Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode, Provost McCorkle talks with Dr. Colin Glennon, professor and chair in the Department of Political Science, International Affairs, and Public Administration. Dr. Glennon also serves as the faculty sponsor of ETSU’s award-winning Mock Trial Team.
Podcast Transcript:
Dr. Colin R. Glennon
Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science, International Affairs and Public Administration:
I really feel like compared to so many other disciplines, we have an advantage here in political science, right? Our stuff's in the news all the time. Right. And it's out there. And that gives us a chance that I think is really neat to kind of explain what it means, how it fits in, and that can help get students excited.
Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle
Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs:
Hi, I'm Kimberly McCorkle, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at East Tennessee State University. From the moment I arrived on this campus, I have been inspired by our faculty, their passion for what they do, their belief in the power of higher education, and the way they are transforming the lives of their students. This podcast is dedicated to them. Our incredible faculty at ETSU. You hear their stories as they tell us "Why I Teach." In this episode, we will talk with Dr. Colin R. Glennon, Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science, International Affairs and Public Administration. Dr. Glennon joined the faculty at ETSU in 2013 after completing his PhD at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and teaching at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. He teaches courses in public law and American politics, and also serves as the pre-law advisor and coordinator of the Legal Studies minor for the university. Dr. Glennon’s research focuses on judicial behavior and judicial legitimacy. He has coauthored texts in the fields of constitutional law, American government, and American political thought. Dr. Glennon also serves as a faculty sponsor of ETSU's award winning Mock Trial team. Go, Trial Bucs!
Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle:
Enjoy the show. Dr. Glennon, welcome to the show. I start my podcast with the same question for every guest. Take me back to your first day of teaching at ETSU as a faculty member, and looking back on that day, what is one piece of advice that you would have given yourself?
Dr. Colin R. Glennon:
Alright. Great. Well, first, thanks for having me. I appreciate it, and I'm looking forward to our discussion today. Thinking back on that first day, I think I probably think two things. The first would be to plan a little bit less and maybe what the class free flow a little bit more now, based on students’ interest, right, and the subject matter that's really landing with them. I don't think you maybe as a young professor, you feel more need to show your brilliance, right? And yeah, fit it all in. And, I quickly learned, at least I think quickly learned that that wasn't the best approach.
It was better to see how a lecture was going, feel it out, and let the students kind of dictate the pace of that discussion. And then I think the second thing, maybe that or the biggest thing I've learned is that the most important class that I teach is the Intro to American Government class. And when I started, I probably would have told you it was an upper division course. Right? That that was most important in the discipline. Right. I think I had it backwards as a young professor. You know, our majors are politically engaged and politically knowledgeable. And in the Intro course, that might not be true. That's a Gen Ed course where we get students from everywhere, right? Right. And so, the way I think about it now is for so many of these students, that's going to be the only political science they ever get. And I take that as a kind of serious responsibility. Yeah. If I'm going to hopefully share a community with these students for 40, 50, 60 years. Right. This is our chance to kind of let them understand some basics, get a background right, get some kind of bedrock knowledge about how the systems work and things like that.
Dr. Colin R. Glennon:
So I think those would be the two kind of biggest things that I've learned since I got started, to let students dictate the pace a little bit more, but also that, that, that class that sometimes I think is thought of or treated as as less important really is the most important class in our discipline I think. It's great insight. Yeah.
Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle:
Last fall, ETSU launched the inaugural Great Lecture Series, which features ETSU faculty who've recently been promoted to full professor. You were among our great lecturers last year, and the series allows our outstanding faculty to highlight some of the memorable moments throughout their academic journeys on their path to full professor. I really enjoyed hearing your lecture. For those of you who were not able to attend, could...
In this episode, Provost McCorkle talks with Dr. Colin Glennon, professor and chair in the Department of Political Science, International Affairs, and Public Administration. Dr. Glennon also serves as the faculty sponsor of ETSU’s award-winning Mock Trial Team.
Podcast Transcript:
Dr. Colin R. Glennon
Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science, International Affairs and Public Administration:
I really feel like compared to so many other disciplines, we have an advantage here in political science, right? Our stuff's in the news all the time. Right. And it's out there. And that gives us a chance that I think is really neat to kind of explain what it means, how it fits in, and that can help get students excited.
Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle
Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs:
Hi, I'm Kimberly McCorkle, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at East Tennessee State University. From the moment I arrived on this campus, I have been inspired by our faculty, their passion for what they do, their belief in the power of higher education, and the way they are transforming the lives of their students. This podcast is dedicated to them. Our incredible faculty at ETSU. You hear their stories as they tell us "Why I Teach." In this episode, we will talk with Dr. Colin R. Glennon, Professor and Chair in the Department of Political Science, International Affairs and Public Administration. Dr. Glennon joined the faculty at ETSU in 2013 after completing his PhD at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and teaching at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. He teaches courses in public law and American politics, and also serves as the pre-law advisor and coordinator of the Legal Studies minor for the university. Dr. Glennon’s research focuses on judicial behavior and judicial legitimacy. He has coauthored texts in the fields of constitutional law, American government, and American political thought. Dr. Glennon also serves as a faculty sponsor of ETSU's award winning Mock Trial team. Go, Trial Bucs!
Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle:
Enjoy the show. Dr. Glennon, welcome to the show. I start my podcast with the same question for every guest. Take me back to your first day of teaching at ETSU as a faculty member, and looking back on that day, what is one piece of advice that you would have given yourself?
Dr. Colin R. Glennon:
Alright. Great. Well, first, thanks for having me. I appreciate it, and I'm looking forward to our discussion today. Thinking back on that first day, I think I probably think two things. The first would be to plan a little bit less and maybe what the class free flow a little bit more now, based on students’ interest, right, and the subject matter that's really landing with them. I don't think you maybe as a young professor, you feel more need to show your brilliance, right? And yeah, fit it all in. And, I quickly learned, at least I think quickly learned that that wasn't the best approach.
It was better to see how a lecture was going, feel it out, and let the students kind of dictate the pace of that discussion. And then I think the second thing, maybe that or the biggest thing I've learned is that the most important class that I teach is the Intro to American Government class. And when I started, I probably would have told you it was an upper division course. Right? That that was most important in the discipline. Right. I think I had it backwards as a young professor. You know, our majors are politically engaged and politically knowledgeable. And in the Intro course, that might not be true. That's a Gen Ed course where we get students from everywhere, right? Right. And so, the way I think about it now is for so many of these students, that's going to be the only political science they ever get. And I take that as a kind of serious responsibility. Yeah. If I'm going to hopefully share a community with these students for 40, 50, 60 years. Right. This is our chance to kind of let them understand some basics, get a background right, get some kind of bedrock knowledge about how the systems work and things like that.
Dr. Colin R. Glennon:
So I think those would be the two kind of biggest things that I've learned since I got started, to let students dictate the pace a little bit more, but also that, that, that class that sometimes I think is thought of or treated as as less important really is the most important class in our discipline I think. It's great insight. Yeah.
Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle:
Last fall, ETSU launched the inaugural Great Lecture Series, which features ETSU faculty who've recently been promoted to full professor. You were among our great lecturers last year, and the series allows our outstanding faculty to highlight some of the memorable moments throughout their academic journeys on their path to full professor. I really enjoyed hearing your lecture. For those of you who were not able to attend, could...
