• Lessons Learned from C-SPAN Seminar
• Dirksen Center Awards Congressional Research Grants
• The Morris K. Udall Archives Visiting Scholars Program
• Carl Albert Center Offers Grants to Visiting Scholars
• News from the Congressional Papers Roundtable
• Congressional History
• Call for Papers and Participants
• RCLS Plans Parliamentary Conferences for 1999-2001

Earlier this year, Gary Copeland from the Department of Political Science [University of Oklahoma] and Mitchell S. McKinney from the Department of Communication [University of Oklahoma] joined 35 other college and university professors from across the country for C-SPAN's Winter 1998 Seminar for Professors. OU was the only university to have two representatives.

The seminar is organized by C-SPAN's Education Department, which provides free support materials to educators who use the network's programming for teaching and research. Since the first seminar took place in 1987, more than 650 professors have visited Washington, D.C., to participate in the program.

Gary Copeland: Use of Video in an Evolving Teaching Style

My participation in the C-SPAN Seminar was the result of a continued evolution of my teaching style.

Moving Toward Active Learning. A number of years ago, faculty on this campus were encouraged to take part in small-group sessions on teaching techniques to develop methods of critical thinking. I happily participated in those sessions and have used many of the techniques since as a way to engage students more actively in the learning process. But I have found that many contemporary students are less motivated to achieve abstract goals than to learn a set of materials they expect to be held accountable for on examinations or to facilitate their careers.

In keeping with my goal of actively engaging learners, I continued to experiment and gradually moved in my U.S. Congress class toward a full role-playing simulation in which students would select an existing political figure and emulate that person in all respects, from political philosophy to personality traits. At that point, my concern shifted to facilitating students in playing their roles as accurately as possible and helping them understand where our role playing deviates from the actual operations of the Congress. That is where C-SPAN enters the picture.

Like most teachers, I have used video in the classroom many times, but the C-SPAN Seminar convinced me that I have largely misused video when I did. Most of the time I used it, I was not even there; I might be off to a professional meeting and asked someone to throw a tape into the machine. Even when I was physically present, I might as well not have been. The tape was made to last the full hour, and I found myself shouting a few comments as students raced to their next class. Rather than encouraging active learning, the use of video in fact epitomized passive learning.

Proper Use of Video. Perhaps the most important lesson I learned at the C-SPAN Seminar is that my assumption about video is wrong. Video is not a substitute for a lecture, but it is better utilized as a regular complement to the ongoing learning process. The opportunities are endless, and with a little effort, the classroom can begin to look like a multimedia enterprise that actively engages the student. The issue for me became when can tape more effectively engage the students and spark learning than just a lecture or discussion.

Video and Lectures. Several times seminar speakers illustrated the value of lecture launchers, short presentations designed to introduce a lecture topic. Beyond simply serving to capture the attention of students, these short video clips can be used to set up a lecture in a variety of ways.

Videotaped programs can also be integrated throughout the lecture. In one class, I had a videotape on committees, but I did not want to use the whole tape. Instead I clarified in my own mind the points I wanted to make on committees and found relevant parts of the tape. I showed parts of the tape, stopping in between. When I paused the tape, at times I lectured, elaborated, provided other examples, or made whatever point I wanted to make. All of this, though, remained within a general lecture format.

Videos and Discussions. At other times, however, videotape can be used to spark discussion. The subject matter does not need to be controversial to be effective discussion starters. Students might be shown two or more related programs and asked to compare and contrast them. Or they might be asked what the background or the strategy behind an event is. They might be asked what they would do in a similar circumstance.

The trick is to clarify what I want to get out of the discussion and phrase a question to facilitate achieving the goal. One of the presenters at the C-SPAN Seminar warned that video often provokes emotional reactions when the instructor's goal is more cerebral. If that is the case, we were advised to let the emotional reaction flow for a while before shifting the focus of the discussion.

Practical tips. During the seminar, we also were given a number of bits of practical advice. Perhaps the best advice was to use short tapes and try to keep all relevant items at the start of a tape so that valuable class time is not taken up searching for the desired moment. Before showing the tape, you may want to prompt students to look for what you consider relevant. Moreover, you should feel free to rerun a segment any number of times that might be necessary to make the point.

