Summary
The US onAir Network will be working with volunteers from Kansas universities, colleges, and nonprofit organizations to oversee the curation and moderation of posts, aircasts (online discussions), and in person events for the Kansas onAir Hub … related to federal, state, and local elections and government.
Our first outreach will be to University of Kansas partly because of its proximity to the state capital. We have identified many of University of Kansas’s civic engagement, academic, internship and research programs related to making democracy and civic responsibility a focus of higher learning on their campus … for students, faculty, staff, and local community. This post, over time, will have similar information on other collaborating organizations in the state.
Contact ben.murphy@onair.cc for more information on how to involve your organization.
About
The University of Kansas’s onAir chapter will initially focus on training interested undergrad and graduate students on how to curate Kansas onAir content especially submitting Top News articles, events, videos, and information and moderating forums in each post they curate.
Student curators will also work with state senate and house committee chairs to produce aircasts on issues being discussed and bills being proposed in their committees.
During election season, students with other other organizations like the League of Women Voters, will coordinate and produce aircasted debates with candidates.
University of Kansas
Source: About KU
In 1866, the University of Kansas welcomed the first class of 55 students to an unfinished building on a treeless ridge called Mount Oread.
Today, our enrollment sits at 28,500. From that single building, we have grown to five campuses — the Lawrence campus, the Edwards Campus in Overland Park, and medical branches in Kansas City, Wichita, and Salina. The once barren landscape has grown into a wooded campus considered one of the most beautiful in the nation.
We embrace our role as the state’s flagship university and a premier research institution, serving the state, nation, and world. We celebrate the energy and compassion that infuse the Jayhawk spirit. And we remain true to our historic values: the elevating force of education, the transformative power of research, and the healing power of service.
Civic Engagement Programs
Source: KU Civic Engagement Hub
“Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.”
– Thomas Ehrlich, Civic Responsibility and Higher Education
The KU Civic Engagement Hub is your one-stop shop for all things civic engagement at KU. Click the buttons below to learn about the opportunities, networks, and resources available for you to engage in civic life!
Student Government
Source: About Us
The University of Kansas Student Senate is the primary advocate for students on campus. As one of higher education’s finest models of self-governance, 110 senators and 11 executive staff members work together to allocate about $25 million in student fees in ways that best serve students. Student Senate also represents the KU student voice within University, State, and National Governance, working to address and develop policy in students’ best interests.
Internships
Source: Political Science Department
Academic Programs
Source: Political Science Department
The Department of Political Science offers BA and BGS programs for students.
The primary distinction between the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of General Studies degree is the foreign language requirement, which is part of the BA degree. Students must demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language through the fourth-semester level in one of three ways.
This may be done by: 1) Pass the proficiency examination in one foreign language, 2) Complete a fourth-semester level course in one foreign language, 3) Complete any foreign language course that has a fourth-semsester-level course as a prerequisite. Students whose native language is not English may be exempt from the foreign language requirement if they can show that the high school they attended taught in a language other than English.
A requirement of the BGS degree is junior/senior concentration, an approved minor outside the major, or a second major or degree.
-The junior/senior concentration requires a minimum of three upper-level courses (numbered 300 and above) totaling at least 9 credit hours in one department outside the major.
-Requirements for the minor vary, but all must be at least 18 hours including 12 hours at the junior/senior level (numbered 300 and above). Nine of the junior/senior hours must be taken in residence at KU.
-Students completing 2 or more majors or degrees are exempt from this requirement.
WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT THE KU POLITICAL SCIENCE GRADUATE PROGRAM?
Our Faculty
The political science faculty enjoy national and international reputations for their research and have won numerous teaching and advising awards. Scholarly output is the primary reason that a recent ranking of doctoral programs in Political Science places KU’s doctoral program in the top third in the nation. To find out more about our award winning faculty, please review our Faculty Roster.
Our Individualized & Stimulating Atmosphere
Our medium size allows faculty to teach seminars on a variety of topics with individualized mentoring in and out of the classroom. Graduate students work closely with faculty on research and themselves publish independent papers and win fellowships and awards. This productivity is complemented by a diverse group of students, many coming from around the world. In addition, by the time of graduation most of our graduate students will teach their own classes. We believe teaching is important part of a graduate education and serves our students well in an increasingly competitive job market. And our unique Thompson Summer Scholarship Research Program offers students the opportunity to engage in a genuine collaborative research project with selected faculty. Working with faculty on a variety of research topics, students maximize their potential by earning a competitive stipend and sharpening their research skills across the summer months. The program has generated many conference papers and publications as well. Our Department therefore offers unparalleled access to our faculty and valuable opportunities in both research and teaching.
Our Campus & Community Connections
We have extensive connections with the broader KU and Lawrence community: KU is an exciting place to be for the study of politics. Graduate students in our program have access to the nationally-recognized centers for African Studies, East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies, Environmental Studies, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, the Institute for Policy & Social Research, and the Dole Institute of Politics. Put your stereotypes about the Wizard of Oz aside; Lawrence is a wonderful place to live, with an interesting political history, and a lively arts and cultural scene.
Research Initiatives
Source: Political Science Department
