Students of government and political science in the Peace Corps

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STUDENTS OF GOVERNMENT AND


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SSlItICE


IN THE PEACE


POLITIC
CORPS


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U aePc ,o1TORY


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Corps


or propaganda or


permit


our people


By William A.


is not designed


ideological
to exercise


Bradford*



as an instrument


conflict.


more


of diplomacy


It is designed


fully their responsibilities


in the great


common


young American who


cause


of world


participates


development.


in the Peace


Corps


r every
- who works


in a foreign


the great


land


common


- will know that


or she is sharipg


task of bringing to man that


decent way


life which is


foundation


of freedom and


a condition


peace.


- President John F.


Kennedy


President


Kennedy


spoke


these


words


when


the Peace Corps was


established


in 1961.


The achievements


of the


Peace


Corps


since


then have


been due


in part to the


understanding that


Volunteers with


college


training in


political


science


and government


have


brought


to its work.


Peace Corps


Volunteers who accept


"common task"


that


President Kennedy


spoke


of spend


years


sharing their


lives and


their


skills with


people


developing nations.


aptitudes and


In many


techniques that


cases

the


these


skills


Volunteers


have


are nothing more


learned


than


living in a


complex


industrialized


society.


political


science majors


also


have


a more


special-


ized


skill,


that


is the ability to understand and


to modify


social


structures.


As Volunteers,


whether


as teachers


in Africa or


community developers


in Latin


America,


political science majors


political awareness

possibilities of go


of those


od govern


are uniquely


capable


with whom they work a

ent. When a feeling


of increasing the


of showing them the


of participation in the


creative

goals


Mr. Bradford, pres
Swarthmore College,
ys-rwlroal 0 0 0 0 nnwi -rn


ently


completing his


prepared


this


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report
4 a c nn a


degree


in political


during the


past


science


summer when he


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a country


has been gained


by the


population,


then


one of the most


important


steps


toward


development


has been


taken.


To countries


that


are developing


politically,


as well as


economically


technically,


students


of government


bring especially needed


Community


skills.


Development


Volunteers


with


political


science


backgrounds


are contributing to


Peace


Corps


projects


in many


capacities.


They are active,


for example,


in community


development


programs.


"The


of community


development,


says


Peace


Corps


staffer


Frank Mankiewicz,


is nothing


less


than a complete


change,


reversal,


a revolution if you wish


- in the social,


economic,


political


patterns


the countries


to which


we are accredited.


Rural agricultural


communities


urban slums


have


never


been


shown


the possibilities


of self-help


- of organi-


zation and


action


to combat


their


staggering problems.


They


have,


until


recently,


been neglected


by national


and provincial governments


and private


agencies


to the point


where


their


citizens


have


little


identity with their


community


or with


the nation,


exist


as an atomized


society unable


to discuss


or act


together.


Today there


are almost


,000


Volunteers


in Latin America and


another


1,000


in the rest


of the world


helping people


to develop


local organizations


to help


themselves.


Community


action may


result


in a new


school


or community


center,


vaccination

important r


program


result


or a low-cost


furniture-building project,


is the feeling of mutual accomplishment


but the most


that will


serve as


initiative


for further


action.


own







3


Teaching


Many political science


graduate s


are


serving overseas as


teachers.


"From


the colonial epoch


the emerging nations


have


inherited


the form


of the


state,


but not


necessarily


its prerequisites.


Theirs


is a legacy


of expectation,


realization;


of aspiration,


not capacity"


The expectations


and aspirations


that


Laurence Martin identifies


can be fulfilled


only


education.


Technical


training is a


part


of this


education,


so are


classes


in literature,


govern-


ment,


history,


and geography.


It is by instruction


in the world's


cultural and


political heritage


that


the people


of developing nations


can articulate


their


needs


can participate effectively in


the international


dialogue.


Political science majors,


after


Peace


Corps


training,


are qualified


teach most


of the


liberal arts


curriculum.


some


cases


such as


the five


Volunteers


who are


teaching international relations


political


science


Tammassarat


University


in Thailand,


special academic


accomplishments


political


science majors


are fully utili


zed.


Volunteers who


serve


as teachers


find


that


it is possible


to assume


a degree


of responsibility


and initiative


far greater


than what


is usually allowed a


beginning teacher


in the United


States.


Many


use this


freedom


to introduce


new


approaches to


learning which


incorporate


the culture


and background


of the students


with


their


own interest


in political


science.


Cooperatives


"In the


general


course


of human nature,


a power


over a man


subsistence


amounts


to a


power


over


will.


Alexander Hamilton,


Federalist # 79


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any.


rich maintain a


political


voice


greatly


disproportionate


to their


number.


poor


have


no resource


base


from which


to seek recognition from


the government


or to


defend


themselves


against


exploitation.


Credit


unions


production


cooperatives


organized


by Volunteers are


lessening the


economic dependence


of thousands


of farmers


workers.


Local


capital


is raised


saved


or invested


under the


guidance


of trained


local


leaders


Volunteers


with a


background


in political


science,


public


administration,


economics,


business.


Over


Volunteers


are doing


cooperative


work in Latin America, Africa,


Asia,


the Near


East.


Today


the Future


Teaching,


community development,


cooperatives


can suggest


only a few


of the


fields


in which


political


science majors


are working as


Volunteers.


Other activities


range


from


educational


television


in Colombia


to rural


recreation in India.


A number


of countries


are directly


utilizing the


special


skills


of Volunteers


trained


in government.


In Liberia,


for example,


Volunteers

in that co


and lawyers


are helping to


untry


implement


s government.


and legal


aides


a wide


City planners


are serving


variety


of administrative


are working


in five African


reforms


in Tunisia and


countries.


elsewhere,


Both Peace


Corps


planners


the host


countries


have


admired


the contributions made


political


science majors


in the Peace


Corps.


The number and


variety


of programs


which


will


need


political


science


Volunteers


this


year,


and in the


years


come,


are unlimited.


Why the


Peace


Corps?


intellectual


as satisfied


with


the world as


with himself


. 1 Z 2 ~ -' 4-


- L.-1'1 4


..,..13










There are many

in the Peace Corps.


answers

The on


to the


question


e heard most


often


of why


a college


reflects


Crane


graduate

Brinton's


serves

thoughts


that


the more


one knows


about


the world


the more


one want s


to help change


The opportunity to


an effective


agent


of change


is a


strong


inducement


political


science majors


to become


Volunteers,


it is not the only


one.


The

language,

addition


three month

community

to the coil


Unlike


chemi st s


.S


of intensive


development, a

ege classroom

or engineers,


pre-assignment


nd other

experience

the poll


training


supplementary s

e of political

tical scientist


in area


kills

scien

has


studies,


are a valuable

ce students.

no laboratory


society.


Theories


of government


and politics


can be tested


only


observing


social organization and


its dynamics.


The Peace


Corps


as it operates


to bring changes


in four


continents,


offers


a laboratory to


student s


govern-


ment


politics


unique


in the possibilities


it offers


for observation and


experimentation.


The Challenge


"There i
success


nothing more


nor more


difficult


dangerous


carry


to handle,


out,


than


nor more
initiate


doubtful


a new


order
profit


of things.


by the


For the


old order,


reformer
and only


enemies


in all


lukewarm defenders


those
in all


those


who would


profit


by the


new order.


- Niccolo Machiavelli,


Prince


One of the


great


students


of politics


counseled


the princes


of Italy


over 450 years


ago with


these


words.


The counsel


is still


valid.


But there


a challenge


in these


words


for those


who want


change


that


is today


greater


than ever.


Peace Corps


has accepted


this


challenge


. will


you?



































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