Mitchell S. McKinney: Making Full Use of Network Services

Nature of the C-SPAN Workshop. Twice each year, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network selects a small group of college professors to attend presentations by C-SPAN staff, who explain procedures for the production and broadcast of the network's various political programming.

Workshops are also conducted by college professors, with instruction on how to use C-SPAN programming in teaching and research. Throughout the two-day experience, participants are able to interact in small-group sessions with professors from across the United States representing a variety of academic disciplines - communication, broadcasting, political science, history, philosophy, law, etc. In these sessions, participants are encouraged to share their own teaching ideas and develop new approaches for using C-SPAN materials in their classroom.

My Use of Video. As a professor of political communication, I have been a fan of C-SPAN for quite some time. Indeed, my office is full of tapes that I regularly incorporate into my lectures and class discussions. Before attending the seminar, my approach to taking advantage of what C-SPAN had to offer was to keep a blank tape in the VCR at home, to have my remote handy, and to be on the lookout for programs that might illustrate a topic or concept that I cover in class.

I have also used C-SPAN programming in my research because of a variety of political events broadcast by C-SPAN serve as texts not readily available through other sources. For example, while one can easily obtain the written text of a presidential speech or congressional testimony, if the researcher is interested in other features of the event (e.g., visual aspects of the staging or nonverbal cues of the speaker), the broadcast of such event provided by C-SPAN is truly invaluable. Where a few seconds of a key political event may be offered by network news, C-SPAN provides these events in their entirety.

While C-SPAN's original mission and network offered gavel-to-gavel coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives (and later full coverage of the U.S. Senate with C-SPAN2), these two networks offer a great deal of additional public affairs programming. Let me illustrate just some of the variety available with a few examples from my own classes.

In my Political Debate Seminar, I focus not only on presidential debates, but also on the issues and structure of state and local-level debates. Thanks to C-SPAN, I have amassed a large number of debates from numerous states that allow students to compare presidential debates to these lower-level debates, e.g., U.S. Senate and House campaign debates or gubernatorial and mayoral debates.

In my undergraduate political communication course, I also use a variety of C-SPAN programming. Last semester, for example, I used Cornell West's book Race Matters in our examination of race relations in the United States. To introduce this unit, we listened to a short speech by West that I taped from C-SPAN. The next week in class, we discussed how we construct, through our public discourse, political/social enemies. To illustrate how such public discourse is enacted, we viewed Pat Buchanan's 1992 address to the Republican National Convention.

Using C-SPANS's Special Services. Thanks to my participation in the C-SPAN Seminar, I now have developed a more systematic way in which to access C-SPAN programming. While I still try to keep a blank tape in the VCR, I am also taking advantage of the many services C-SPAN provides to educators.

First, perhaps the best way to stay clued-in to what C-SPAN has to offer is to become part of their C-SPAN in the Classroom program. One can join by calling C-SPAN's Educators' Hotline at 1-800-523-7586. A convenient feature of the educators' service is a weekly programming alert that is sent to members via e-mail. This message highlights programs that might be especially useful for educators.

Perhaps the easiest way to stay abreast of C-SPAN's regular schedule of programming is to access C-SPAN at www.cspan.org. For those times when you don't have the VCR set and you miss an especially important program, you can order a videotaped copy of the program from C-SPAN's Public Affairs Video Archives (at Purdue University) by calling 1-800-C-SPAN98 or by visiting the archive at www.pava.purdue.edu.

Value for Diverse Disciplines. In becoming more efficient in my use of C-SPAN as an instructional and research tool, I have noticed the great diversity of programming that is offered and could be used by a variety of professors. Certainly, political communication and political science instructors will find C-SPAN a valuable resource.

Beyond these obvious fields of study a business class might find a recent speech by Bill Gates useful, or interviews with Walter Cronkite or Neil Postman could be used in journalism courses. History professors might find a speech by Arthur Schlesigner Jr. or an interview with historian Alan Brinkley valuable, and students in English/literature courses might enjoy an interview with bell hooks.

While C-SPAN programming should not be used as a substitute instructor, it can be used to enhance classroom discussion and learning in many academic disciplines through a variety of activities.

C-SPAN grants educators associated with degree-granting educational institutions this license containing the right to tape any C-SPAN-produced program without receiving prior permission from the network, so long as the copying is for in-classroom use and not for sale, distribution, or any political purpose. As public domain material, the video coverage of the floor proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate is not subject to this license and, as such, may also be similarly used for educational purposes.

