Lynne Chandler Garcia

Scholars and journalists alike have pointed out the poor state of political discourse in contemporary American politics. Younger generations echo these concerns, reporting that they choose to avoid engaging in political discussion because it is too partisan and riddled with rhetoric to be productive. While many offer little hope that the level of incivility evident across the nation will ebb anytime soon, we experimentally test a method for building political discourse skills that might serve to quell some of the coarseness that often pervades political discussions. The findings show that a relatively simple and short classroom intervention can affect both cognitive understanding of political discourse and improve the quality of discussion surrounding controversial issues.

p. cm. 1. Afghan War, 2001- 2. War on Terrorism, 2001- 3. United States. Combined Forces Command--Afghanistan--History. 4. United States--Armed Forces--Stability operations. 5. United States--Armed Forces--Civic action. 6. United States--Armed Forces--Civil functions. 7. Postwar reconstruction--

Academic freedom is a complicated issue for military service academies. As accredited institutions of higher learning, academic freedom is valued. At the same time, the academies are subject to regulations that guide speech and publishing by the Department of Defense. This chapter explores the balance between maintaining academic freedom while upholding the discipline contained in regulations concerning free speech. The chapter concludes with a view to the future and opportunities for further research.

Title of Dissertation: WHO IS A PERSON AND WHY? A STUDY OF PERSONHOOD IN THEORY AND THE LAW Lynne Chandler-Garcia, Doctor of Philosophy, 2012 Dissertation Directed by: Professor Wayne McIntosh, Department of Government and Politics This study concerns what it means to be a person and the role the law plays in bestowing the status of person. The purpose of this dissertation is to further our understanding of how courts in the U.S., and especially the U.S. Supreme Court, have defined ―person‖ as a legal construct within Constitutional law. In order to achieve this, court decisions concerning the personhood of key entities with a claim to personhood are analyzed and compared in order to yield a more meaningful understanding of the word ―person.‖ The entities studied include slaves, corporations, fetuses, and higher-order animals. To focus the study, several theoretical dichotomies are presented that unite the scholarship of personhood as it pertains to each of these entities. These inc...