Department of History and Political Science
Spring 2015
Scottish Referendum Event
Kyle Parker, Guest Speaker
Kyle Parker, a senior staff member on
the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the
U.S. House of Representatives spoke to
the USM community on Monday, October 20th. Through his work as a policy
adviser on the Helsinki Commission, Mr.
Parker has played an influential role in
developing landmark sanctions on human rights violators in Russia.
Inside this issue:
HTY Courses
2
HTY Courses
2
HTY Courses
2
POS Courses
3
POS Course
3
POS Courses
3
Department News 4
Registration Info:

Matriculated students registration begins Nov10th

For complete registration
schedule go to
usm.maine.edu/reg

Winter session registration
began September 22nd

Last day to drop class for
100% refund is January
25th

Last day to withdraw for
grade of W is March 22nd

Reminder: Check
Mainestreet for registration
appointments and don’t
forget to meet with your
advisor!

For current office hours
please go to www.usm.edu/
HTY/people or
www.usm.edu/POS/people
On October 2nd, the department coordinated and sponsored a panel discussion regarding the Scottish Referendum. Peter Pitegoff,
Dean and Professor of Law at the University
of Maine Law School supplied the opening
remarks and Professor Francesca Vassallo,
Political Scientist, facilitated the Q&A portion
of the evening. The panelists were Donnie
Jack, Scottish Affairs Counsellor for the Americas, British Embassy, Washington, DC; Owen
Traylor, Consultant and former British Diplomat; and Professor of English Nancy Gish.
Political Science Professor Alix Van
Sickle (pictured right) who has been
teaching introductory courses in Inter-
national Relations arranged the talk
for her POS 205 class and invited USM
and the general public. Mr. Parker
was interviewed by MPBN and can be
accessed by going to: http://
news.mpbn.net/post/maine-nativetargets-russian-human-rights-violators
History Professor New Member of ME Museum Commission
Libby Bischof,
USM associate
professor of
history in the
Department of
History and Political Science,
has been appointed by Gov.
Paul LePage to join the 15member commission, which has
oversight of the museum’s
policies and operations.
Bischof, who specializes in
Maine and American history
and the history of photography, is the first USM professor to be named to the commission, which was established
in 1965, according to museum
officials. Commission members
are appointed because of
their special qualifications
and interests in the various
fields of museum activity.
“I am passionate about the
history of Maine and making
the state's history and culture
accessible to public audiences
of all ages, all over the state.
I am excited to serve the museum and the state of Maine
in this capacity, especially in
the area of education and
outreach initiatives.” Professor
Bischof said.
`
Spring 2015 Newsletter for The Department of History and Political Science
Page 2
History Courses Offered in Portland Spring 2015
HTY 121 US History to 1800, MW 8:45-10:00, Allan Whitmore
HTY 122 US History 1800-1900, TR 2:00-3:15, Allan Whitmore
HTY 123 US History Since 1900, MW 10:15-11:30, Allan Whitmore
HTY 172 Modern East Asia, MW 8:45-10:00, Jie Zhao
HTY 200 Ref, Research, & Report Writing, TR 1:15-2:30, Eileen Eagan
HTY 200 Ref, Research, & Report Writing, MW 11:45-1:00, Jie Zhao
HTY 330 Germany: Bismarck to Hitler, TR 11:45-1:00, Abraham Peck
HTY 377 Chinese Thought: Confucianism, Daoism, and Zen MW 2:45-4:00, Jie Zhao
HTY 394 Civil Rights Movement, W 5:35-8:05, Leroy Rowe
HTY 394 Labor History Through Film, T 4:10-6:40, Eileen Eagan
HTY 394 Islam: Religion, Society & Politics, TR 11:45-1:00, Mahmud Faksh
HTY 394 French Politics and Gov’t, MW 1:15-2:30, Francesca Vassallo
HTY 394 Latin Am Society and Politics, MW 10:15-11:30, Alix Van Sickle
HTY 400 Sen Seminar: The City in History and Memory, R 4:10-6:40, Eileen Eagan
History Courses Offered in Gorham Spring 2015
HTY 102 Western Civ II, MW 9:30-10:45, Chris Beam
HTY 142 African American History from 1865, TR 12:30-1:45, Leroy Rowe
HTY 152 Islamic Near East, MW 12:30-1:45, Gary Johnson
HTY 360 History of Maine, M 4:10-5:25, Libby Bischof (blended)
HTY 374 Photographing Am History, R 7:00-9:30, Libby Bischof
HTY 400 Sen Seminar: Democratic Theme in Am, T 4:10-6:40, Allan Whitmore
History Courses Offered Online Spring 2015