The terms of this license constitute a liberal copyright policy that allows educators to record C-SPAN-produced programs (at school or at home) for later use. Such programs may be retained in perpetuity for future in-classroom use.

No license fee shall be due for using C-SPAN as an educational resource so long as such use is made in accordance with the terms of this license.

The Dirksen Congressional Center has announced the winners of the 1998 Congressional Research Grants (CRG) competition. Fifteen projects received a total of $30,000.

The CRGs are designed to fund thoughtful study into congressional leadership andCongress. Since 1978, The Center has awarded over $385,000 to more than 200 research projects.

The Dirksen Center is a non-profit, non-partisan research center in Pekin, Illinois, that seeks to improve civic participation by promoting a better understanding of Congress and its leaders through research and educational programs.

1998 Awards

• David Barrett, Villanova University, "Confronting Democratic Dilemmas: Congressional Oversight of the CIA in the 'Era of Trust.'"
• Jeffrey Bernstein, Eastern Michigan University, "Using Character-Playing Simulations to Improve Institutions on Congress."
• Lawrence Butler, Princeton University, "Getting to 218: Strategies for Building Winning Coalitions in the House of Representatives."
• Kristin Campbell, Texas A & M University, "Congressional Elections, the Media, and Public Distrust of Congress."
• Christine DeGregorio, American University, "Leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives: Do Parties Matter?"
• Stephen Frantizich, U.S. Naval Academy, "Making a Difference: Citizen Courage in a Cynical Age."
• James Glaser, Tufts University, "Southern Congressional Candidates and the Washington Outsider Campaign."
• Diane Hollern Harvey, George Mason University, "Who Should Govern? Public Preferences for Congressional and Presidential Power."
• Byron Hulsey, University of Texas, "Everett Dirksen and the Modern Presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson."
• Ira Katznelson and John Lapinski, Columbia University, "Congress and American Political Development: Representation, Party, and Policy before the Civil War."
• Stephanie Greco Larson, Dickinson College, "Lauding Leaders and Evaluating Legislators: How ABC's Evening News Celebrates Government Officials through its 'Person of the Week' and How It Covers Members of Congress."
• Forrest Maltzman, George Washington University, "Speaker Cannon and the Committee Assignment Process."
• Stephen Millman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "Impact of the Quality of Members of the U.S. House on Leaving Congress: Implications for Term Limits."
• Raymond Tatalovich, Loyola University Chicago, "Lawmaking During the '100 Days' of 1896-1996: Legislative Fact or Political Fiction."
• Fiona Wright, University of Florida, "The Political Implications of Institutional Reform: The 1974 Budget Act and Party Polarization in the U.S. House, 1975-1997."

The University of Arizona Library Special Collections houses the papers of Morris K. Udall, Stewart L. Udall, David K. Udall, Levi Udall, and Jesse Udall. The Library's holdings also include related papers of noted politicians Lewis Douglas, Henry Ashurst and George Hunt. To encourage faculty, independent researchers, and students to use these materials, the Morris K. Udall Archives Visiting Scholars Program will award up to three $1000 research travel grants and four $250 research assistance grants in the current year. Preference will be given to projects relating to issues addressed by Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall during their long careers of public service: environment, natural resources, Native American policy, conservation, nuclear energy, public policy theory and environmental conflict resolution. The grants are open to scholars, students, and independent researchers.

The $1000 research travel grants will be awarded as reimbursement for travel to and lodging expenses in Tucson, AZ. These grants do not support travel to locations other than Tucson. The $250 research assistance grants will be awarded to assist local researchers.

Applications will be accepted and reviewed throughout the year. People interested in applying should contact Roger Myers, University of Arizona Library, Special Collections C206, PO Box 210055, Tucson AZ 85721-0055, (520) 621-4345 (tel.), (520) 621-9733 (fax) or look at the web site at http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/branches/spc/udall/grants.html.

The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma seeks applicants for its Visiting Scholars Program, which provides financial assistance to researchers working at the Center's archives. Awards of $500-$1000 are normally granted as reimbursement for travel and lodging.

