Carlos Figueroa, PhD | Ithaca College (original) (raw)

Papers by Carlos Figueroa, PhD

Political Science Quarterly, 2020

Journal of American History, 2016

purpose of "reconciling various interests that otherwise might have been understood as endangerin... more purpose of "reconciling various interests that otherwise might have been understood as endangering national unity" (p. 63). The campaign's emphasis on appeals to groups was no less extensive. Stuckey gives particular attention to women, African Americans, and organized labor. These developments dovetailed with the increasing use of quantitative measures of public opinion, which aggregated disparate attitudes into a few, mutually exclusive categories. All three activities combined to strengthen Roosevelt's promotion of a single public with the president as its champion. Beyond the interesting story of the campaign itself, this is an important book for understanding the evolution of modern presidential politics. One cannot help, for example, thinking of the super PACs that are so prevalent in current presidential politics as Stuckey describes the loyalty of extrapartisan organizations to Roosevelt. Stuckey concludes with a caution against tying Roosevelt's campaign to those of today, noting that comparisons between 1936 and now are limited because of the very different contexts facing presidential candidates. Roosevelt's first reelection stood at the nexus of two worlds, whereas today's campaigns firmly exist in one. Despite this caution, the lessons one can draw from 1936 are relevant to today's campaigns because the world in which they exist is a world of Roosevelt's creation.

Journal of Public Affairs Education, 2014

This article shows how certain practical/analytical skills are developed for "doing" leadership (... more This article shows how certain practical/analytical skills are developed for "doing" leadership (Alvesson & Spicer, 2011) through what I call mindful classroom simulations in two upper-level social science courses. By drawing from various leadership definitions and Ellen J. Langer's Mindfulness (1989) construct and through the use of an online open-ended questionnaire, participant-observation, and documentary/textual analysis, I demonstrate how well-designed and executed mindful classroom simulations afford individuals and groups the opportunity not only to gain discipline-specific knowledge and improve learning capabilities, but also to develop practical/ analytical skills for doing leadership. These mindful classroom simulations can be used in undergraduate and graduate public policy, political science, and public administration courses because simulations are effective pedagogical tools for teaching both course content and transportable practical/analytical skills that successful active leaders require today. Several lessons are drawn from the teacher's perspective on the effective use of these learner-centered mindful classroom simulations.

Annales. Etyka w Życiu Gospodarczym, 2018

This article examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s lesser-known educative role as an egalitarian inst... more This article examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s lesser-known educative role as an egalitarian institution within a broader deliberative democratic process. Scholars have argued that the Court’s long asserted power of judicial review, especially in the equal protection and civil rights context, has been an over-reach of the judicial branch’s constitutional authority and responsibilities. Normative and empirical critiques have been centered on the aims of judicial review, and the challenges it poses in American political life. A core issue surrounding these critiques is that Justices are appointed not elected, and thus undermine the principle of majority rule in the U.S. constitutional democratic order. Although these critiques are legitimate in terms of claims about unelected Supreme Court Justices’ seemingly discretionary powers over elected legislative bodies, and the uncertain policy implications of judicial pronouncements on the broader society, there is, nevertheless, a positive ...

Fair Observer and Common Dreams, 2019

"...Puerto Rico’s social and political problems are rooted in the territorial government’s depend... more "...Puerto Rico’s social and political problems are rooted in the territorial
government’s dependency on the economic policies of the US federal government. These economic ties between the US and Puerto Rico are reflected in the more recent corrupt politics on the island and the befallen Governor Rosselló, as well as the subsequent politics of succession to power that followed his resignation.

