Pi Sigma Alpha
Pi Sigma Alpha (PSA) is the national Political Science honor society. Duquesne University's chapter is the Mu Phi Chapter, created in
The purpose of PSA is to foster scholarship and fellowship among its members and throughout the student body of the Department of Political Science.
Requirements for membership: Political Science majors must have a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average in their Political Science courses and must be in the top one-third of their class in the McAnulty College of Liberal Arts.
Officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer
Current Officers, 2011
President - Deanna Shick
Co-President - Mike Jarrett
Secretary - vacant
Treasurer - vacant
Examples of activities:
Roundtable discussions with department faculty, "Human Rights: An Assessment of Progress as the Millenium Approaches," November 30, 1999.
Roundtable discussion with department faculty on the 2000 national elections, November 14, 2000.
Roundtable, "National Missile Defense," April, 5, 2001.
Roundtable, "Terrorism: Our New Unconventional War," fall 2001.
Roundtable, "Terrorism: Our New War, Revisited," spring 2002.
Roundtable discussion, "What's Next in Iraq?", Lew Irwin, Kent Moors, John Sawicki, Paul Hettler, William Thompson-Uberuaga, April 3, 2003.
Presentation by Jeremy Bailey, "John Roberts and the Politics of the Appointment Confirmation Process," September, 2005.
Presentation by John DeGory, foreign service officer, "Careers in the Foreign Service," Marc, 2009.
Presentation by Dean Christopher Duncan, political scientist, November 17, 2009.
Sponsored debate between the Young Democrats and the College Republicans, February 18, 2010 (one of many such debates).
Unrest in the Middle East and Implications for America, February 16, 2011.
Various presentations on national elections by Pat Dunham.
Several presentation on Iraq and Afghanistan by Lew Irwin.
National Pi Sigma Alpha website: www.apsanet.org/~psa/
INTERNSHIPS
POSC 430W is the internship class for the Department of Political Science. This course is by permission only. Students must apply by writing a letter to the Internship Director, Dr. Lew Irwin. In this letter explain why you want an internship, and why the Department should consider you for one. POSC 430W is offered in fall semesters.
Requirements: Interns work 16 hours a week in a state or federal legislative office, doing constituency service work for the most part. Interns keep a daily log of activities, write a lengthy research paper, and meet regularly with Dr. Irwin.
Placements: are made with consideration to the student's political party preference and transportation needs. We place with legislators from both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Grades: are determined by the log, the paper, and the recommendation of the intern's supervisor.
Examples of recent placements: State Representatives Paul Costa, Tom Stevenson, Tom Solobay, State Senator Jay Costa, U.S. Representatives Phil English, Melissa Hart, Tim Murphy, Mike Doyle; U.S. Senator Arlen Specter.
Who should apply: If you like working with people, and you'd like to be able to observe how legislative offices work, this is the place for you. You can take pride in helping citizens get their government to solve the kinds of problems that only governments can solve. If you would prefer to intern in a corporation or a law firm, then you can pursue those kinds of internships through Career Services.
Washington, D.C. Internships: Consult with Dr. Irwin to find out whether an internship in Washington, D.C. can count as POSC 430W. All the requirements for POSC 43W0 must be met. Plan early.
POLITICAL SCIENCE What can I do with this degree?
About half of Duquesne's Political Science majors attend law school. The other half do a wide variety of things. One of the advantages of a liberal arts degree is its flexibility; rather than ask what can I do with this degree, ask what can't I do with this degree?
If you would like to work in government, you can consider working for the intelligence services, the Peace Corps, Americorps, the State Department, or the Foreign Service, to name just some of the placement possibilities. Combining the study of Political Science with a major in a foreign language is great preparation for a career with the Foreign Service. Or, combine Political Science with Journalism or Communication to seek employment with the U.S. International Communication Agency.
If you are interested in public policy but don't wish to work for the government, you can consider one of the thousands of interest groups or nonprofit organizations that exist both in Washington, D.C., and at the state and local level.
Those who are interested in politics can seek employment with a state or federal legislator, on Capitol Hill, in one of the many federal bureaucracies, or state or national party organizations (you might want to begin at the county level). Campaign consultants, pollsters, and political parties hire those with political skills as well.
There are many international and nongovernmental organizations, from the United Nations to Human Rights Watch that have jobs for Political Science majors.
Recent alumni from our department have jobs that include: various kinds of attorneys, including federal judge; working in the Department of Homeland Security, working in the Intelligence Fusion Center at the Drug Enforcement Agency, real estate appraiser, design consultant, director of communications for a U.S. Senator, health plan manager, banking officer, research analyst, sales manager, urban planner, and college professor, to name just a few.
You can make yourself more attractive to employers by working at an internship while you're still in college, or right after graduation. The Political Science Department has its own internship class (POSC 430W), or Career Services can help you find the right internship at www.duq.edu/career-services/
Go to our links for a link to average pay by major (after graduation) to see that Political Science majors do well compared to those with other majors.
The Harold Webb, Jr. Excellence in Political Science Award
Each year the faculty of the Department of Political Science examine the records of our top majors to determine whether to present this award to the outstanding senior. Overall grade point average is a major factor in determining this award, but intellectual capacity as exhibited in classroom performance is considered as well. Department faculty consider the eligible students, and then decide whether to make the award and to whom. Awardees are the best of the best.
This award is named for Harold Webb, Jr., who was a member of the department from 1960 until 1994. He was a beloved professor who specialized in International Relations.
Webb Award Winners:
1994 Diane O'Toole
1995 Stephanie Muraca
1996 Colin Wrabley
1997 Marco Cercone
1998 Alison K. Nipar
1999 Jennifer Marie Popovich
2000 Robert Kravetz
2001 Meghan Hungate
2002 Adam Warhola
2003 James Naus
2004 Stephen Sawka
2005 Dana Windisch
2006 Joselyn Molinari and Elena Pollock
2007 Lauren Clark
2008 Jamisen Etzel
2009 Amanda Sorrell
2010 William Lewis
2011 Jason Hunt
How to Register to Vote
College students may register to vote either in the place where their parents reside (their permanent address), or in the place where they are attending school. You choose.
In order to find how to register to vote, contact the Secretary of State's office in the state in question. If you want to register to vote in Pennsylvania go to http://www.votespa.com/portal/server.pt/community/register_to_vote/13518
