Dr. Ellis Oct. 18
Karen Rowe Political Science Courses/Dr. Ellis Oct. 18
Wingate University is now offering new courses in Political Science. Dr. Joseph Ellis is a first year faculty member teaching a new course this coming spring semester. The course is called "The Causes and Consequences of Terrorism," or Special Topics 390. In this class, students will learn about the historical development of terror, its causes, and how they are manifested differently around the world. There will be some lecturing involved, as well as reading. There are four books required for the course, but do not let that scare you. Only two of the books are texts books, while the others are monologues. One of these monologues, “The Looming Tower,” is written by Lawrence Wright who was actually an undercover agent for France working with Al Qaeda. Dr. Ellis had the idea for this class when he saw that students would become more interested in the subject when they could personally relate to it. “I noticed this semester that my group of sophomore students could not connect with many of the political and economic concerns the text relayed, including the fall of the Berlin Wall,” said Ellis, “However, any mention of 9/11 or terrorism sparked their interest.” The new class takes advantage of this interest and curiosity at the same time as taking a learning approach to understanding terrorism. This is the first course of its kind to be offered here at Wingate. “The goal is to over time develop a Political Science program and this is the first step in doing that,” said Dr. Ellis. He hopes that by offering classes that are available for all, students will help build a desire to pursue Political Science. Students that are interested in majoring in Political Science would have a variety of possible career choices. One option is to teach social studies on a high school level or pursue a Doctorate to teach at a college level. Another career choice is to work for the government, or a government agency such as the State Department. Heading off to Law School is also another good career path for anyone that is a Political Science major. When asked what it is that brought him to Wingate, Dr. Ellis said that the lack of a political science program and the small size of the school drew him in. Over the next few years, he hopes to be able to have enough interest and participation in Political Science to draw in new students in the same way Pharmacy and the Physician’s Assistant programs do. He already knew this area of North Carolina, as he went to Winthrop University as an undergraduate before going to Temple for graduate school. Dr. Ellis then taught at the University of Tennessee. When he got the job here at Wingate, he, his wife, and his ten-month-old daughter moved to the area. Among his hobbies, Dr. Ellis is a devoted football fan, especially when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tennessee Volunteers. His favorite food is Indian, but he would not pass up on genuine Southern home cooked food. In his spare time, he and his wife enjoy going to movies and concerts. In fact, they were able to sit on the front row for the hit television show "So You Think You Can Dance." Dr. Ellis really enjoys being a part of the Wingate faculty and having the opportunity to meet different
people involved with different majors. During his time at Tennessee, he only interacted with others in his same field. With his presence here, Wingate hopes to have a Political Science minor and major available in a few years.
Wingate University is now offering new courses in Political Science. Dr. Joseph Ellis is a first year faculty member teaching a new course this coming spring semester. The course is called "The Causes and Consequences of Terrorism," or Special Topics 390. In this class, students will learn about the historical development of terror, its causes, and how they are manifested differently around the world. There will be some lecturing involved, as well as reading. There are four books required for the course, but do not let that scare you. Only two of the books are texts books, while the others are monologues. One of these monologues, “The Looming Tower,” is written by Lawrence Wright who was actually an undercover agent for France working with Al Qaeda. Dr. Ellis had the idea for this class when he saw that students would become more interested in the subject when they could personally relate to it. “I noticed this semester that my group of sophomore students could not connect with many of the political and economic concerns the text relayed, including the fall of the Berlin Wall,” said Ellis, “However, any mention of 9/11 or terrorism sparked their interest.” The new class takes advantage of this interest and curiosity at the same time as taking a learning approach to understanding terrorism. This is the first course of its kind to be offered here at Wingate. “The goal is to over time develop a Political Science program and this is the first step in doing that,” said Dr. Ellis. He hopes that by offering classes that are available for all, students will help build a desire to pursue Political Science. Students that are interested in majoring in Political Science would have a variety of possible career choices. One option is to teach social studies on a high school level or pursue a Doctorate to teach at a college level. Another career choice is to work for the government, or a government agency such as the State Department. Heading off to Law School is also another good career path for anyone that is a Political Science major. When asked what it is that brought him to Wingate, Dr. Ellis said that the lack of a political science program and the small size of the school drew him in. Over the next few years, he hopes to be able to have enough interest and participation in Political Science to draw in new students in the same way Pharmacy and the Physician’s Assistant programs do. He already knew this area of North Carolina, as he went to Winthrop University as an undergraduate before going to Temple for graduate school. Dr. Ellis then taught at the University of Tennessee. When he got the job here at Wingate, he, his wife, and his ten-month-old daughter moved to the area. Among his hobbies, Dr. Ellis is a devoted football fan, especially when it comes to the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tennessee Volunteers. His favorite food is Indian, but he would not pass up on genuine Southern home cooked food. In his spare time, he and his wife enjoy going to movies and concerts. In fact, they were able to sit on the front row for the hit television show "So You Think You Can Dance." Dr. Ellis really enjoys being a part of the Wingate faculty and having the opportunity to meet different
people involved with different majors. During his time at Tennessee, he only interacted with others in his same field. With his presence here, Wingate hopes to have a Political Science minor and major available in a few years.