Annales. Ethics in Economic Life, 2018

This article examines the U.S. Supreme Court's lesser-known educative role as an egalitarian inst... more This article examines the U.S. Supreme Court's lesser-known educative role as an egalitarian institution within a broader deliberative democratic process. Scholars have argued that the Court's long asserted power of judicial review, especially in the equal protection and civil rights context, has been an overreach of the judicial branch's constitutional authority and responsibilities. Normative and empirical critiques have been centered on the aims of judicial review, and the challenges it poses in American political life. A core issue surrounding these critiques is that Justices are appointed not elected, and thus undermine the principle of majority rule in the U.S. constitutional democratic order. Although these critiques are legitimate in terms of claims about unelected Supreme Court Justices' seemingly discretionary powers over elected legislative bodies, and the uncertain policy implications of judicial pronouncements on the broader society, there is, nevertheless, a positive application of judicial review as a tool Justices use as part of their educative role overcoming the so-called "counter-majoritarian difficulty." Through a close reading of oral arguments in Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) and San Antonio vs. Rodriguez (1973)-two landmark cases invoking the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the federal Constitution-the article shows how appointed Justices adjudicate individual cases on appeal and attempt to educate (through an argumentative, reason-based and question-centered process) citizen-litigants and their legal representatives about the importance of equality, fairness and ethical responsibility even prior to rendering final decisions on policy controversies that have broader national social, political and economic implications.

People of Color in the United States: Contemporary Issues in Education, Work, Communities, Health, and Immigration, 2016

Fair Observer, 2017

By September 20, weather experts were already forecasting that Hurricane Maria, characterized as ... more By September 20, weather experts were already forecasting that Hurricane Maria, characterized as a category 4 storm, had potential to cause major catastrophic damage in Puerto Rico, a United States territory. President Donald Trump also initially acknowledged the severity of the storm through his Twitter communications that seem to bypass, if not displace, traditional White House communication practices, when he tweeted, “Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you — will be there to help.” This was Trump assuring Puerto Ricans, who are also US citizens, that the federal government would be ready to assist immediately post-Hurricane Maria.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract\_id=1766777 The paper shows the extent to which ... more https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1766777

The paper shows the extent to which the Quaker Lake Mohonk Conference (LMC), through what I call its pragmatic Quakerism, structured various political relations with national organizations (secular and religious), elite individuals, U.S. and insular territorial based political parties, social activist groups and other governing institutions who were engaged in shaping U.S. insular territorial policies in the early 20th century. I examine historically and exegetically three interrelated LMC elements: a) its Quaker and pragmatic ideological underpinnings within its rather unique nongovernmental institutional framework, b) its indirect political role in shaping national discourses on U.S. insular policies, and c) the ubiquitous racialism permeating the institution’s internal and external activities. By attending to these three interrelated processes, I contend that the LMC offers a convenient vantage point from which to understand the latent narratives centered on religious beliefs, racial thought and progressive reform politics that together often structured early 20th American political development.

Donald Trump has extended his reality-show persona into everyday political spaces (Others).

The Journal of Race and Policy, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Spring/Summer 2015)

This article shows how certain practical/analytical skills are developed for "doing" leadership t... more This article shows how certain practical/analytical skills are developed for "doing" leadership through what I call mindful classroom simulations in two upper-level social science courses. By drawing from various leadership definitions and Ellen J. Langer's Mindfulness (1989) construct and through the use of an online open-ended questionnaire, participant-observation, and documentary/textual analysis, I demonstrate how well-designed and executed mindful classroom simulations afford individuals and groups the opportunity not only to gain discipline-specific knowledge and improve learning capabilities, but also to develop practical/ analytical skills for doing leadership. These mindful classroom simulations can be used in undergraduate and graduate public policy, political science, and public administration courses because simulations are effective pedagogical tools for teaching both course content and transportable practical/analytical skills that successful active leaders require today. Several lessons are drawn from the teacher's perspective on the effective use of these learner-centered mindful classroom simulations. kEyWorDS mindful classroom simulations, doing leadership, transportable leadership skills, interpretive methodology

My father's hard work often seems ephemeral to me.

