Dr. Allan, wanna grab a brewski?

The thing I have to say about Wittenberg is this: it’s rare a student has to take a bad class. Sure there are some bad classes, but mainly it’s because of the way the professor teaches it/them.

Having said that, though, I think the professors at Wittenberg really set it apart from other schools. The professors I have had really have taken the time to get to know me on an individual basis, and we’ve formed a relationship beyond the instructor-student relationship.

One comes to mind: Dr. James Allan, political science professor.

I have a profound interest in all things Irish, and as a poli sci major, that includes Irish politics. He is Scottish (and yes, he has a glorious accent – maybe one of the reasons I started to like him in the first place) but knows a lot about the British Isles and Ireland. I chose to do my Methods poli sci paper on religious affiliation and views on Nationalism in Northern Ireland. The idea came from my experience abroad in Ireland and the history of the sectarian divide there.

He sat down with me to help me find sources/evidence and generate a really interesting research question that turned into a 35 page paper –which was eventually published in this edition of Levitas, Wittenberg’s political science journal. I am humbled to have been published as an undergraduate and now, as a co-editor of the journal, I hope to submit another piece before I graduate in 2013.

Dr. Allan helped me find my passion in comparative politics and last semester, in Washington, DC, I was able to intern at the Embassy of Ireland as press and information assistant. I don’t think that would’ve been possible if he hadn’t taken the time to help me discover an area in political science that I didn’t hate (aka American politics – I’m just as sick of this election business as you are).

Methods was, ironically, my favorite and least favorite class –simultaneously. It SUCKED to work on a paper all semester long, work with computer data and recode variables to come up with statistical tables to then back it up with all sorts of literature. This class made me question my abilities/knowledge as a poli sci major and caused many sleepless nights.

But –it was worth it. In the end, it actually made me solidify my decision to major in poli sci, and I really started to believe in myself as a researcher. It pushed me like no other class I had taken at Witt before, and I came to truly appreciate the field I was studying. It was not just academics pontificating about politics; it was real-life, fascinating research. I felt like I, a lowly junior, made a significant contribution on this topic. Thus, the means definitely justified the ends.

Moreover, I came to appreciate Dr. Allan as a person. He has a very dry, self-deprecating humor which I appreciate very much. Dr. Allan is a cool, normal guy and I don’t view of him as my professor –I view him as someone I’d want to go grab a beer with, who just so happens to be my professor.