The Center's holdings include the papers of many former members of Congress, such as Speaker Carl Albert, Robert S. Kerr, and Fred Harris of Oklahoma, Helen Gahagan Douglas and Jeffery Cohelan of California, and Neil Gallagher of New Jersey. Besides the history of Congress, congressional leadership, national and Oklahoma politics, and election campaigns, the collections also document government policy affecting agriculture, Native Americans, energy, foreign affairs, the environment, and the economy. Topics that can be studied include the Great Depression, flood control, soil conservation, and tribal affairs. At least one collection provides insight on women in American politics. Most materials date from the 1920s to the 1970s, although there is one nineteenth century collection.

The Center's collections are described on the World Wide Web at http://www.ou.edu/special/albertctr/archives/ and in the publication titled A Guide to the Carl Albert Center Congressional Archives (Norman, OK: The Carl Albert Center, 1995) by Judy Day et al., available at many U.S. academic libraries. Additional information can be obtained from the Center.

The Visiting Scholars Program is open to any applicant. Emphasis is given to those pursuing post-doctoral research in history, political science, and other fields. Graduate students involved in research for publication, thesis, or dissertation are encouraged to apply. Interested undergraduates and lay researchers are also invited to apply. The Center evaluates each research proposal based upon its merits, and funding for a variety of topics is expected.

No standardized form is needed for application. Instead, a series of documents should be sent to the Center, including: (1) a description of the research proposal in fewer than 1000 words; (2) a personal vita; (3) an explanation of how the Center's resources will assist the researcher; (4) a budget proposal; and (5) a letter of reference from an established scholar in the discipline attesting to the significance of the research. Applications are accepted at any time.

For more information, please contact Archivist, Carl Albert Center, 630 Parrington Oval, Room 101, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019-4031. Telephone: (405) 325-6372. FAX: (405) 325-6419. E-mail: kosmerick@ou.edu.

The Special Collections Department at the University of Arkansas Libraries has processed a third increment of the papers of Rep. Oren Harris (D-AR). These new materials complement earlier accessions already open to researchers. The finding aid will shortly be available on the World Wide Web at http://www.uark.edu/libinfo/speccoll. For further information, contact Ethel C. Simpson, Head, Manuscripts and Archives Department, Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, AR 72701.

Ashland University Archives recently acquired a set of personal diaries belonging to Rep. William A. Ashbrook (D-OH). The diaries chronicle his life from 1887 to 1940. A microfilm copy of the diaries is available. For more information, contact David Roepke, Ashland University Archives, 401 College Ave., Ashland, OH 44805. (419) 289-5433 (tel.), droepke@ashland.edu (e-mail).

The Baylor University's Collections of Political Materials has finished processing the papers of Rep. John Dowdy (D-TX), member of Congress from 1952 to 1972. A web site on the Dowdy papers is currently accessible at http://www.baylor.edu/~Ben_Rogers/dowdy.html. Additional information on activities at the Baylor Collections of Political Materials can be found in the annual report at http://www.baylor.edu/~Ben_Rogers/report98/report.html.

The Sen. Robert P. Griffin Papers and Rep. Elford A. Cederberg Papers were recently processed, described, and cataloged. They are now available to researchers at Central Michigan University's Clarke Historical Library, Mt. Pleasant, MI. The Clarke Historical Library is open for research Mon. - Fri., 8:00 - 5:00, during June - Aug., except for major holidays. Additionally, the library is open 9:00 - 1:00 several Sats. a month during Sept. - May. Please call (517) 774-3352 to verify hours or for further information, or e-mail Archivist Marian J. Matyn: marian.j.matyn@lib.cmich.edu.

Now available from the Richard B. Russell Library at the University of Georgia is A Guide to the Richard B. Russell, Jr. Collection.

The Claude Pepper Center on the Florida State University campus announces the opening of the Claude Pepper Library which houses the collection documenting the life and political career of late Rep. Claude Pepper (D-FL). The library is open Mon. - Fri., 8:30 - 5:00. For further information, contact Burt Altman, Pepper Librarian and Archivist, Claude Pepper Library, 636 West Call St., Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1123. (850) 644-9305 (tel.), (850) 644-9303 (fax).

U. S. Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN) will donate his papers, memoranda, correspondence, and speeches to Indiana University upon his retirement. These documents will join those of the more than 50 Indiana political figures whose papers are housed at the Lilly Library, which provides an extensive resource for scholars of American politics and government.

