LV Life

Professor enjoys small campus life

Aside from soccer, his love is written words about politics and philosophy. Jason Niedleman is the newest addition to the History/Political Science Department, teaching political theory classes. Neidleman is also a pre-law adviser at ULV. / photo by Jason Cooper
Aside from soccer, his love is written words about politics and philosophy. Jason Niedleman is the newest addition to the History/Political Science Department, teaching political theory classes. Neidleman is also a pre-law adviser at ULV. / photo by Jason Cooper

by Crystal Apilado
Features Editor

The University of La Verne welcomed Jason Neidleman, the new assistant professor of political science and pre-law adviser, this semester.

Neidleman, a native of Los Altos, Calif., attended UCLA as an undergraduate and received a bachelor of arts in political science. He then attended Harvard University, where he earned his Ph.D. in political philosophy.

After receiving his Ph.D. he and his wife moved to Chicago, Ill. so that his wife could attend medical school at Northwestern University.

While in Chicago, Neidleman taught in the political philosophy department at De Paul University.

He also taught at a high school in Chicago and tutored through the Ivy League Tutoring Company in the south side of Chicago.

“I’m pretty happy to be back,” Neidleman said of his return to California.

Neidleman’s area of expertise is modern and contemporary political theory, though he is also interested in urban politics and land use issues. He has been involved with community development on land issues in cities like Boston and Cambridge, Mass.

Neidleman has already begun challenging students in his classes, he said. His goal is to have students “self-interrogate” and challenge themselves by questioning their beliefs and biases. He hopes they will discard their point of view, listen to where others are coming from and re-evaluate their original opinion to see if there is any change.

“The subject isn’t as important, it’s more the approach the student takes to the subject,” Neidleman said.

His book, “The General Will is Citizenship,” was published earlier this year. It delves into French political theory from the 1800s and 1900s.

Lately, he has been involved in research for his latest project, based on the philosophical foundation of ethical and moral judgments. He said he is focusing on the written work of Michel Foucault as one of his main sources.

Neidleman also has interest in law. He said that his “sub-field” is the debate between legal theory and political theory.

“They go hand-in-hand,” Neidleman said.

He is currently working on developing a pre-law society, an on campus organization, which has already begun to meet.

“I’d like to bring together undergraduates who are interested in law and law issues,” Neidleman said.

He hopes to meet with the group once a month and discuss the preparation for law school, the differences among law schools and topics that center in the field of law. He would also like to bring in speakers from different law schools. Here at ULV, Neidleman has enjoyed getting involved and taking an active role in the campus community.

While in college he was involved with debate and has already taken part in a debate, alongside the debate team, at ULV on the subject of the Sept. 11 attacks. Neidleman, also an athlete, has attended the ULV soccer team’s practices in order to stay physically fit.

“I can go out there twice a week and play soccer with the soccer team,” said Neidleman.

He also participates in bike riding, hiking, skiing and snowboarding.

Some of the locations Neidleman has been to include the Sierra Nevadas and Mt. Baldy.

Besides his interest in physical activities, Neidleman is bilingual.

He speaks French and has conducted research in France.

In addition to living in France for six months as a child and summer trips, he also spent time in France during a summer program through his graduate school.

He has also taking the initiative to learn a new language, and is sitting in on Ann Hill’s Spanish class each week.

Neidleman said he has enjoyed being a part of the ULV community thus far.

“Other schools have all been huge. You don’t necessarily know the people you work with there.

“Here you get a familiar, communal feeling that you don’t get at bigger schools. It’s nice,” Neidleman said.

Crystal Apilado, Features Editor
Crystal Apilado
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Jason Cooper, Staff Photographer
Jason Cooper
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