Landscape of Geospatial Data & Social Sciences in Baltimore
REMINDER: tomorrow (11/20) at noon!
The Landscape of Geospatial Data & Social Sciences in Baltimore City:
Applied GIS students host panel on social science & geospatial data work in Baltimore City.
Interested in learning more about the different types of geospatial/mapping data you can access for use in your Baltimore-based research? We have invited two speakers from organizations in Baltimore City who work on producing geospatial datasets for public access, and whose organizations develop projects that make use of this information for understanding social dynamics in Baltimore.
Join us for a panel session to learn more about the work of the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance (BNIA) and the Center for a Livable Future (based at JHU).
Panelists:
- Chery Knott
BNIA / UBalt: GIS Project Manager
UMBC alum: BA Geography '07; MA Applied Sociology '13 - Jamie Harding
CLF/JHU: GIS Specialist, Food Communities & Public Health
Panel facilitators:
- Brian Horlick-Cruz
Geography & Environmental Systems graduate student - Maggie Holland
Associate Professor, Geography & Environmental Systems
Hosted by the Department of Geography and Environmental Systems.
This event will be recorded and will be made available with closed captioning on our YouTube channel and website following the event. by Kate Drabinski
Senior Lecturer, Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies
Director, WILL+ Program
I love voting. My mom took my twin sister and me to the polls with her every time, and sometimes even let us poke the hole in the ballot. We voted in our elementary school gym where there was always a bake sale going on, and we always got a treat. Cemented in my body and mind is the knowledge that I have to vote, and voting day, no matter how it goes, will always come with a little treat. This year, it was pizza and mini Snickers bars, and a whole lot of TV.
What I have learned from 27 years of voting, though, is that it is just one tiny little part of what it means for me to be an engaged citizen. Our representative democracy means that whomever we elect, the chances they’re going to share my values are really tiny. Elected officials represent huge swaths of a diverse population with diverse needs, demands, and priorities. I can count on zero hands how many times I’ve felt like my whole self was at the political table due to my vote. If I really want to build the world I want, I have to do that building outside the voting booth, even as what I do in the booth can make a real difference.
This November, the importance of organizing beyond the vote has become even clearer to me. We elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, but I know that doesn’t mean they are coming to save us. I look out at a world where one in three families with children is food insecure, where unemployment rates are high—and even those with jobs often don’t make enough money to make ends meet, and where a global pandemic is raging through the nation with nary a hint of aid or leadership at the national level. So, I voted, and I’m glad for the results, but I know that the results will not change the lives of people in my community any time soon.
In the wake of the pandemic I am increasingly drawn to the work of people organizing mutual aid projects. Mutual aid means coming together and sharing resources—skills, food, emotional support, etc.—with each other. It means that we organize to save ourselves at the same time we organize to challenge the state and its structures that produce the very precarity that threatens so many of us.
I voted, gave myself a treat, and am doubling down on my efforts to use the resources I have to support the communities I am in and that I actively build—in my city, my neighborhood, and in my classrooms. All we have is each other, and that is what is getting me through a rough 2020, and it will be my balm through the challenges ahead.
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by Kate Drabinski Senior Lecturer, Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies Director, WILL+ Program I love voting. My mom took my twin sister and me to the polls with her every time, and...
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election2020
Center for Democracy and Civic Life
https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/civiclife
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Wed, 18 Nov 2020 14:44:47 -0500
Finding a Job in DC Discussion
Hey Political Science Students,
I wanted to make you all aware of an opportunity to attend the following discussion.
Tom Manatos Jobs presents:
Finding A Job in DC
During Transition 2020
Monday, November 23 at 6:00 pm ET
There will be thousands of jobs and internships
available in the next few months. Come hear tips on getting that next position
from a bipartisan lineup of experts with experience from Capitol Hill, the
White House, presidential & congressional campaigns, nonprofits and
the private sector.
Monday, November 23, 2020 at 6:00 pm ET
RSVP here for more details
Panelists:
- Kenny Thompson Jr., veteran of the Obama White House &
2008 Obama campaign and city government. Currently Senior Director &
Head of External Affairs for PepsiCo.
- Stami Williams, veteran of House & Senate Republican
offices, presidential and congressional campaigns.
Currently Communications Director at the Republican State Leadership
Committee and adjunct professor at George Washington University.
- Carlos Sanchez, veteran of House Democratic leadership
offices, multiple presidential and congressional campaigns. Current Chief of
Staff to Congressman Ben Ray Lujan.
- Moderator: Tom Manatos, Founder Tom Manatos Jobs
11/23 @ 6 PM ET
RSVP here for more details
The District 12 legislators who will be a part of the conversation are:
- Senator
Clarence Lam, M.D., Education, Health, & Environment
- Delegate
Eric Ebersole, Ways & Means
- Delegate
Jessica Feldmark, Ways & Means
- Delegate
Terri Hill, M.D., Health & Gov’t Ops
RSVP required.
