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GIS and Redistricting Class Offered Next Semester
11/3/2010
 The University of St. Thomas Political Science Department and Environmental Science Department are collaborating next semester to offer a special topics class titled, “We Draw the Lines: GIS and Redistricting.” The class will be taught by Dr. Jean-Philippe Faletta and Dr. William Harris.
Every 10 years after the U. S. Census, redistricting takes place at both the federal and state level. Some states will lose seats in Congress and electoral votes, while others like Texas will gain. This class will delve into discussions about which party may be in control for the next 10 years, who will control public policy, how legislative maps are drawn and the politics behind them. The class will unfold as the redistricting process is taking place in the Texas State Legislature and across the country, making this truly a once in 10 years opportunity. The class will follow the process in real time and will draw maps using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and the 2010 Census data.
The class will take place Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. during the Spring 2011 semester.
The political and legal aspects of the redistricting process will be taught by Faletta. Faleta is an associate professor of political science and joined the UST faculty in 2001. He serves as director of the Service Learning Program and served as head of the Faculty Senate during the 2009-2010 school year. Faletta has undergraduate degrees in Russian language and literature and a master’s degree and doctorate in political science from Wayne State University in Detroit.
The GIS portion of the course will be taught by Harris. Harris is an associate professor of Environmental Science and Studies. He earned an undergraduate degree in geology from Baylor University, and a master’s and doctorate in geology from Texas A&M. He taught in the Department of Geology for Texas A&M University from 1987-88 and in the Department of Geology and Secondary Education at Kansas State University from 1989-1991 before coming to UST.
For more information about the course, contact Dr. Faletta at 713-942-3481 or falettj@stthom.edu.
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