HTY 101 Western Civilization I, Gary Johnson
HTY 102 Western Civilization II, Seth Rogoff
HTY 181 Latin America I, John Paton
HTY 360 History of Maine, M 4:10-5:25, Libby Bischof (blended)
HTY 394 Afghanistan, Chris Beam
History Internships Spring 2015
HTY 300 History Internship, Libby Bischof
HTY 398 Independent Study in History, Libby Bischof
Spring 2015 Newsletter for The Department of History and Political Science
Page 3
Political Science Courses Offered in Portland Spring 2015
POS 101 Intro to Am Government, T 4:10-6:40, Ron Schmidt
POS 104 Intro to Internat’l Relations, MW 2:45-4:00, Mahmud Faksh
POS 104 Intro to Internat’l Relations, TR 2:45-4:00, Mahmud Faksh
POS 205 Intro to Comparative Politics, MW 11:45-1:00, Mahmud Faksh
POS 245 French Politics and Government, MW 1:15-2:30, Francesca Vassallo
POS 262 The American Presidency, TR 11:45-1:00, Ron Schmidt
POS 290 Intro to Political Theory, TR 2:45-4:00, Ron Schmidt
POS 380 Islam: Religion, Society, & Politics, TR 11:45-1:00, Mahmud Faksh
POS 380 Poverty, Policy, and Perspectives, W 4:10-6:40, Luisa Deprez
POS 380 International Human Rights, TR 10:15-11:30, Alix Van Sickle
POS 380 Capstone in Social Sciences, T 4:10-6:40 Cheryl Laz
POS 380 International Communication, R 4:10-6:40, Staff
POS 399 Latin American Politics and Society, MW 10:15-11:30, Alix Van Sickle
POS 445 MeMUNC Conference Planners, W 4:10-6:40, Lynn Kuzma
POS 446 Global Educators, W 7:00-9:30, Lynn Kuzma
Political Science Courses Offered in Gorham Spring 2015
POS 101 Intro to Am Government, TR 11:00-12:15, Leroy Rowe
Political Science Courses Offered Online Spring 2015
POS 104 Intro to International Relations, Alix Van Sickle
POS 203 Intro to Political Science Research, Vanessa Perez
POS 203 Intro to Political Science Research, Vanessa Perez
Political Science Internship Spring 2015
POS 472 Not-For-Profit Internship, T 4:10-6:40, James Messerschmidt
POS 476 Washington Internship, Francesca Vassallo
Department News
After 45 years of service to
the University of Southern
Maine, Dr. Allan Whitmore,
Associate Professor of History
is retiring. Dr. Whitmore is
an Alumnus of the University
of Maine, receiving his BA in
1962. By the late 1960’s he
had received both his MA and
Ph.D. from Northwestern University and began teaching immediately at USM. He has been a major contributor to his field of history by his constant research, publishing and giving talks ranging in subjects including
"Jack London's Three Unknown Half-Siblings: Strengthening the Case for a Virile William Cheney's Paternity”,
as well as other interesting topics in United States history. Dr. Whitmore’s passionate voice, echoing through
the halls of Luther Bonney, will be greatly missed.
Also retiring at the end of the
Spring 2015 semester is Professor of Political Science Mahmud
Faksh who joined the University
of Southern Maine faculty in
1987. Professor Faksh has published extensively on Middle
East and Islamic affairs. He previously taught at the University
of Connecticut, King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
and has served as Senior Research Associate in Islamic
and Arabian Development Studies and Visiting Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University.
Professors Whitmore and Faksh are valued members
of the USM community-for their knowledge, service,
and kindness. Their presence will be greatly missed.
We thank them for sharing their gifts with us and we
wish them both a happy retirement.
Model UN Conference Planners Spring 2015
Department Faculty and Staff
History:
Libby Bischof, Dept Chair and Major Advising Coordinator, HTY
Eileen Eagan
Gary Johnson
Leroy Rowe
Adam Tuchinsky, Assoc. Dean, CAHS
Allan Whitmore
Jie Zhao
Political Science:
Mahmud Faksh
Robert Klotz (Sabbatical 2014/2015)
Lynn Kuzma
Ron Schmidt, Major Advising Coordinator, POS
Alix Van Sickle
Francesca Vassallo, Program Coordinator POS
Administrative Assistant:
Nicole Leclerc
Student Assistants:
Megean Bourgeois
Katie Grenier
The History and Political Science Department is located at 55 Exeter Street on the Portland Campus or 200 Bailey Hall on the Gorham Campus.
Please feel free to call the department with questions, the admin may be reached at 780-4283 or [email protected] You can also visit our websites for
department news and events at www.usm.maine.edu/HTY or www.usm.maine.edu/POS