Shumona Dasgupta, assistant professor of English, presented the paper “Decolonizing Trauma Studies: Writing the Partition of Bengal” at the American Comparative Literature Association’s annual conference held in Boston on March 17-20.
Richards Discusses Harper Lee at Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival
Gary Richards, associate professor of English and chair of the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication, led the discussion of Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman at the Breakfast Book Club at the 30th Anniversary Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival held March 30 – April 3 in New Orleans. At the embedded Saints and Sinners conference, he also chaired the panel “Queer (R)Evolutions: Where Do We Go Next?” featuring panelists Dorothy Allison, Alexander Chee, Aaron Hamburger and Sassafras Lowrey.
Center for Honor, Leadership & Service Featured in Intl. Leadership Magazine
The Center for Honor, Leadership and Service was featured in the flagship publication of The International Leadership Association (ILA). ILA periodically highlights signature programs and UMW’s CHLS staff provided an article focusing on the Horizons program, COAR and the Honor Council. The article, which describes the Center’s mission, programs and impact, is in the current edition of the ILA Member Connector magazine. The magazine reaches leadership educators and practitioners in higher education, business and government around the globe.
Johnson-Young Receives Top Paper Award at Communication Assn. Conference
Elizabeth Johnson-Young, assistant professor of communication, received a top paper award in the Theory and Methodology division of the Eastern Communication Association. The paper, Uses and Gratifications During Pregnancy and Their Impact on Breastfeeding Intentions, was presented at the association’s annual conference held in Baltimore, Md.
The paper utilized uses and gratifications, traditionally employed as a descriptive media theory, to help explain breastfeeding intentions among surveyed pregnant women. Starting with a qualitative approach to the uses and gratifications data, a typology of media uses was constructed for data analysis. Findings demonstrated the importance of rethinking traditional uses and gratifications research and some ways that media messages might impact breastfeeding intentions on their own and through interactions with other important variables, such as body satisfaction.
Finkelstein Presents on Jefferson and Shakespeare
Richard Finkelstein, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of English, presented “Jefferson and Shakespeare” at the annual meetings of the Shakespeare Association of America, held during late March in New Orleans. He was assisted in his research by Andrew Muchnick, a junior majoring in history.
Registrar’s Office Presents at AACRAO Annual Meeting
Rita Dunston and Kevin Caffrey, Registrar’s Office, presented at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) Annual Meeting. The presentation titled Social? We Can Be Social! discussed how to utilize social media to not only change the reputation of your office on campus but to also disseminate information to students in a “new” way. AACRAO’s mission is “to provide professional development, guidelines and voluntary standards to be used by higher education officials regarding best practices in records management, admissions, enrollment management, information technology and student services.”
Brewer Presents at Mid-America Theatre Conference
Cate Brewer, lecturer in the department of theatre and dance, presented a paper at the Mid-America Theatre Conference for the eighth consecutive year this March. The Mid-America Theatre Conference is an annual conference of theatre academics and practitioners, celebrating the craft and discipline of theatre in America.
Barrenechea Appointed IAU College Resident Fellow in Aix-en-Provence, France
Antonio Barrenechea, associate professor of English, has been appointed the Institute for American Universities College Resident Fellow, Aix-en-Provence, France, for the academic year 2016-17. His residency will coincide with a sabbatical project on how the South American underground cinema reinvents Hollywood and European “trash” and avant-garde film sources.
Richards Presents at Southern Literature Conference
Gary Richards, associate professor of English and chair of the Department of English, Linguistics, and Communication, presented the paper “From Hairspray to Hamilton: Productions of Southernness in the Contemporary Broadway Musical” at the Society for the Study of Southern Literature Conference, themed “The South in the North,” that met in Boston on March 10-12.
Powers Publishes Book
Scott Powers’ book Confronting Evil: The Psychology of Secularization in Modern French Literature was published by Purdue University Press.