On Monday night, Folger Theatre’s production of Sense and Sensibility won four Helen Hayes awards, including best play and best ensemble. Cate Brewer, lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance, was a member of the cast for this production, and performed the role of Mrs. Jennings for the last three weeks of the run. The Helen Hayes Awards are D.C. theater’s professional theater awards. This year was the 33rd annual celebration of the Helen Hayes Awards.
Rycroft Publishes Economics Book
UMW Professor of Economics Robert Rycroft’s edited book The American Middle Class: An Economic Encyclopedia of Progress and Poverty was recently published and will soon be available through Amazon. The text asks the question: What is the “American Dream.” The author’s answer might surprise you.
Al-Tikriti Chapter Submission Published
Nabil Al-Tikriti, associate professor of history, published a chapter in an edited volume titled “An Ottoman View of World History: Kātip Çelebi’s Takvīmü’t-tevārīh.”
This segment of an edited volume originated as a presentation for the “International Kātip Çelebi Research Symposium / Uluslararası Kātip Çelebi Araştırmaları Sempozyumu” in Izmir, Turkey in July, 2015.
The contribution analyzes Kātip Çelebi’s (d. 1657) world history almanac, Takvīmü’t-tevārīẖ, and its place in his own oeuvre, 17th century Ottoman historical writing, and Islamicate calendar literature in general. It also summarizes the contents and structure of the text, as well as its evolution as a living text in the decades following its completion.
This invited conference attendance was made possible with the support of both Izmir Kātip Çelebi Üniversitesi and the University of Mary Washington.
Publication Date: May 2017
Publication Name: Al-Tikriti, Nabil. “An Ottoman View of World History: Kātip Çelebi’s Takvīmü’t-tevārīẖ.” In Eds. Turan Gökçe, Mikail Acıpınar, İrfan Kokdaş, and Özer Küpeli. International Kātip Çelebi Research Symposium Proceedings / Uluslararası Kātip Çelebi Araştırmaları Sempozyumu Bildirileri (Izmir: İzmir Kātip Çelebi Üniversitesi Yayınları, 2017).
Barry Organizes Conference at Georgetown University
Jennifer Barry, Assistant Professor of Religion, co-organized a day-long conference at Georgetown University on April 28, 2017. She is a steering committee member of the First Millennium Network, a cross-disciplinary working group in conjunction with scholars from the Catholic University of America, George Mason University, Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, College Park.
The conference consisted of several world-renowned speakers who specialize in Apocalyptic Literature from a variety of different disciplines and areas of focus such as Jewish Studies, Islamic Studies and Medieval Studies. The University of Mary Washington has only recently joined the First Millennium Network through Barry’s ongoing efforts in connecting UMW to the greater DC area.
The First Millennium Network seeks to extend the scholarly perspective by finding creative ways to encourage interdisciplinary and comparative study of the entirety of the first millennium of the Common Era, particularly in Western Europe, Byzantium and the Islamic world. The Network places special emphasis on the diversity of, and interconnections among, the religious communities within first millennium societies—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Manicheanism, Zoroastrianism, etc.—in their multitude of forms. To find out more, follow us on Twitter (@First1000Net) Facebook, or visit our website.
Wynn Publishes Work on Student Misconceptions about Plants
Assistant Professor of Biology April Wynn and colleagues had a recent paper published in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. The paper is a meta-analysis of the misconceptions that students of all levels hold about plants biology. The goal of this work is to be a resource for instructors to identify misconceptions in order to focus on enriching the education in these areas of plant biology.
http://www.asmscience.org/content/journal/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v18i1.1253
Larus Presents Research on U.S. Seapower
Elizabeth Larus, professor of political science, presented “Naval Diplomacy and U.S. Seapower in the Asia-Pacific” at the World International Studies Conference (WISC), Taipei, Taiwan, April 1-3, 2017.
Bales Receives McFarland/SABR Baseball Research Award
Jack Bales, Humanities Reference Librarian, has been awarded the McFarland/SABR Baseball Research Award for his article, “The Show Girl and the Shortstop: The Strange Saga of Violet Popovich and Her Shooting of Cub Billy Jurges.” Jack’s article appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of Baseball Research Journal. This award is given by SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research, to recognize research projects that have advanced understanding of baseball. The award, which includes a cash prize, will be presented at the SABR annual conference.
Barrenechea Lectures at University of Rome, Gives Interview on New Book
Antonio Barrenechea, Associate Professor of English, recently delivered the lecture “Hemispheric Studies Beyond Suspicion” at the University of Rome (Sapienza). He was also interviewed about his new book, America Unbound: Encyclopedic Literature and Hemispheric Studies. The interview will be published in the inaugural issue of the Italian journal America Critica.
Barrenechea Lectures on Cinema in Aix-en-Provence, France
Antonio Barrenechea, Associate Professor of English, recently delivered the lecture “‘69 Année Érotique’: Swinging Mademoiselles, Cinema, Sexploitation” as part of the spring lecture series at the Institut Américain Universitaire in Aix-en-Provence, France.
Rafferty Publishes Latest in Essay Series Exploring U.S. Presidency
Colin Rafferty, Associate Professor of English, had his essay on President James Buchanan, “Frogs (#15),” featured on the Aforementioned Productions webpage on Monday, April 24. The piece can be read here: http://apt.aforementionedproductions.com/2017/04/frogs-15-by-colin-rafferty/#.WP-GGFPyvzI. This is one in a series of essays that Rafferty has written reflecting on the presidency of the United States and the men who have held that position.