Talks by Carlos Figueroa, PhD

U.S. Quakers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries engaged in social and political reform act... more U.S. Quakers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries engaged in social and political reform activities that included intervening in U.S. insular policy discourses. Hicksite Quaker Albert K. Smiley, a rather unknown Social gospeller, contributed to such national policy debates by providing a communal democratic space for engaging in what I call 'political ecumenism.' This talk examines these early U.S. Quaker national policy interventions through Smiley’s Lake Mohonk Conference of Friends of the Indian and Other Dependent Peoples (LMC) to show how both American and Filipino leaders, Quaker and non-Quaker alike, utilized the LMC to assuage the polarizing & competing racial-religious values serving as cultural barriers (broadly characterizing the ‘Philippine problem’) to U.S. Philippine policy development. This case (as part of a larger book project) has implications for understanding the role of non-governmental institutions, debates about citizenship in the U.S., and political rhetoric in policy development.

Political Science Quarterly, 2020

Journal of American History, 2016

purpose of "reconciling various interests that otherwise might have been understood as endangerin... more purpose of "reconciling various interests that otherwise might have been understood as endangering national unity" (p. 63). The campaign's emphasis on appeals to groups was no less extensive. Stuckey gives particular attention to women, African Americans, and organized labor. These developments dovetailed with the increasing use of quantitative measures of public opinion, which aggregated disparate attitudes into a few, mutually exclusive categories. All three activities combined to strengthen Roosevelt's promotion of a single public with the president as its champion. Beyond the interesting story of the campaign itself, this is an important book for understanding the evolution of modern presidential politics. One cannot help, for example, thinking of the super PACs that are so prevalent in current presidential politics as Stuckey describes the loyalty of extrapartisan organizations to Roosevelt. Stuckey concludes with a caution against tying Roosevelt's campaign to those of today, noting that comparisons between 1936 and now are limited because of the very different contexts facing presidential candidates. Roosevelt's first reelection stood at the nexus of two worlds, whereas today's campaigns firmly exist in one. Despite this caution, the lessons one can draw from 1936 are relevant to today's campaigns because the world in which they exist is a world of Roosevelt's creation.

Journal of Public Affairs Education, 2014

This article shows how certain practical/analytical skills are developed for "doing" leadership (... more This article shows how certain practical/analytical skills are developed for "doing" leadership (Alvesson & Spicer, 2011) through what I call mindful classroom simulations in two upper-level social science courses. By drawing from various leadership definitions and Ellen J. Langer's Mindfulness (1989) construct and through the use of an online open-ended questionnaire, participant-observation, and documentary/textual analysis, I demonstrate how well-designed and executed mindful classroom simulations afford individuals and groups the opportunity not only to gain discipline-specific knowledge and improve learning capabilities, but also to develop practical/ analytical skills for doing leadership. These mindful classroom simulations can be used in undergraduate and graduate public policy, political science, and public administration courses because simulations are effective pedagogical tools for teaching both course content and transportable practical/analytical skills that successful active leaders require today. Several lessons are drawn from the teacher's perspective on the effective use of these learner-centered mindful classroom simulations.

Annales. Etyka w Życiu Gospodarczym, 2018

This article examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s lesser-known educative role as an egalitarian inst... more This article examines the U.S. Supreme Court’s lesser-known educative role as an egalitarian institution within a broader deliberative democratic process. Scholars have argued that the Court’s long asserted power of judicial review, especially in the equal protection and civil rights context, has been an over-reach of the judicial branch’s constitutional authority and responsibilities. Normative and empirical critiques have been centered on the aims of judicial review, and the challenges it poses in American political life. A core issue surrounding these critiques is that Justices are appointed not elected, and thus undermine the principle of majority rule in the U.S. constitutional democratic order. Although these critiques are legitimate in terms of claims about unelected Supreme Court Justices’ seemingly discretionary powers over elected legislative bodies, and the uncertain policy implications of judicial pronouncements on the broader society, there is, nevertheless, a positive ...

