UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Political Science

Annual Mazzocco Lecture in Distributive Justice, March 19

gurr copyTed Gurr from the University of Maryland will present the 2014 William J. Mazzocco Lecture in Distributive Justice on Wednesday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. His talk, titled “When Injustice Breeds Internal War: Evidence from Kosovo and North Africa,” is free and open to all.

Gurr serves as University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Maryland, served as a consultant to several presidential administrations, and is the author of the prize-winning work, Why Men Rebel. His presentation, based on Crime-Terror Alliances and the State, co-authored with Lyubov Mincheva, examines the trans-border connections known as “unholy alliances” between militant and criminal networks and the relationship between these and the states in which they operate.

The William J. Mazzocco Lecture in Distributive Justice was established at the University in 2006 to honor a 1937 graduate. Bill Mazzocco had a long, distinguished career in military intelligence with various World War II assignments at diplomatic posts, and made significant contributions to the Marshall Plan. He credited his years at UP with giving him a solid moral foundation that guided his steadfast belief in the principles of equitable and fair distribution of wealth.

For ADA accommodations or any questions, please contact Gary Malecha, political science department, at malecha@up.edu or 7452.

Congress To Campus Visit, Feb. 24

congressThe University of Portland will welcome former congressmen Gil Gutknecht (R-Minnesota) and Martin Lancaster (D-NC) on Monday, February 24, at 7 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons. The event is free and open to all. The former congressmen will discuss the important role that Congress plays in the American political system and the challenges it confronts in carrying out that role.

Gutknecht and Lancaster will be on campus for two days visiting classes and meeting with student leaders, clubs, and programs. The visit is made possible through the Congress to Campus program, created by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress in an effort to improve college students’ understanding of Congress and American government, and to encourage them to consider careers in public service. The program sends bipartisan pairs of former Members of Congress – one Democrat and one Republican – to visit college, university and community college campuses around the country.

For more information, contact Gary Malecha, political science, at malecha@up.edu or 7452. Information about the Congress to Campus program can be found at http://tinyurl.com/pqja64z.

Mock Trial Team Update

Mock_Trial copyThe University of Portland’s Mock Trial Team attended the Emerald City Open over the weekend of November 9-10 in Seattle, according to team advisor Aaron Johnson, political science. One squad placed 5th with a win/loss record of 6-2. Several students also won individual awards. Freshman Daniel Schultz was awarded most outstanding witness of the tournament with a perfect ranking; senior Amanda Danforth placed 2nd overall for witnesses with a nearly perfect score; senior Brendan Bewley was awarded an outstanding attorney award with a near perfect score; and junior Nic Barradas received the Most Outstand­ing Attorney award of the tournament after achieving a perfect ranking over the course of the weekend, the third year in a row that a UP mock trial team member has taken that award. For more information contact Johnson at 7274 or jonsocu@up.edu.

Constitution Day Lecture

1aCurtis150William Curtis, political science, will present “The Constitutional Jurisprudence of Justice Clarence Thomas,” a Constitution Day presentation, on Tuesday, September 17, at 7 p.m., in St. Mary’s Student Center. Curtis will discuss Justice Clarence Thomas’s judicial philosophy, approach to interpreting the Constitution, and several of his noteworthy opinions. For more information contact Gary Malecha, political science, at 7452 or malecha@up.edu.

Mock Trial Championships

The University of Portland sent two competing squads to the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Opening Round Champion­ships on March 22-24 in Memphis, Tenn., the first time the University sent two squads with winning records to this national tournament. One squad placed 13th out of 24, and the other placed 22nd out of 24. Neither squad advanced to the final tournament in Washington, D.C., but senior UP student Brenna Twohy was recognized as an outstanding attorney with a score of 17 out of a possible 20, and sophomore Nicolas Barradas was recognized as an outstanding attorney with a perfect 20/20 score. For more information contact coach Aaron Johnson, political science department, at johnsocu@up.edu.

2013 Mazzocco Lecture

Debra SatzThe annual William James Mazzocco Lecture in Distributive Justice will take place on Wednesday, February 20, at 7:30 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. Debra Satz (pictured left), the Marta Sutton Weeks Professor of Ethics in Society at Stanford University, will present “Should Everything Be For Sale?” The lecture is free and open to all. Satz will explore the controversies around diverse goods (human organs, votes, sex, credit derivatives, etc.) and whether they should be treated as marketable commodities. She will draw much of her argument from her 2010 book, Why Some Things Should Not Be For Sale: The Moral Limits of Markets. Other works by Satz include Toward A More Humanist Justice: The Political Philosophy of Susan Moller Okin (2009) and Occupy the Future (2013). Her areas of academic specialty include the place of equality in a just society and theories of rational choice, and she is currently leading a multi-year research project which aims to clarify plausible interpretations of equality of educational opportunity and their implications for public policy.

The William James Mazzocco Memorial Lecture in Distributive Justice was established in 2006; Mazzocco earned his economics degree on The Bluff in 1937. A lifelong world traveler, Mazzocco had a long, distinguished career which included military intelligence assignments during World War II, diplomatic posts in Paris, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, and Abidjan, and significant contributions to the Marshall Plan. He credited his years at the University of Portland with giving him a solid moral foundation that would guide his life and work for the remainder of his 89 years, most notably his steadfast belief in distributive justice—the principles of equitable and fair distribution of wealth.

For more information contact Gary Malecha, political science, at 7452 or malecha@up.edu.