where he received an APSA Minority Fellowship. He received his BA from the University of Maryland at College Park as a McNair Scholar and volunteered in Baltimore for President Bill Clinton's Americorps pilot project, the Summer of Service in 1993.