The David R. Bowen Papers were officially opened on 5 June at the Mitchell Memorial Library, Mississippi State University. A guide is available in-house; web access will come soon.

On 1 June, the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton University began processing the papers of Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ). The majority of the collection documents Bradley's 18 years in the Senate, but it also includes items from his career with the New York Knicks.

The guide to Sen. John G. Tower's papers is now available on Southwestern University Library's home page: http://www.southwestern.edu/library/tower/tower.htm. Smaller, related accessions held by the library include the papers of political consultant and writer John Knaggs and legislative aide J. French Hill.

The Special Collections Library of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, recently acquired the papers of Sen. William Emerson Brock (R-TN). The papers are currently being processed and will tentatively be available in one year's time.

On 25 April 1997, University of Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway joined Sen. Bob Dole in a ceremony on the Lawrence campus to announce that KU would receive the senator's papers. Hemenway unveiled plans for an institute named in the senator's honor and housed in its own building, which would hold the senator's papers. After more than a year, The Robert J. Dole Institute for Public Service and Public Policy will soon be a reality. The papers have been transferred to the university, Institute programming is in full swing, an architect has been selected, and preliminary sketches of the new facility will be available this fall. Groundbreaking for the building will occur during the spring or summer of 1999, and the opening is scheduled for fall 2000.

Reprinted with permission from Congressional Papers Roundtable Newsletter, August 1998.

U.S. Senate Historian Richard A. Baker provides the introduction to the Summer 1998 issue of Magazine of History, published by the Organization of American Historians. His introduction is followed by a panoramic literature review on congressional history by archives specialists Kenneth Kato and Elizabeth Rybicki, both from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives and Records Administration.

In three essays the magazine provides "examples of the ways in which congressional history may be used to examine issues and structures affecting the daily lives of most Americans":

• Patrick Maney, "The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Congress, 1933-1945"

• Donald A. Ritchie, "What Makes a Successful Congressional Investigation?"

• Raymond W. Smock, "Kings of the Hill: The Speakers of the United States House of Representatives."

Accompanying lesson plans by Rita G. Koman, Donald A. Ritchie, and Richard P. Kollen use original source documents related to the New Deal, the Watergate scandal, and the 1836-1844 House gag rule debate.

Two additional essays describe projects at the Library of Congress and at the National Archives designed to make documents and records much more readily available to the nation's classrooms:

• Emily Lind Baker, "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates on the Internet"

• Richard Hunt, "Using the Records of Congress in the Classroom."

Drawing from their First Federal Congress Project at George Washington University, editors Charlene Bangs Bickford and William C. diGiacomantonio provide personality profiles of the more influential members of that Congress.

Those interested in obtaining a copy of this issue (Vol. 12, No. 4) of the OAH Magazine of History may contact the Managing Editor, 112 North Bryan Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47408-4199, telephone (812) 855-7311, fax (812) 855-0696, E-mail magazine@oah.org. The magazine is also available on microform and article copies through University Microfilms Inc., 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106, telephone (800) 521-0600.

St. Petersburg International Conference

"Parliaments as Agents and Subjects of Change"

An international scholarly conference on "Parliaments as Agents and Subjects of Change" will bring a number of leading international and Russian scholars together in St. Petersburg, Russia, around June 25, 1999 to consider the roles of parliaments as catalysts of change in a regime as well as institutions themselves profoundly influenced by, and sometimes transformed by, social and political change in a nation. This inquiry is of central importance in countries such as Russia which are going through far-reaching political and economic transitions and facing unresolved problems in defining the roles of a legislative branch of power in rapidly changing conditions.

The central focus of the St .Petersburg International Conference will be on the reciprocal relationship between legislatures, both as changing institutions and as agents of regime change. Other broadly related topics and inquiries concerning contemporary parliamentary politics, however, will also be examined and are suitable for conference inquiry, including internal parliamentary political issues, psychological determinants of legislative actions, individual members' behavior, the psychology of parliamentary leadership, individual and collective members' perceptions of regime change, and the influence of change on members' behavior and activity. Although many papers may deal with these topics in the context of Russian and regional experience, it is expected that most of the papers of the St. Petersburg International Conference will examine in cross-national perspective aspects of legislatures as agents and objects of change.

