Classroom and Beyond

 

Facilitating Learning beyond the Classroom

An important mandate of the Coverdell Chair is to bring faculty and students from various disciplines together in analyzing the various dimensions of major public problems. Recent activities in this regard have included: GC university-wide “teach-in” on “The Crimean Crisis: Democracy at Stake,” with Dr. William Risch, History; Dr. Chuck Fahrer, Geography; Dr. Joe Mocnik, University Librarian; and the Coverdell Professor of Public Policy. This was an open dialogue about the events in the Crimean region, the implications for U.S.-Russia relations and the state of international affairs. The Coverdell Chair organized and moderated the Coverdell Chair Constitution Week Roundtables on “Domestic Spying and Civil Liberties: PRISM and Wikileaks, Snowden and Assange versus Holder and Obama—Is the Constitution Dead?” [2013] and “Diversity on the Bench: Why it Matters” [2014]. He also recently led two Georgia College Times Talks with faculty and students, “International Leadership and the Syria Civil Conflict” and “The Arab Spring in Limbo: Egypt, Syria, and U.S. Democracy Promotion Ten-years after the Iraq Invasion,” as well as a local-community “Learning in Retirement” seminar discussion on “Illegal Immigration and the Child Immigration Crisis.”

LINK: Events Archive

One of the most effective ways to facilitate student learning outside the classroom is mentoring students and engaging them in research. The Coverdell Chair uses several mechanisms for doing this. One is hiring and supervising undergraduate research assistants and interns and engaging them fully in ongoing research projects. Another is co-authoring and presenting papers with students at national and international conferences. Dr. Coate has supervised five undergraduate research assistants and one full-time intern from various disciplines: political science, international exchange/law, economics, and community health. He has also co-authored six research papers with students and presented with them at major professional conferences and meetings in the United States, Canada, Portugal, and Turkey. In addition, he has supervised to successful conclusion since coming to Georgia College three dissertations and one Magellan undergraduate–research scholar project at the University of South Carolina, where he is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science.

LINK: Student Research

Curriculum Development and Teaching:

The Coverdell Chair serves as a senior member of the core faculty for Georgia College’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. A major goal of the Chair has been to expand and internationalize the curriculum of the program. Since joining the faculty in January 2009, Dr. Coate has created, designed, and taught eleven new graduate-level courses:

• PUAD 5615: Nongovernmental Organizations and Non-profit Management;
• PUAD 5625: International Organization and Administration;
• PUAD 5655: National Security Policy;
• PUAD 5660: Public-Private Partnerships in International Administration;
• PUAD 6601: Public Policy;
• PUAD 6950: Dilemmas in Administration of Humanitarian Assistance;
• PUAD 6950: United States National Security Policy and the Elusive Quest for Security;
• PUAD 6950: United States National Security Policy and the Elusive Quest for Security;
• POLS 5950: U.S. Foreign Policy Leadership;
• POLS 5950, Non–state Actors in World Politics;
• POLS 5950, International Affairs Exposed.

Additionally, at the undergraduate level, Dr. Coate’s undergraduate teaching responsibilities focus primarily on international relations. He has also created and taught several new undergraduate courses, including:

• POLS 4603, International Organization & Cooperation;
• POLS 3801, Model United Nations;
• POLS 4950: U.S. Foreign Policy Leadership;
• POLS 4950, Non–state Actors in World Politics;
• POLS 4950, International Affairs Exposed.