Fair Observer and Common Dreams, 2019

"...Puerto Rico’s social and political problems are rooted in the territorial government’s depend... more "...Puerto Rico’s social and political problems are rooted in the territorial
government’s dependency on the economic policies of the US federal government. These economic ties between the US and Puerto Rico are reflected in the more recent corrupt politics on the island and the befallen Governor Rosselló, as well as the subsequent politics of succession to power that followed his resignation.

Annales. Ethics in Economic Life, 2018

This article examines the U.S. Supreme Court's lesser-known educative role as an egalitarian inst... more This article examines the U.S. Supreme Court's lesser-known educative role as an egalitarian institution within a broader deliberative democratic process. Scholars have argued that the Court's long asserted power of judicial review, especially in the equal protection and civil rights context, has been an overreach of the judicial branch's constitutional authority and responsibilities. Normative and empirical critiques have been centered on the aims of judicial review, and the challenges it poses in American political life. A core issue surrounding these critiques is that Justices are appointed not elected, and thus undermine the principle of majority rule in the U.S. constitutional democratic order. Although these critiques are legitimate in terms of claims about unelected Supreme Court Justices' seemingly discretionary powers over elected legislative bodies, and the uncertain policy implications of judicial pronouncements on the broader society, there is, nevertheless, a positive application of judicial review as a tool Justices use as part of their educative role overcoming the so-called "counter-majoritarian difficulty." Through a close reading of oral arguments in Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) and San Antonio vs. Rodriguez (1973)-two landmark cases invoking the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the federal Constitution-the article shows how appointed Justices adjudicate individual cases on appeal and attempt to educate (through an argumentative, reason-based and question-centered process) citizen-litigants and their legal representatives about the importance of equality, fairness and ethical responsibility even prior to rendering final decisions on policy controversies that have broader national social, political and economic implications.

People of Color in the United States: Contemporary Issues in Education, Work, Communities, Health, and Immigration, 2016

Fair Observer, 2017

By September 20, weather experts were already forecasting that Hurricane Maria, characterized as ... more By September 20, weather experts were already forecasting that Hurricane Maria, characterized as a category 4 storm, had potential to cause major catastrophic damage in Puerto Rico, a United States territory. President Donald Trump also initially acknowledged the severity of the storm through his Twitter communications that seem to bypass, if not displace, traditional White House communication practices, when he tweeted, “Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you — will be there to help.” This was Trump assuring Puerto Ricans, who are also US citizens, that the federal government would be ready to assist immediately post-Hurricane Maria.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract\_id=1766777 The paper shows the extent to which ... more https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1766777

The paper shows the extent to which the Quaker Lake Mohonk Conference (LMC), through what I call its pragmatic Quakerism, structured various political relations with national organizations (secular and religious), elite individuals, U.S. and insular territorial based political parties, social activist groups and other governing institutions who were engaged in shaping U.S. insular territorial policies in the early 20th century. I examine historically and exegetically three interrelated LMC elements: a) its Quaker and pragmatic ideological underpinnings within its rather unique nongovernmental institutional framework, b) its indirect political role in shaping national discourses on U.S. insular policies, and c) the ubiquitous racialism permeating the institution’s internal and external activities. By attending to these three interrelated processes, I contend that the LMC offers a convenient vantage point from which to understand the latent narratives centered on religious beliefs, racial thought and progressive reform politics that together often structured early 20th American political development.

Donald Trump has extended his reality-show persona into everyday political spaces (Others).

The Journal of Race and Policy, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Spring/Summer 2015)

This article shows how certain practical/analytical skills are developed for "doing" leadership t... more This article shows how certain practical/analytical skills are developed for "doing" leadership through what I call mindful classroom simulations in two upper-level social science courses. By drawing from various leadership definitions and Ellen J. Langer's Mindfulness (1989) construct and through the use of an online open-ended questionnaire, participant-observation, and documentary/textual analysis, I demonstrate how well-designed and executed mindful classroom simulations afford individuals and groups the opportunity not only to gain discipline-specific knowledge and improve learning capabilities, but also to develop practical/ analytical skills for doing leadership. These mindful classroom simulations can be used in undergraduate and graduate public policy, political science, and public administration courses because simulations are effective pedagogical tools for teaching both course content and transportable practical/analytical skills that successful active leaders require today. Several lessons are drawn from the teacher's perspective on the effective use of these learner-centered mindful classroom simulations. kEyWorDS mindful classroom simulations, doing leadership, transportable leadership skills, interpretive methodology

My father's hard work often seems ephemeral to me.