This event is organized by UMBC's Graduate Student
Association in partnership with UMBC's Center for Democracy and Civic Life and
the Student Government Association. For questions, please email civiclife@umbc.edu.
by Candace Dodson-Reed, '96
Chief of Staff
Executive Director, Office of Equity and Inclusion
Office of the President
Like many of you in the UMBC community, I am watching the post-election situation with a deep hope that our democratic institutions and calmer heads will carry us through this transition period. It is often said that democracy can be messy and I am truly hopeful that this is one of those messy times that we’ll get through sooner than later.
It is stressful enough to live through the most important election in our lifetime, but we are also living through a once in a century public health crisis that continues to sweep through our country. And as some in our country mourn and protest the murders of Black people due to senseless police brutality and mistreatment of people of color, we continue to reckon with the undeniable truth of systemic racism.
It is a lot to handle. And it is important to acknowledge that. Yet, it is at times like this that we look to our UMBC community to share and be heard, and to find common ground where we can.
I am generally an optimistic person, but this year has tested my brighter nature. The missed family gatherings (including my parent’s 50th anniversary celebration), birthday parties, and time with my family and friends have taken a toll, but I know that these are temporary losses. What has affected me more deeply, because I know it reaches beyond the lifespan of this global health crisis, is the trauma of witnessing continued racial injustice, the loss of so many lives, and my sadness at seeing our country so divided. I am fully vested in everything that is happening and want to do my part while also feeling fatigued by the conflict and chaos I see on my computer and TV screen and cell phone for hours each day.
But even during these challenging times, my optimism somehow finds its way to the surface and I find myself looking for opportunities and solutions to the big challenges that we’re grappling with--like I’m looking for the sun that cracks through the dark skies after a summer thunderstorm. So, I want to share some of the reasons for my optimism and why I remain hopeful.
I remain hopeful because I interact with students, faculty, and staff members who are committed to addressing injustices and solving this country’s big problems.
I remain hopeful because I watch young people of all races, religions, political beliefs, identities, and cultures stand up for what’s right.
I remain hopeful because I watch dedicated scientists work with haste to deliver a safe vaccine.
I remain hopeful because I hear Dr. Hrabowski and Dr. Rous talk about “demonstrating the moral leadership necessary to unite our nation in true pursuit of both liberty and justice for all.”
I remain hopeful because I see our democracy grinding away towards certifying a true and fair election. And then because I think about how many young people in our UMBC community and beyond exercised their right and voted.
I remain hopeful because I talked with my daughter, a college junior, who after standing in line for two hours in 38 degree weather to vote in Pennsylvania said, "We're ready to do our part too, mom.”
I was recently reading an excerpt from President Barack Obama’s new book, “A Promised Land”. He says, “In [a] world—of global supply chains, instantaneous capital transfers, social media, transnational terrorist networks, climate change, mass migration, and ever-increasing complexity—we will learn to live together, cooperate with one another, and recognize the dignity of others, or we will perish.”
I’m committed to doing my part—for my daughter and her future, for our democracy, and for all of you.
And so I encourage you to continue to raise your voices against injustice, continue to stand for the truth and what is right, continue to work on real solutions in collaborative ways with others in our campus community and beyond, and continue to make time to listen to each other.
Let’s strive to live in a world where we can celebrate what makes us unique while acknowledging our similarities. As my favorite poet and activist, the esteemed Dr. Maya Angelou said in her poem, Human Family, “I note the obvious differences in the human family…[but] we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike. We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”
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by Candace Dodson-Reed, '96 Chief of Staff Executive Director, Office of Equity and Inclusion Office of the President Like many of you in the UMBC community, I am watching the post-election...
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election2020
Center for Democracy and Civic Life
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Mon, 16 Nov 2020 14:34:00 -0500
Mon, 16 Nov 2020 14:35:08 -0500
POLI 409: Advanced Research
Hey Political Science Students,
Interested in doing political science research in the
Spring? Consider signing up for POLI 409: Advanced Research!
Students in POLI 409 will engage in a semester-long
political science research project of their own choosing. Students will work to
identify a topic, conduct a literature review, pose a specific research
question, and identify sources of information to analyze both quantitatively
and qualitatively. Students taking POLI 409 will also be encouraged to submit a
proposal to participate in UMBC’s URCAD (Undergraduate Research and Creative
Achievement Day). By the end of the semester, each student will have an original
piece of scholarship that can be used as a writing sample or the preliminary
work for graduate school.
Requirement: successful completion of POLI 301 before the
spring term begins.
Course: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10-11:15am
Contact: Carolyn Forestiere, forestie@umbc.edu
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Hey Political Science Students, Interested in doing political science research in the Spring? Consider signing up for POLI 409: Advanced Research! Students in POLI 409 will engage in a...
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Political Science
https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/poli
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Mon, 16 Nov 2020 12:10:22 -0500
Bike & Build: Pedaling for Affordable Housing (11/17 @12:30)
Info Session hosted by Dr. Kerri Evans (UMBC Social Work)
Join UMBC Professor, Kerri Evans, and Bike & Build to learn about the affordable housing cause and how to make an impact.
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Join UMBC Professor, Kerri Evans, and Bike & Build to learn about the affordable housing cause and how to make an impact. Register here.
