Surupa Gupta, associate professor of Political Science and International Affairs, contributed a policy brief titled “Constraints to India’s Support for Regional Economic Integration” to an East-West Center series on the “Political Economy of Indo-Pacific.” The other pieces in the series focus on China, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand.
Barry Presents at International Conferences in United Kingdom
Jennifer Barry, Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Mary Washington, recently attended three conferences and one workshop in the United Kingdom. Barry was invited to present a paper at the Birkbeck Institute, University of London for the “Exiles, Sanctions and Punishments in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages” colloquium. Professor Barry was then invited to present a paper at the International Medieval Congress hosted by the University of Leeds. Both events allowed Barry to showcase material stemming out of her forthcoming book, Bishops in Flight: Exile and Displacement in Late Antiquity.
Professor Barry was also invited to attend the pre-conference workshop and conference on Religion & Rape Culture, which was supported by The Shiloh Project. Barry is now an active member of the project and will be co-developing a pedagogical research group alongside of her University of Sheffield colleague Meredith Warren. The working group will focus on teaching rape culture in the religious studies classroom.
Caffrey to perform at DMC Performing Arts Festival
Senior Associate Registrar Kevin Caffrey will be performing a short acoustic set of songs from his two most recent CDs (2017’s Downshifter & 2013’s Medium Talent) on Thursday July 12th at the Fred Theater in downtown Fredericksburg as part of the Dance Matrix & Company’s 2018 Performing Arts Festival. The festival is a 4-day event featuring a wide range of individual artists & groups scheduled to perform and teach community workshops. For tickets and more event information, go to http://www.dancematrixcompany.com/. Fred Theater is located at 810 Caroline Street above Jabberwocky Books.
Middle East Report Publishes Al-Tikriti Interview on EU Migration Policy
On June 18, 2018, the Middle East Report (MER) published an interview Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Nabil Al-Tikriti completed with MSF / Doctors Without Borders colleague Aurélie Ponthieu on European Union migration policy. This interview was informed by Prof. Al-Tikriti’s May 2015 service with MSF colleagues on the Bourbon Argos, who rescued over 1,000 individuals from Mediterranean waters.
Interview Abstract: “European policies on refugees and asylum seekers are increasingly restrictive. Borders are effectively being pushed off-shore, extending the problems of border management as far south as possible. Aurélie Ponthieu explains the effects of these measures, including crowded refugee centers on the Italian and Greek borders, deplorable conditions in Libyan detention centers and fewer rescues at sea. Ponthieu, the Coordinator of the Forced Migration Team in the analysis department of Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Belgium, was interviewed by Nabil Al-Tikriti.”
MER Issue #286 Link: https://www.merip.org/mer/mer286.
Richardson’s Weekly Column Featured in FLS
Richardson: Innovate, but Stick to Your Knitting (The Free Lance-Star)
To survive and thrive, organizations must innovate.
Farnsworth Lectures at Virginia Boys’ State
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently delivered a lecture entitled “Virginia’s Candidate Selection Process: Examining Recent Primaries and Conventions” at the 2018 American Legion Boys’ State of Virginia.
The week-long government education program brings together nearly 700 of Virginia’s top rising high school seniors in the social sciences.
Encore Interview Features McClurken
Jeff McClurken will be featured in an encore interview on With Good Reason, July 7-13. In the segment called “The Ghost in the MP3,” McClurken says while movies often get the facts wrong, there’s history to be learned from the way the stories are told. McClurken, who serves as chief of staff for President Troy Paino, is a historian whose research focuses on the Civil War, veterans, families, the Pinkertons, mental institutions, the 19th-century American South, and the digital humanities.
The program airs in Fredericksburg on Sundays at 2 p.m. on Radio IQ 88.3 Digital. More information about the show can be found at https://www.withgoodreasonradio.org/episode/the-ghost-in-the-mp3-2.
Richardson’s Weekly Column Featured in FLS
Richardson: The Red Thread (The Free Lance-Star)
I learned a new phrase about determining how your organization is different from others: what is your organization’s “red thread?” That is, what do you do that makes people patronize your business rather than another?
Farnsworth Discusses Presidential Communication Book on C-SPAN
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently talked about his new book, Presidential Communication and Character: White House News Management from Clinton and Cable to Twitter and Trump, on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. URL: https://www.c-span.org/video/?447053-3/washington-journal-stephen-farnsworth-discusses-presidential-communication
Liane Houghtalin Elected President of the Classical Association of Virginia
Liane Houghtalin, Professor of Classics, was elected to a two-year term as president of the Classical Association of Virginia at its annual spring meeting on May 5. Professor Houghtalin has served in various offices of the organization, including as its treasurer and as its vice president, since 1998.
The Classical Association of Virginia holds two meetings each year; offers awards for professional development and teaching, scholarships, and annual competitions for high school students of Latin; and acts as the liaison for classical languages in Virginia with other professional organizations.
The spring 2018 meeting was held at Mary Washington and was notable for the active participation of Mary Washington faculty and alumni. Angela Pitts, Professor of Classics at Mary Washington, spoke on the sounds of war in the Iliad. One alumnus, Mark Keith (National Latin Exam and Riverbend High School), presided over the meeting as the outgoing president; and another alumna, Susann Lusnia (Tulane University) returned to Fredericksburg to deliver a talk on reading images of violence in Roman art.