College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

NEWS


Carolyn J. Bryan, associate professor, and Karla J. Qualls, adjunct assistant professor, both in the Department of Music, performed at the biennial conference of the North American Saxophone Alliance on April 17 at the University of South Carolina - Columbia. Bryan also served on the conference planning committee.
Horts Kurz, professor of German, presented “Der Mörder ist (nicht) immer der Gärtner--Krimi im Deutschkurs” and “Volkslieder in der Deutschklasse?” at the annual conference of the Foreign Language Association of Georgia in Augusta, Ga., on March 1. He was invited to participate on March 30 in a roundtable on the teaching of German culture and language at colleges and universities in Georgia at a meeting held in conjunction with the national symposium “The Meaning of Culture: German Studies in the 21st Century.” On April 4, he discussed “Spielend Sprechen” at the 2008 Southern Conference on Language Teaching meeting held in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Kathleen Comerford, associate professor of history, presented a paper at the 54th annual Renaissance Society of America Conference April 3-7 in Chicago. The paper, “Jesuit Foundations and Medici Power,” is part of Comerford’s new research project, begun in earnest last semester during her educational leave.
Jorge Suazo, assistant professor of Spanish, presented his paper “Chile in the Age of Globalization: New Immigration and the City” at the Sixth Biennial Florida International University Conference on Spanish and Latin American Cultural Studies March 6-8.
	Book review in LA Times
A new composition by Michael Braz, professor of music, received its premiere performance March 2 at Emory University. “Dances With Spiders,” for bassoon, violin, viola and cello, was commissioned by bassoonist Shelly Unger, who performed in the orchestra for Braz’ recent opera “A Scholar Under Seige.” At the performance, Unger was joined by members of the Vega String Quartet.
William L. Smith, professor of sociology, authored “How Does Membership in Irish Organizations Contribute to Ethnic Identity” which appears in the Virginia Social Science Journal, Vol. 43, 2008.
Lori Amy, director of the Women’s and Gender Studies program, has received funding to travel to Tirana, Albania, for 2009. Amy will be working with the non-governmental organization, Gender Alliance for Development, as well as the University of Tirana’s department of Public Health and department of Social Work. While there, Amy will be collaborating on a study of intimate partner violence and engaging in field work exploring women’s experiences with violence in a globalizing transitional society. She will also work hand-in-hand with local constituencies to implement recommendations from the United Nations Development Project-Albania (UNDP-Albania), using the sexual assault protocols developed at Georgia Southern University to help create response and treatment systems.
Heidi Altman, assistant professor in the Sociology and Anthropology Department was invited as a panelist at the Mashantucket Pequot Language Conference where she presented a discussion of the language policy and planning work she does for the Eastern Band of Cherokees. Dr. Altman has also just developed the infrastructure for an online Cherokee Dictionary. Right now, the dictionnary has about 5000 words in it and she is seeking funding to pay speakers to record sound files and work to complete all of the analysis.
	Eric Nelson, professor in the Writing and Linguistics Department, had two recent on-line appearances: A poem called "From Verona with Love" in The Pedestal Magazine http://www.thepedestalmagazine.com/Secure/content/cb.asp?cbid=5309 and six poems on the Other Voices International Project site http://www.othervoicespoetry.org/toc.html
Edward W.L. Smith, professor of psychology, is the guest editor of the current issue of the International Gestalt Journal . Including his introduction, this issue contains 13 articles on “Art, Artists and the Gestalt Approach.”
	Timothy D. Giles, associate professor in the Department of Writing and Linguistics, recently published the book “Motives for Metaphor in Scientific and Technical Communication” with Baywood Publishing. The book is now part of a series on technical communication that Baywood has maintained for more than 20 years.
Horst Kurz, associate professor of German, was elected membership chair of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Teachers of German (AATG).
Edward W.L. Smith, professor of psychology, made two contributions to the current issue of Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy. Appearing are his brief article “Attunement and the Psychotherapist” and his invited commentary on the article “Rhythmic Attunement” by Tom McElfresh, Psy.D.