Flyer
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Fri, 13 Nov 2020 16:13:35 -0500
Fri, 13 Nov 2020 16:18:11 -0500
UMBC Public Policy Info Session
Hey Political Science Students,
UMBC's school of Public Policy is hosting an info session about the Public Policy graduate
programs on Thursday, December 3. As a reminder, UMBC’s school of Public Policy
participates in the accelerated pathways BA/MPP program, so sophomores or
juniors could benefit from attending this event as well. Students can register
for the virtual info session via the link below. Please see their invitation below for more info of how to attend.
We are hosting a virtual information session about the
Public Policy graduate programs Thursday, December 3. Please join us!
December 3, 2020
4:30pm EST
Webex video conference
The info session will give you the opportunity to talk to
Faculty and Staff to learn more about our Master of Public Policy, PhD
in Public Policy, Accelerated Bachelor/Master, and joint degree
programs.
To
register, please click here.
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Hey Political Science Students, UMBC's school of Public Policy is hosting an info session about the Public Policy graduate programs on Thursday, December 3. As a reminder, UMBC’s school of...
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Political Science
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Political Science
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Thu, 12 Nov 2020 16:54:19 -0500
Two New POLI Courses Added for the Spring of 2021
Hey Political Science Students,
The Political Science Department is in the process of adding
two new courses to the Spring schedule: Russian Politics (POLI 475) and Arctic
Geopolitics (POLI 409). Please see below for a brief description. If you have
any questions, please contact Dr. Grodsky (bgrodsky@umbc.edu)
POLI 475 - Russian Politics
The goal
of this course is to introduce students to Russian politics and, in the
process, provide a detailed case study of independence and democratization
processes that play out across the world. The readings review the social and
historical context of political life in Russia, tracing the country’s
development from the early 20th century to the present.
The first
part of this course is a historical exploration of the making of modern Russia,
beginning with the communist revolution and culminating with the rise of
President Vladimir Putin. We then look at formative elements of the Putin
years, after which we explore several aspects of contemporary Russian politics.
These include: ethnicity and nationalism, political development, economic
reform and post-independence foreign policy construction. This course
integrates broad theoretical issues in the study of political science –
especially with respect to independence and the democratic transition – with
important facts and approaches necessary to make sense of Russia today.
POLI 409 - Arctic Geopolitics
The goal
of this course is to introduce students to the rapidly evolving international
competition over the Arctic. There are currently eight Arctic states that span
from the enormous, including the United States and Russia, to the tiny, such as
Denmark and its dependent territory, Greenland. But as global warming continues
to transform the Arctic, new and formidable powers, from Europe to Asia, are
expressing greater interest in the region. They are drawn by the promise of
newly accessible resources, from oil and gas to shipping lanes. The frozen,
inhospitable territory long overlooked by most of humanity is suddenly
attracting enormous attention.
This course
takes a broad approach to the human experience in the Arctic, beginning with an
overview of the Arctic and its historic place in geopolitics, as well as the
environmental changes that have begun to alter both the land and sea in
profound ways. Next, we explore the central economic draw to the region,
including oil, gas, and transportation networks, before exploring ethical and
legal constraints on human activity there. Finally, we consider individual
country interests and common attempts at international governance of the
Arctic.
Casting Your Whole Vote means working to build community and address challenges collectively every day, not just on Election Day. Here are four timely opportunities for members of the UMBC community to stay engaged and work together:
STRiVE is a five-day immersive experiential learning program for undergraduate students held off-campus during Winter Break. STRiVE’s intensive and engaging curriculum supports participants in developing critical thinking, leadership, community engagement, and cultural organizing skills. Well over 99% of the hundreds of UMBC students who have participated in STRiVE said they would recommend the experience to a friend.
STRiVE 2021 will take place virtually from January 11-15, 2021. The application is due THIS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH at 11:59pm.
Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a five-day immersive learning experience held during Spring Break. Participants think critically about social issues in Baltimore and develop skills in problem solving, community building, and storytelling. They meet with and learn from community partners, government officials, and scholars to develop a sophisticated understanding of local resources and challenges and lay the groundwork for long-term collective civic action.
Alternative Spring Break 2021 will take place virtually from March 15-19, 2021. The application is due on Monday, November 23rd at 11:59 p.m.
After the Election: A Conversation with UMBC Legislators is an opportunity to engage with the District 12 legislators who represent UMBC and the surrounding communities in the Maryland General Assembly. This program provides an opportunity to talk in small groups about important issues, and learn about pathways for anyone, independent of their major or role on campus, to contribute to the civic health of our community.
After the Election will take place virtually on November 18, 2020 from 5:00 - 7:00pm. RSVP here while spots are available but no later than Tuesday, November 17th.
The
Civic Courage Journaling Project creates space for individual reflection on personal experiences with important civic implications. UMBC student, faculty, staff, and alumni journal bearers respond to prompts from the Center by creating entries in their journals and discussing them at monthly journal bearer gatherings.
The next Civic Courage Journaling Project gathering will take place virtually on Friday, November 20th from 3:15 - 4:45pm. Sign up any time by sending an email indicating your interest to civiclife@umbc.edu.