St. Petersburg, Russia, long the cultural and historical heart of Russia, is widely acclaimed as one of the world's most beautiful cities. Among its highlights are The Hermitage, the world famous art museum built in 1764 by Catherine the Great, which houses the largest art collection in the world with approximately three million art works. The diverse exhibitions of The Hermitage include works by Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt, a major collection of Impressionists, and the largest collection of Titians in existence. The Peter & Paul Fortress is a massive stone fort built for the defense of St. Petersburg in 1703 which was the traditional burial place for the Romanovs, including the last head of the Romanovs, Prince Vladimir, buried there in 1995. Catherine's Palace is the pristine "Summer Palace" home to Peter the Great and his wife Catherine. Built by Rastrelli in 1723, the site encompasses 1,500 acres of beautiful park, superb gardens, and a year-round retreat for Russian historians and artists.

St. Petersburg, built by Peter the Great as Russia's window on the West, can also serve as the West's window on Russia. The St. Petersburg International Conference will provide the opportunity for international and Russian scholars to engage in fruitful scholarly exchange and inquiry. Sessions of the International Conference will be held at St. Petersburg State University as well, possibly, in meeting rooms of the City Council and of the St. Petersburg Executive (Mayor), especially for receptions and other special conference functions.

St. Petersburg is considered to be one of the most stable cities in Russia, yet the St. Petersburg International Conference will provide a fascinating and historic opportunity to examine a city and nation undergoing fundamental economic and political change.

Potential participants interested in the late June 1999 St. Petersburg International Conference are invited to indicate their interest by means of correspondence (E-Mail, Fax, or air mail) to either of the International conference organizers: Professor Elena Labkovskaya, Director, Center for New Democracy and Social Change, Political Science Department, St. Petersburg State University, Fontanka 56-20, St. Petersburg 191002, Russia; Tel. +7-812-112-5368; Fax +7-812-251-1052; E-mail: lena@len.usr.pu.ruOR Professor Lawrence D. Longley, Department of Government, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, 54912, U.S.A.; Tel. +1-920-832-6673; Fax +1-920-832-6962; E-mail: PowerLDL@aol.com.

If proposing a paper, please specify its scope and methodology.

The 1999 St. Petersburg International Conference is sponsored by a variety of scholarly organizations including the Center for New Democracy and Social Change of St. Petersburg State University, and by the Research Committee of Legislative Specialists of the International Political Science Association. The latter is an organization of more than 150 scholars from 30 different countries of the world whose goal is to facilitate research into the comparative forms and effects of legislative institutions, processes, and politics. The resulting network of international scholars includes individuals interested in national, cross-national, and sub-national aspects of legislatures.

The Research Committee of Legislative Specialists of the International Political Science Association has announced six international parliamentary conference it is planning or sponsoring in St. Petersburg, Quebec City, Oxfordshire, Cape Town, Budapest, and Ljublajana over the three year span of 1999 to 2001. Subjects, dates, and contacts for each scholarly event follow.

About June 25, 1999 - International Conference on "Parliaments as Agents and Subjects of Change," St. Petersburg, Russia, sponsored jointly with the Center for New Democracy and Social Change and the University of St. Petersburg. Contacts: Professor Elena Labkovskaya, Director, Center for New Democracy and Social Change, Political Science Department, University of St. Petersburg, Fontanka 56-20, St. Petersburg 191002, Russia; Tel. +7-812-112-5368; Fax +7-812-251-1052; E-mail: lena@len.usr.pu.ru OR Professor Lawrence D. Longley, Department of Government, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, 54912, U.S.A.; Tel. +1-920-832-6673; Fax +1-920-832-6962; E-mail: PowerLDL@aol.com

August 1 to 6, 2000 - Eighteenth World Congress of the International Political Science Association, Quebec City, Canada, including multiple sessions organized by the Research Committee of Legislative Specialists. Contacts concerning the RCLS Sessions at the IPSA World Congress (but only after January 1, 1999 please): Dr. Drago Zajc, RCLS Program Chair, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, P.O, Box 47, 61109 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Tel. +386-61-168-1461; Fax +386-61-168-3421, 168-2329, or 168-5330; E-mail: drago.zajc@uni-lj.siOR Professor Lawrence D. Longley, Department of Government, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.A.; Tel. +1-920-832-6673; Fax +1-920-832-6962; E-mail: PowerLDL@aol.com [For information concerning all other plans and sessions of the IPSA World Congress, contact directly the Secretariat of the International Political Science Association, Department of Politics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland; Tel. +353-1-706-8182; Fax +353-1-706-1171; E-mail: ipsa@ucd.ie]