Horst Kurz, associate professor of German, contributed “Literatur–Zweck oder Mittel des Unterrichts?” to Immersion Weekend/Sprachbad Savannah, held on Tybee Island January 18 to 20. This meeting brings together German teachers from all across the state. He spent February 1 and 2 at Camp Jackson to assist at the annual State German Convention, a popular event attracting hundreds of high school students from all over Georgia. This was the 15th year in a row that he participated.
	Patrick Novotny, associate professor of political science, recently published a new book with Mercer University Press. The book, “This Georgia Rising: Education, Civil Rights, and the Politics of Change in Georgia in the 1940s,” is a study of Georgia’s political changes in the decade of the Second World War and in the postwar years of the 1940s. More...
Paul A. Rodell, associate professor of history, had his article “Southeast Asian Nationalism and the Russo-Japanese War: Reexamining Assumptions” appear in the Southeast Review of Asian Studies, Vol. 29 (2007).
David Seaman, professor of French, has returned from a semester serving as an exchange professor with Georgia Southern University’s Chinese partner, Huazhong Normal University in Wuhan, Hubei Province. He inaugurated their new French program, teaching 29 freshmen French majors and organizing special activities for them, such as attending Francophone karaoke and spending a day on “La Rue Française de Wuhan” with a visit to a French bakery and a meal at a French restaurant. He also worked to support and encourage the Chinese professors of French. Seaman’s other activities included giving a series of lectures on American popular culture for English majors, judging English language contests and performing in international cultural events. Seaman would like to meet with anyone interested in participating in this enriching exchange program to share the advantages and realities of the experience.
	Moore to serve as acting dean
Edward W.L. Smith, professor of psychology and director of clinical training, published the article “Gestalt Therapy and the Concretization of Nietzsche’s Metaphor” in the Gestalt Review.
William L. Smith, professor of sociology, co-authored “A Postmodern Explanation of Student Consumerism in Higher Education.” The article appears in Controversies in Canadian Sociology (Thomson) edited by M. Reza Nakhaire, 2008.
Christina Lemon, associate professor of art, has artwork selected for an international juried exhibition titled “Wearable Expressions” at the Palos Verdes Art Center, Beckstrand Gallery in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. Feb. 22 through April 20. Lemon’s artwork has also been selected for a national juried exhibition titled “Octagon’s 40th National Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood Exhibition” at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames, Iowa, Jan. 25 through March 30.
	Long-time music professor Braz teaching students in England, Nepal and China
Leah Daigle, assistant professor of Justice Studies in the Political Science Department was recently identified as one of the 20 female "stars" in her field. We will be able to read about it in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, in the article: "Research Trajectories of Female Scholars in Criminology and Criminal Justice." The article is a study that looks at female graduates of Criminal Justice/Criminology Ph.D. programs.
Michael Nielsen, professor of psychology, and Brandon Randolph-Seng, recent University graduate, published “Honesty: One Effect of Primed Religious Representations” in the current issue of The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. At the November 2-4 meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in Tampa, Fla., Also at the meeting, Nielsen presented two papers. With Barry Balleck, associate professor of political science and international studies, presented the paper “Mormons and the State.” With Meryem Sevinc, recent University graduate, presented the paper “Predictors of Online Browsing by Mormons.”
David Starnes Memorial The screening of Jesus of Montreal generated $428 that The John Humma Cinema Arts Series was able to contribute to David Starnes Memorial Scholarship. Thanks to everyone who attended.
	See the latest press release from Johns Hopkins UP about our own Richard Flynn (Professor of Literature and Philosophy) and Joseph T. Thomas Jr. (B.A 1995; M.A. 1997), along with Angela Sorby, were this year’s judges for The Lion and the Unicorn Third Annual Award for Excellence in North American Poetry. Their essay about the winners and, more inclusively, about the year’s work in poetry for children, “Messages in a Bottle,” will be published in the September 2007 issue of The Lion and the Unicorn. View Winning Essay Here.
