In the history of western political thought, representation has been seen as the defining characteristic of modern states, be they republics or constitutional monarchies. It stands in contrast to both despotism and tyranny on the one hand, and direct self-rule of the kind associated with ancient Greek democracy on the other. Representation became crucial in mixed constitutions, such as the Roman Republic, the model of so many states, including the United States of America. The invention, and desirability, of representation, as something which allowed the people to participate in government, while limiting their alleged potential for disruption, and propensity for mob rule or populism, has always been an intensely discussed turning point in our political memory.

The 2011 Teaching Political Theory and Theories track drew scholars from Europe and the United States and featured work from political scientists representing the four major subfields. While analyzing the nine papers presented, participants articulated a range of perspectives on questions of pedagogy and the relationship between political theory and political science; indeed, the variety of perspectives confirmed the ongoing contestability of many central concepts in both the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTAL) and the discipline of political science. Whether discussing ways to develop assignments for undergraduate research projects on the Tea Party or how to employ insights from deliberative democratic theory to assess the role of education in addressing racial violence in the United States, participants confronted important questions regarding the role of theory in the discipline, the broadening of undergraduate and graduate teaching strategies, and assessment of the effectiveness of alternative teaching strategies.

For the first time in its history, the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association will take place in Seattle, Washington. Join APSA in this exciting new location to address the latest scholarship in political science and connect with colleagues from around the world. Convening in a contemporary urban environment surrounded by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, the 2011 Annual Meeting and Exhibition will have something for scholars at every stage of their careers. 7,000 political scientists are expected to travel to Seattle to take part in this premier event in the field.

Stanley A. Kochanek, professor emeritus of political science at the Pennsylvania State University (University Park), died May 2 of complications following heart surgery.

Judith Merkle Riley, longtime professor of government at Claremont McKenna College and bestselling novelist under her married name, Judith Merkle Riley, died at her home in Claremont, California, on September 12, 2010, of cancer. She was 68.

The Teaching Research Methods track at the 2011 APSA Teaching and Learning Conference built upon many of the themes from past years and brought to fruition some of the recommendations made at previous meetings. The group touched on numerous topics, but there were a few main themes that informed each conversation. First, the papers and commentary focused on determining the best way to give our students, especially our majors, a solid research methods background. Because faculty from many types of colleges and universities were present and offered varying accounts of the particular needs and career goals of their school's students, the group did not reach a consensus as to a uniform course of study that would be appropriate for every institution. Although participants had different ideas about how to implement a methods course of study, many presentations highlighted the necessity to forefront methods training and further integrate it into the political science curriculum.

We report here on the journal's operations during the year from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010.

I am happy to report that Perspectives on Politics is thriving. We inherited a journal that was founded with a flourish in response to a range of concerns about the ways in which the U.S. political science profession had become highly specialized and balkanized, at the expense of broader understanding and public relevance. Our editorial predecessors had put the journal on a sound footing, a significant accomplishment for a new journal less than a decade old. At the same time, the journal we inherited faced some challenges related to the effective use of the Editorial Manager system; the efficiency of its operations, especially regarding communication with authors and reviewers; and its distinctive purposes and intellectual vision looking to the future. In the roughly 18 months since we assumed editorial control of the journal in June 2009, I believe that we have succeeded in addressing these challenges and projecting a new excitement about the journal and the role it can play in contributing to the invigoration of the discipline.

The passing of John Kie-chang Oh is a vivid reminder of how much political science is driven by political responsibility. As a young man in Seoul, John Oh found himself at the center of the great upheaval that was the Korean War. His enrollment in law at the prestigious Seoul National University was cut short, and the prospect of a career in law and politics was put permanently on hold. Even worse, as he recalled, he could not depart from the city, as he was recovering from an appendectomy. The bright optimism of a 20-year-old had been shattered on that September morning in 1950, as he suddenly found himself on the run in his own native land.

In recognition of their outstanding academic and personal achievements, APSA is pleased to announce the APSA Minority Fellows for the 2011–12 academic year. The Minority Fellows Program (MFP) was established in 1969 as an effort to increase the number of minority scholars in the discipline and has designated more than 600 fellows and contributed to the successful completion of doctoral political science programs for over 100 individuals.

Carl F. Stover, 79, was a public affairs executive with a long career of managing and leading many nonprofit organizations. He was an admirable example of someone who bridged connections between civic education and civil society.

C. Neal Tate, born October 17, 1943, passed away September 13, 2009, in Nashville, Tennessee. At the time of his death, Neal was the Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor, professor of political science, and professor of law at Vanderbilt University, where he had also served as chair of the political science department since 2003. He had previously served on the faculty of the University of North Texas from 1970 through 2003. With a deep sense of sadness, his colleagues and friends at both institutions say goodbye to a beloved friend, teacher, and colleague. Neal's passing has been a great loss for many people around the country and around the world. His contributions were many, and while we will no longer have the benefit of his kindness, keen intellect, and fine sense of humor, we will continue to benefit from his many legacies.

Founded in 1953, the APSA Congressional Fellowship Program is the nation's oldest and most prestigious congressional fellowship. More than 50 years later, the program remains devoted to its original objective of expanding knowledge and awareness of Congress.

Richard Pierre Claude epitomized the scholar/activist. As a student at Florida State in 1960, he sat down with friends at a lunch counter in Tallahassee in violation of municipal law. He had a distinguished career at the University of Maryland. One of his proudest achievements was the founding of the Human Rights Quarterly, which he edited for four years. The impetus for founding HRQ was that the human rights field was dominated by lawyers, and while a number of social scientists were interested in doing scholarly work on human rights, the traditional journals were not receptive to this subject matter. Claude's vision for HRQ may be evidenced by the results from Project Muse, an electronic website administered by Johns Hopkins University Press. Of the 436 journals on Project Muse, Human Rights Quarterly ranked third in terms of downloads of articles in 2010, with 207,440.

I cannot be entirely objective about the life and death of Robert Charles Tucker, who died, at age 92, at his home in Princeton on July 29. During the course of 50 years, Bob Tucker was my mentor, colleague, and very dear friend. He was the best man at my wedding to Katrina (Katia) vanden Heuvel, and I gave my oldest daughter, from a previous marriage, his family name as her middle name: Alexandra Tucker Cohen.

For most of American history, black Americans were excluded from the political process. Even after the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, for decades, especially in the South, blacks were prevented from voting through various institutional tactics (e.g., poll taxes and literacy tests), violence, and intimidation. As a result, most political institutions through the mid-twentieth century had few or no black faces. With the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Fifteenth Amendment was codified, and blacks began to vote and participate in the political process in unprecedented ways.