George Baker Jr. ’74 and Frank Vlossak ’89 have returned to Hamilton to share their real-world experience with 12 students through a unique Lobbying and Government Relations course. Baker and Vlossak, who hold the positions of distinguished lecturers of American Public Policy and Practice, previously co-taught the course in 2008.

Using examples from today’s political landscape, Professor of Government P. Gary Wyckoff examined elements of critical thinking in an essay titled “What Exactly Is Critical Thinking,” published by InsideHigherEd in its Oct. 11 edition. “As I prepared for the start of classes this fall, I tried to pinpoint the critical thinking skills I really want my students to learn,” wrote Wyckoff.  “And as I listened to public debates on everything from tax policy to Obamacare, five essential thinking skills seemed to be missing, again and again.”

Bipartisanship is generally in short supply in Washington.  However, Hamilton’s Program in Washington students got a glimpse of it at a briefing at the American Enterprise Institute on September 19.  Senators Ron Wyden (D, Oregon) and Marco Rubio (R, Florida) discussed a bill they had introduced, the Student Right to Know Before You Go Act.

Tonight Hamilton students will participate with students from six universities across the country in a live, pilot polling project during the presidential debate. Via a new smart phone application, more than a hundred students will be able to “register their in-the-moment reactions to what candidates are saying during a debate, using button taps (e.g. Agree and Disagree), and answering pre- and post-debate survey questions (e.g. partisanship, issue priorities, demographics),” according to the developer’s website.

Alan Cafruny, the Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Affairs, presented a paper at a conference on "The Euro Crisis and the Future of the EU" at the Moynihan Institute for Global Affairs, Maxwell School, Syracuse University on Sept. 20. His paper was titled "The Crisis and the Re-emergence of the 'German Question.'"

Professor of Government Robert Martin delivered the Constitution Day lecture on Sept. 17 at the University of South Carolina. The lecture focused on early opposition to popular government and the role those critics played in forming America’s democratic culture.

After a long, hot, summer 225 years ago on September 17, 1787, a group of men signed their names to the document that would give structure to the fledgling United States: the Constitution. After an early attempt, the Articles of Confederation, had been abandoned, the nation’s founders decided to craft a completely new document, which they did in four months.

Associate Professor of Government Peter Cannavò published "Individualism or Independence?," on Huffington Post on Sept. 10. His piece addressed the Republican Party's embrace of both economic individualism and personal independence as fundamental American values and suggested that the two ideals may be incompatible. Cannavò also argued that the American Founders supported personal independence but were not necessarily economic individualists.

Twelve juniors have begun the fall 2012 Program in Washington, which combines academic seminars, independent research and internships. Internships this semester include Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency, Democratic National Committee, and a variety of thinks tanks, consulting firms, and non-profits.   The semester  includes a co-curricular program of meetings with policymakers and excursions to take advantage of Washington’s educational and cultural assets. The program is directed this semester by Professor of Government David Paris ’71.

In a Huffington Post article titled “Why the Ryan Pick Fizzled,” Philip Klinkner, the James S. Sherman Professor of Government, discussed why assumed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s selection of U.S. Representative Paul Ryan as his vice president nominee didn't generate an overwhelmingly positive response among voters.