	Podcasting initiative earns CBETA Award for Writing and Linguistics
Horst Kurz, associate professor of German, presented “Bild & Ton: Hörverständnis durch Video” at the annual Foreign Language Association of North Carolina/FLANC conference in Winston-Salem, N.C., on October 5. On November 2, he introduced “Deutsch mit Loriot” at the 2007 conference of the Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association/TFLTA, held in Franklin, Tennessee.
David Seaman, professor of French, conducted the workshop “The Avant-Garde in France: Dada, Surrealsim and Lettrism” (in French) at the National Conference of French Language Teachers and Experts in China Oct. 27. The event was held in Beijing, China, and was attended by French teachers from France who are in Chinese high schools and universities. Seaman is currently an exchange professor at Huazhong Normal University in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
William L. Smith, professor of sociology, and Barbara Hendry, associate professor of anthropology, authored “The Role of the Family in the Transmission of Ethnic Identity Among the Irish of Savannah, Georgia.” The article appears in Sociological Viewpoints, Vol. 23, 2007.
Edward W.L. Smith, professor and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology, led a continuing education workshop Oct. 18 and 19 entitled “Bridging the Old and New in Psychotherapy: Body-Focused Gestalt Therapy Confronts the Anxiety Spectrum” at the Annual Institute and Conference of the American Academy of Psychotherapists. Held in San Diego, Calif., the workshop was attended by psychotherapists from California, Florida, Georgia and Hawaii.
José Manuel Hidalgo, assistant professor in the Department of Foreign Languages, delivered a paper on Medieval Spanish Literature titled “Estrecheces y angosturas in the Libro de buen amor” in Madison, Wisconsin.
David Alley, professor, and Dolores Rangel, assistant professor, both in the Department of Foreign Languages, presented the paper “Hispanic Newspapers in the Southeast” at the Latino Immigration to New Settlement Areas: Trends and Implications Conference October 11 at the University of South Carolina.
Jorge W. Suazo, assistant professor in the Department of Foreign Languages, delivered the paper “Easing the Challenges in Teaching an Introduction to Spanish Literature Course in Spanish: A Sample Lesson” at the Pennsylvania Foreign Language Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , September 21-22.
Dolores Rangel, assistant professor in the Department of Foreign Languages, published the paper “Muñiz-Huberman: neomisticismo, exilio y memoria en Morada interior” in the Revista de Literatura Mexicana Contemporánea, Vol. 32.
Edward W. L. Smith, professor of psychology and director of clinical training, has published the article “Behind and Beneath the Faces of Fear” in Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy (2007, Vol. 43, No. 2, 57-61).
	Faculty Awards for Excellence presented to Michael Nielsen
	President's Medal presented to Department of Music professor Braz
Edward W. L. Smith, professor and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology, was an Elder Honoree at the 60th Birthday Party of the Georgia Psychological Association (GPA) held in Atlanta. Elder Honorees included psychologists with license numbers below #350 who have been longstanding members of GPA and have made unique and important contributions to psychology.
Paul A. Rodell, associate professor of history, had the book chapter “Separatist Insurgency in the Southern Philippines” appear in Andrew T.H. Tan's A Handbook of Terrorism and Insurgency in Southeast Asia, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK, 2007. The volume combined the efforts of 19 regional and issue experts to develop a comprehensive volume that would serve the needs of policy-makers for the next decade.
William L. Smith, professor of sociology, and Barbara Hendry, associate professor of anthropology, had the article “The Social and Cultural Construction of Ethnic Identity Among Irish Americans in Savannah, Georgia” published in Sociological Imagination , Vol. 43, No. 2.
Paul A. Rodell, associate professor of history, served as instructor for an Asia-Pacific Orientation course for the 353rd Special Operations Group, Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, July 9-13. The training course for Air Force officers included Marine and Navy representatives and was intended to give the military personnel who will engage in training activities with Asian counterparts a needed background to the countries they will work in. He presented “The Philippines: History and Culture” and also joined other southeast Asian scholar-presenters in a joint panel.