U.S. Quakers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries engaged in social and political reform act... more U.S. Quakers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries engaged in social and political reform activities that included intervening in U.S. insular policy discourses. Hicksite Quaker Albert K. Smiley, a rather unknown Social gospeller, contributed to such national policy debates by providing a communal democratic space for engaging in what I call 'political ecumenism.' This talk examines these early U.S. Quaker national policy interventions through Smiley’s Lake Mohonk Conference of Friends of the Indian and Other Dependent Peoples (LMC) to show how both American and Filipino leaders, Quaker and non-Quaker alike, utilized the LMC to assuage the polarizing & competing racial-religious values serving as cultural barriers (broadly characterizing the ‘Philippine problem’) to U.S. Philippine policy development. This case (as part of a larger book project) has implications for understanding the role of non-governmental institutions, debates about citizenship in the U.S., and political rhetoric in policy development.

Political Science Quarterly, 2020

José E.Cruz’s new book is a follow‐up to his 2017 work Puerto Rican Identity, Political Developme... more José E.Cruz’s new book is a follow‐up to his 2017 work Puerto Rican Identity, Political Development, and Democracy in New York City, 1960–1990, in which he argued that ethnic identity serves as “a positive force in political development.” Similar to his earlier work, the present text contains a rich historical tapestry of several often taken‐for‐granted Puerto Rican social activists, political strategists, and community organizations engaged in collective action in New York City during the last third of the twentieth century. However, and unlike his first book, which emphasized the power of ethnicity in democratic politics, Cruz’s Liberalism and Identity Politics argues more vehemently “that the aporetic relationship between liberalism and identity politics can be transcended in practice” (p. 30). He attempts to show this transcendence, or perhaps deep conceptual compatibility, throughout the book’s seven thematic empirical chapters by focusing on Puerto Rican community‐based activities through what he calls “a historical collage” understood as “an ensemble of events that produces a coherent narrative, using juxtaposition as its primary tool” (p. 31).

It is well known that throughout U.S. history, members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Qu... more It is well known that throughout U.S. history, members of the Religious
Society of Friends, or Quakers, have often engaged in political discourse
and policy debate over war, antislavery, and human rights, yet there has
been little scholarship on Quakers and presidential leadership. H. Larry
Ingle’s new book, Nixon’s First Cover-Up: The Religious Life of a
Quaker President, provides an intriguing account through impeccable
research and even better writing of one of the most enigmatic and
controversial presidents in U.S. history—Richard M. Nixon—and his
underlying Quaker faith. Ingle draws on and challenges Nixon biographers,
who, he argues, misunderstood the impact of religion in Nixon’s
decision-making process, by reinterpreting Nixon’s own published works
and personal and political correspondences. Ingle uniquely focuses on
Nixon’s often ignored, or just completely forgotten, “Quaker heritage,”
which arguably informed his personal character, leadership style, and
broader political life.

Political Science Quarterly, 2017

It is well known that throughout U.S. history, members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Qu... more It is well known that throughout U.S. history, members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, have often engaged in political discourse and policy debate over war, antislavery, and human rights, yet there has been little scholarship on Quakers and presidential leadership. H. Larry Ingle’s new book, Nixon’s First Cover-Up: The Religious Life of a Quaker President, provides an intriguing account through impeccable research and even better writing of one of the most enigmatic and controversial presidents in U.S. history—Richard M. Nixon—and his underlying Quaker faith."