Mid-August, 2000 - "Fourth International Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians," Wroxton College, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, sponsored jointly with the Centre for Legislative Studies of the University of Hull, United Kingdom. Contact: Professor The Lord Norton of Louth, Department of Politics, The University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom; Tel +44-1482-854-168 or 466-208; E-mail: p.norton@pol-as.hull.ac.uk

Mid-December, 2000 - International Conference on "Parliamentary Institution Building and Reform in the New Democracies," Cape Town, South Africa, sponsored jointly with the Centre for Comparative and International Studies of the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Contacts: Dr. Hennie Kotzé, University of Stellenbosch, Department of Political Science, Private Bag X1, 7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa; Tel. +27-21-808-2107; Fax +27-21-808-4336; E-mail: HJK@akad.cun.ac.zaOR Lia Nijzink, Political Information and Monitoring Service, IDASA, Cape Town Democracy Centre, Box 1739, Cape Town 8000, South Africa; Tel. +27-21-461-2559; Fax +27-21-462-5261; E-mail: lia@idasact.org.za

First days of July, 2001 - Budapest III International Conference on "Parliamentary Parties and Parliamentary Committees," Budapest, Hungary, sponsored jointly with the Center for Democracy Studies of the Budapest University of Economic Sciences. Contacts: Professor Attila Ágh, Department of Political Science, Budapest University of Economic Sciences, Fovám tér 8, H-1093 Budapest, Hungary; Fax and Tel. +36-1-218-8049; E-mail: poltagh@pegasus.bke.huOR Professor Lawrence D. Longley, Department of Government, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.A.; Tel. +1-920-832-6673; Fax +1-920-832-6962; E-mail: PowerLDL@aol.com.

Early July, 2001 - Ljubljana III International Conference on "Parliamentary-Executive Relations" [tentative title], Ljubljana and Portoroz, Slovenia, sponsored jointly with the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences and the Political Science Association of Slovenia. Contacts: Dr. Drago Zajc, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, P.O. Box 47, 61109 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Tel. +386-61-168-1461; Fax +386-61-168-3421, 168-2329, or 168-5330; E-mail: drago.zajc@uni-lj.siOR Professor Lawrence D. Longley, Department of Government, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.A.; Tel. +1-920-832-6673; Fax +1-920-832-6962; E-mail: PowerLDL@aol.com.

These international conferences are sponsored by a variety of scholarly organizations including the Research Committee of Legislative Specialists of the International Political Science Association, an organization of more than 150 scholars from 30 different countries of the world whose goal is to facilitate research into the comparative forms and effects of legislative institutions, processes, and politics. The resulting network of international scholars includes individuals interested in national, cross-national, and sub-national aspects of legislatures.

Scholars and other interested in parliaments and legislatures are invited to join this international network of scholars and thus facilitate communication among researchers with common interests in the comparative forms and effects of legislative institutions, processes, and politics. Membership in the Research Committee of Legislative Specialists currently runs through the year 2000 IPSA World Congress in Québec City, Canada and entitles international scholars to information concerning the professional activities of the Research Committee (including program plans for RCLS sessions at the year 2000 IPSA World Congress), receipt of the RCLS International Newsletter, and listing in the RCLS International Membership Directory and Research Register.

In order to join the Research Committee of Legislative Specialists, please send your name, professional address, telephone and fax numbers, E-mail address, and current legislative research interests together with a check or international money order for $40 U.S. or 30 sterling to either: Professor Lawrence D. Longley, Co-Chair, RCLS, Dept. of Government, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI 54912, USA. Tel. +1-920-832-6673. Fax +1-920-832-6944. E-mail: PowerLDL@aol.com OR Professor The Lord Norton of Louth, Co-Chair, RCLS, Dept. of Politics, The University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom. Tel. +44-1482-465-863. Fax +44-1482-466-208. E-mail: p.norton@pol-as.hull.ac.uk.

Please make your check or international money order payable to the "Research Committee of Legislative Specialists" or "RCLS."