Out of town for the weekend
09.04.2006Spent the weekend in Wilmington/Philadelphia. Andy played a gracious host to K8 & I, and we celebrated his birthday. We also called my other brother, Sam, whose birthday was yesterday. In the end, it was a nice, though short, little weekend trip. After all, Dickinson has classes today.
The trip was party for the annual APSA conference, held this year in Philadelphia. I missed most of the conference, focusing instead on teaching duties.
But I didn't want to miss the panel commemorating Juan Linz. Though I was never a student of his, I've followed his work — thematically, methodologically, and conceptually — for much of my graduate student career. And I do share some weird connections. Linz (a giant in the field of comparative politics) led a team of "constitutional engineers" to Bolivia in 1993-1994 to give some suggested constitutional reforms (they weren't adopted).
But I also personally met him, briefly, at a constitutional engineering conference at the University of Notre Dame several years ago. This frail-looking, quiet little man, whose books have shaped the discipline since the 1970s treated this anonymous young graduate student just like he did all the others around him. And on a cloudy & windy day in South Bend, we shared a cigarette and a brief conversation about Bolivian politics. In short, he was a gentleman. It was great to see him publicly honored by generations of his peers. And, again, we bumped into each other in the most humble of circumstances: he was at the urinal next to mine.
From there, I mostly just hit the book sellers w/ abandon. It's a poorly kept secret that this is one of the best reason to attend conferences. Sure, you get to hear an interesting panel or two. And, yes, you may run into old friends & colleagues. But the exhibition hall is packed w/ dozens upon dozens of publishers. And. Many of them will give you books for free. Oh, sure, you have to tell him how it's for a course you're adopting (and it usually is), but they'll send along copies to your office. If you're lucky, they just give them to you on the spot.
Aside from two books on Fujimori (one of which will be used next semester), I found an interesting collection of essays by Ronald Beiner, Liberalism, Nationalism, Citizenship. It seems right up my alley on issues of national imaginaries & democratic theory. Of course, a host of things should arrive to my office starting next week, too. And I walked away w/ a wide assortment of new book catalogs from most of the academic presses in the Northern Hemisphere. Fantastic.
The rest of the time I spent w/ Andy & K8 (they'd gone to Ikea while I was "conferencing"). And on Sunday the three of us met Saloumeh, K8's brother, and K8's grandparents at Woody's Crab House (click the "crabs only" link) in North East, Maryland. Eh. I'm not much for crabs, I guess.
I must also add that the drive through Pennsylvania (or Pennsyltucky, as some call it) is beautiful. Driving through rolling hills takes a little getting used to, but we're getting the knack of it.
This was also the first time we left all the cats alone for a weekend trip. And they were all alive, healthy, and hale when we returned. Even Annie seems to be getting along better w/ the rest of the menagerie.
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Oh, if you're curious, this is what I'm teaching next semester (on top of a section of Intro to Comparative politics):
POSC 290: Heroes & Villains: Populism in Latin America
An examination of historical and contemporary populist leaders in Latin America focusing on such figures as Getulio Vargas, Juan Peron, Alberto Fujimori, Hugo Chavez, and others. Special attention is given to understanding populism is (as a model of political organization) through its relationship to political parties, electoral systems, and other political institutions.
POSC 390: Democracy and Its Discontents (Modern Political Ideologies)
An examination of three of the political ideologies that shaped the 20th century—liberalism, socialism, and fascism—and their relationships to democratic theory and the democratic ideal. In addition, we will consider the contemporary and future role of these and other political ideologies as we enter the 21st century.
Posted by Miguel at 03:04 PM
Comments
Many of them will give you books for free. Oh, sure, you have to tell him how it's for a course you're adopting (and it usually is), but they'll send along copies to your office. If you're lucky, they just give them to you on the spot.
So I thought too, but when I spoke to publishers at the MPSA a lot promised me to send me the books I was interested in (I spoke to about 6 or 7 publishers) - 1 actually followed through.
And even worse - McGraw-Hill had me do some review work for them, promised me an honorarium and never paid - and has since not even answered any e-mails regarding this process. I will not be a happy customer if I ever get to talk to any rep again.
/rant over ;)
Anyways, glad to hear things seem to go well!
Posted by: Melli at September 4, 2006 05:46 PM
That second class sounds really interesting. Not that the first one doesn't. Let me know how it works for you. These days I'm teaching communication, and let's just say that's interesting in it's own way.
Posted by: Duane Gundrum at September 4, 2006 06:33 PM
I hope you enjoyed my new city (Philadelphia). I too recently heard the term "Pennslytucky" and found it mildly entertaining. The next time you're in town, pick up a City Paper and support the new home for my writing.
-McKenna
Posted by: miss_malany ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.centellas.org/miguel/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 4, 2006 06:43 PM
1. did you pick out the names of your courses, because as a non poly sci student, I'm totally interested in taking these classes (pass/fail, of course).
2. Andy lives in Pennsylvania? really? is it a coincidense, I had no idea.
3. Matt and I had our first Ikea experience last night and we love loved it. So cheap, so easy to assemble. It's perfect for people who know they'll be moving around a in a town for the next fe years and have no idea where they'll end up in four years time.
Posted by: bay at September 4, 2006 07:38 PM
I'm envious of your free books. Do the publishers send them outside of the States if a foreign visitor asks for copies?
Posted by: Stephanie at September 5, 2006 03:21 AM
Melli:
Yes, some of the publishers don't really follow through. But even before APSA, I'd ordered several exam copies online from a few publishers (Blackwell, Penn State, Cambridge) and they're supposedly on their way. We'll see what happens. I've had good luck in the past; though not all the publishers deliver in the end.
Duane:
I'm curious to hear more about your communication classes.
Posted by: mcentellas at September 5, 2006 08:42 AM
McKenna:
Wait, you're in Philadelphia? Or did I miss something. I'll totally look for a City Paper.
Posted by: mcentellas at September 5, 2006 08:43 AM
Bay:
Yes, I picked the titles for the courses. I'm still continuously surprised w/ how much freedom Dickinson gives me, as a new & temporary faculty member.
Also, Andy doesn't live in Pennsylvania; he lives in Wilmington, Delaware. But it's only two hours away from me. It's a complete (and pleasant!) coincidence. He works for DuPont.
And I'm also surprised by Ikea. From the way people talked about it all the time (or the kinds of people who talked about it all the time), I always though it was expensive Swedish stuff. But, no! It's just the Swedish version of Walmart. So I like it!
Posted by: mcentellas at September 5, 2006 08:47 AM
Stephanie:
I know that publishers will send books overseas, but they might have higher shipping costs. Also, some might be more/less reluctant than others.
Posted by: mcentellas at September 5, 2006 06:09 PM
Yes, I now call the city of brotherly love home and the city paper my job-er-internship. :)
Posted by: mckenna at September 10, 2006 03:49 PM
I am intrigued by your outlook of your Heroes & Villains: Populism in Latin America's class. You know my dissertation is heading in that direction and I certainly would appreciate having the opportunity to check out your sillabus. Is it available somewhere online? (I could not find it at the Dickinson's search engine). Or could you email it to me?
Thanks in advance!
a
Posted by: Ani at September 14, 2006 05:08 PM
Ani:
I don't have syllabi yet for my next semester courses, though I have a good idea of the required basic books. I'll post them soon.
Posted by: mcentellas at September 14, 2006 06:32 PM
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