Shana Bernstein, assistant professor of history, spoke at the Western History Association in St. Louis Oct. 14 as an invited roundtable panelist. The roundtable she participated in was titled “Comparative Perspectives on Mexican American Citizenship from Law, History and Cultural Studies.”

David Gaines, associate professor of English and director of the Paideia® Program, presented “Bobby’s in the Canon and I’m in the Classroom Mixin’ Up the Curriculum” on Oct. 25 at the New School in New York City. Gaines was one of the invited lecturers for a New School colloquium regarding the life and work of Bob Dylan. He is currently turning his lecture into a paper for publication.

The lead article in the October issue of Teaching Sociology is titled “Bridging the Gap between Cultures of Teaching and Culture of Research.” The article presents data from job listings for academic sociology positions in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and documents an increasing call for faculty who combine teaching and research in their careers in academia. The author of the research article, Edward L. Kain, professor of sociology and University Scholar in the Sociology and Anthropology Department, provides a series of suggestions for changes that are needed to help bridge the gap between teaching and research within the changing landscape of higher education in the United States.

Helene Meyers, professor of English, gave an invited lecture to the Women’s Studies program at Texas A&M. The title of her talk was “Jewish Gender Trouble.”

Aaron Prevots, assistant professor of French, interviewed Colin Newman, a prime mover on the British music and arts scene since the late 1970s, for his Creative Process series. Newman is a songwriter, record producer, label owner and founding member of the group Wire. The interview may be read at http://www.southwestern.edu/~prevots/colin_newman_interview.html.

Eric Selbin, professor of political science, presented a lecture on Oct. 24 titled “Is Revolution Still an Option in Latin America?” at The University of Texas’ Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies.

Kim Smith, associate professor of art history, gave a talk titled “Expressionist Art History and the Return of the Repressed” on Oct. 1 at the annual German Studies Conference in Pittsburgh.

Ron Swain, senior advisor to the president, led a roundtable discussion on the Partnership for Engaged Diversity at the American Association of Colleges and Universities' (AAC&U) Diversity and Learning Conference in Philadelphia. The partnership, involving five liberal arts institutions, is designed to create a culture of engaged diversity on each campus through joint programs, shared resources, and the meaningful interactions of students and faculty. The three-year project is funded through a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

October 20, 2006

Phil Hopkins, assistant professor of philosophy, is presenting a paper at the Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy at Fordham Oct. 21, titled "Zeno of Elea on the Place of Place." The paper interprets one of the least examined and most puzzling of Zeno's paradoxes.

Susan Mennicke, director of intercultural learning, has been elected to the Institute for the International Education of Students' (IES) Academic Council. A key component of IES extensive academic governance system, the IES Academic Council sets educational policy for IES, advises the president concerning all academic matters, and provides systematic contact with its university Consortium members. IES Academic Council members are elected to a three-year term through the voting by study abroad professionals from the nation's top colleges and universities.

Star Varner, professor of art, will have an exhibition of her work "The Mysteries Revisited" on display at Baylor University's Martin Museum of Art from Oct. 28 through Nov. 21 and Nov. 28 through Nov. 30.

October 13, 2006

Edward L. Kain, professor of sociology and University Scholar, is presenting a paper at the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in Portland, Ore., Oct. 18-22. The paper is titled "The Interconnections Between Measures of Religiosity and Attitudes About Homosexuality." The research examines 30 years of change in national survey data on attitudes about the morality of homosexuality as well as support for basic civil liberties of homosexuals. It also explores how these attitudes vary by religious affiliation and religiosity.

Aaron Prevots, assistant professor of French, completed work on his ACS-Mellon Fellowship "Teaching French through Songs and Singing." The resulting Web site features new recordings of traditional and original songs on topics ranging from basic vocabulary to issues of gender and identity. The site was designed with technology support specialist Pat Ramsey. Music, lyrics and chords to 50 pieces are here.

Ron Swain, senior advisor to the president for strategic planning and assessment, delivered the platform address for the Ethical Society of Austin. His topic was "Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Concept of the World House." In 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. authored Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community. In the midst of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Dr. King described the conditions of American society in terms of economic, educational, housing and psycho-social differences. He concluded that the peoples of the American society and beyond are in a "world house" in which they will either live together in community or perish in chaos. The address was a reflection of contemporary American society in the context of the "world house."

October 6, 2006

M. Cristina Alcalde, assistant professor of anthropology, had her article, "Going Home: A Feminist Anthropologist's Reflections on Dilemmas of Power and Positionality in the Field" accepted for publication in Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism.

Romi Burks, assistant professor of biology, published a book chapter titled "Center Stage: The Crucial Role of Macrophytes in Regulating Trophic Interactions in Shallow Lake Wetlands." This book chapter resulted from Burks' participation within a symposium of the INTECOL Wetlands meeting in the Netherlands in 2004. The chapter is co-authored with six European colleagues and contributes to the Springer-Verlag Ecological Studies Vol. 191 Wetlands: Functioning, Biodiversity Conservation, and Restoration.

Aaron Prevots, assistant professor of French, had a manuscript of poetry in translation accepted. Return to Calm, from the original French by Jacques Reda, features seven sections and depicts in rhymed verse growing up, past loves, travel, seascapes, seasons and places in and around Paris. It is scheduled to be released in spring 2008 as a bilingual edition, with an introduction by Prevots.