2008 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Saturday, April 5-8:00 am
Paper
Paper
Paper
Disc.
Muslims in America: Acculturated by not Incorporated
Due to increasing attention to Muslims in the U.S. and their
"questionable" loyalties to American ideals, this study compares and
examines the views of more than 300 Muslims living in the Seattle
area to more than 1400 non-Muslims.
Karam Dana, University of Washington
karam@u.washington.edu
Institutions, Voting Laws and Minority Turnout
We seek to understand whether state institutions/voting laws
imposing barriers to voting or facilitating voting have differential
and/or detrimental effects on individual-level voting decisions of
Latinos and African Americans.
Caroline J. Tolbert, University of Iowa
caroline-tolbert@uiowa.edu
Rene R. Rocha, University of Iowa
rene-rocha@uiowa.edu
William W. Franko, University of Iowa
william-franko@uiowa.edu
Christopher Clark, University of Iowa
christopher-clark@uiowa.edu
The "Other" Racial Category
This paper examines the racial category of “other” exploring the
characteristics of this group. In addition I seek to understand if the
“others” political behavior varies from those who identify with a
specific category.
Carrie M. Nordlund, Lake Forest College
nordlund@lakeforest.edu
Marisa A. Abrajano, University of California, San Diego
mabrajano@ucsd.edu
Dino Bozonelos, University of California, Riverside
dino.bozonelos@email.ucr.edu
30-3 EPIC, TRAGEDY, AND COMEDY AS POLITICAL
PHILOSOPHY
Room PDR 16 on the 5th Floor, Sat at 8:00 am
Chair Daniel Jacob Kapust, University of Georgia
djkapust@uga.edu
Paper What Aristotle Learned from Homer, the Political Philosopher
This paper shows how Arisotle utilizes the political distinctions
of Homer's Iliad. Homer's poetic genius is well-known and
acknolwedged; yet his genius as a political philosopher is rarely
discussed. This paper is a modest attempt to do so.
Will Geisler, University of Dallas
andros47@gmail.com
Paper Slave-owning Odysseus
This paper highlights the importance of Books 14 and 15 in the
Odyssey’s overall political framework, resulting in a more nuanced
view of the poem’s treatment of slavery and justice and countering
triumphalist readings of the poem's violent end.
Katherine L. Kretler, University of Chicago
klkretle@uchicago.edu
Paper Standing Still at Aulis: Aeschylus and the Sacrificial Origins of
Politics
I offer an interpretation the "Oresteia" in which I argue that humans
and animals are connected by a sacrificial politics that structures
their relationship from the beginning, and which continues to haunt
contemporary efforts to liberate both.
Stefan Dolgert, Williams College
spd5@duke.edu
Paper The Fate of Heroes as Political Theory: Plato and the Myth of
Er
This paper examines the choices made by the Homeric heroes
at the end of Plato's Myth of Er, in view of both the poetic and
the political ramifications of the heroes' selections. Of particular
significance are the choices of Odysseus and Ajax.
Joe Wilson, University of Scranton
wilsonj1@scranton.edu
Disc.
Ivan Kenneally, Rochester Institute of Technology
ixkgsm@rit.edu
Daniel Jacob Kapust, University of Georgia
djkapust@uga.edu
31-11 RECONSIDERING THE DEMOCRATIC LOCKE
Room Salon 2 on the 3rd Floor, Sat at 8:00 am
Chair Sami-Juhani Savonius-Wroth, University of Helsinki
sami-juhani.savonius@helsinki.fi
Paper The Problem of Human Equality in Locke's Political Philosophy
Following an examination of Locke's discussion of "species" and
language in An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, this paper
claims that the conception of human equality present in Locke's
political writings is "political" rather than "natural."
Sara M. Henary, University of Virginia
henary@virginia.edu
Paper Is John Locke a Democrat
The democratic character of John Locke’s political theory
is analysed with Robert A. Dahl’s conceptual framework on
assumptions for a democratic order, criteria for a democratic
process, and the institutions of polyarchy.
Palle Svensson, Aarhus University
pal@ps.au.dk
Disc. Sami-Juhani Savonius-Wroth, University of Helsinki
sami-juhani.savonius@helsinki.fi
32-10 THE LIBERAL THOUGHT OF MILL, BERLIN, AND
FREUD
Room UEH 406 on the 4th Floor, Sat at 8:00 am
Chair Alex Schulman, University of California, Los Angeles
alex19@ucla.edu
Paper The Conservative Phase of Liberal Thought: Justifying Liberal
Values
Addressing Berlin’s notion of objective pluralism is necessary
to understanding the contemporary dilemmas of liberalism. This
requires examining both values held to be illiberal and liberal values
held by those who do not ascribe to liberalism.
Chris Stangl, West Chester University
cstangl@wcupa.edu
Paper Sigmund Freud and American Democratic Realism, 1915-1960
This paper will argue that Sigmund Freud's ideas were used by
American political theorists to criticize the notion that ideals, or
political hope, ought to play a role both in assessing American
liberal-democracy and in people's political behavior.
Patrick K. E. LaPierre, SUNY, Canton
patlapierre@hotmail.com
Paper The Three Criteria of Mill's Harm Principle
The paper articulates the three criteria that an action must meet in
order for it to be legally and morally prohibited according the Mill's
Harm Principle.
Sujith Shashi Kumar, University of Minnesota
ubersujith@lycos.com
Disc. Alex Schulman, University of California, Los Angeles
alex19@ucla.edu
33-19 PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY AND POLITICAL
THOUGHT
Room Suite 12-250 on the 12th Floor, Sat at 8:00 am
Chair Andrew Poe, University of California, San Diego
apoe@ucsd.edu
Paper Levinas and Trauma
Emmanuel Levinas, by identifying a violence suffered in an
immemorial past, poses himself as a theorist of trauma.
Mina Suk, Johns Hopkins University
msuk@jhu.edu
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