September 2, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Richards Leads Discussion of Kate Chopin Stories at Literary Festival

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Professor of English Gary Richards

Professor of English Gary Richards

Professor of English Gary Richards led a discussion of six of Kate Chopin’s representative short stories at the sold-out special event “Books and Beignets with Gary Richards” at the Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival on Saturday, March 25. Richards has presented in this series 15 times since 2007, lecturing on authors that include Ellen Gilchrist, John Kennedy Toole, Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, Harper Lee, James Baldwin and, in multiple sessions, Tennessee Williams.

Larus Comments on Possibility of China-U.S. War on Saudi News

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Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, explained to the Saudi Al Sharq news service that comments by the U.S. military and government officials indicating possible dates for the outbreak of hostilities between the US and China are not predictions. Rather, they are designed to strengthen the ability of the U.S. military to respond to Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, particularly concerning Taiwan. Watch the segment.

Other recent media mentions for Larus include:
Russia China Summit (Al Jazeera)
Elizabeth Larus commented that Xi Jinping supports Russia’s war against Ukraine because China cannot afford to have a weak partner in its efforts to unseat the US as global power.
https://mediaview.aljazeera.com/video/JlmQ4umJeP
Khalistanis attack Indian high commission (Republic World)
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, participated in a panel discussion on India’s Republic World on the recent Sikh separatist attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. Professor Larus’ comments begin at 33 minutes into the program.
China-Russia (VOA Russian Service)
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs, commented March 22 on the VOA Russian Service on Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow. Professor Larus indicated that China’s “no limits partnership” is manifested in trade and is not yet extended to military cooperation. Watch the segment.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Visit to Russia is First Since Invasion of Ukraine Began (Scripps News)
Elizabeth Larus commented on the meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, indicating that China needs Russian oil and gas for its economic and military development, and Russia needs Chinese support in its war against Ukraine. Download the clip.

Farnsworth Selected for Fulbright in Poland

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Stephen Farnsworth, professor of Political Science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, has been selected as the Spring 2024 Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in Humanities and Social Sciences at the American Studies Center of the University of Warsaw in Poland. Dr. Farnsworth has previously served as Canada-U.S. Fulbright Research Chair in Public Policy, McGill University in Montreal and as a Fulbright Specialist in Malaysia at Methodist College Kuala Lumpur.

Farnsworth has also appeared in recent media mentions, including:

EDITORIAL: Virginia’s leaders opt for safe route over gun safety (Culpeper Star-Exponent)
Stephen Farnsworth, director of the University of Mary Washington Center for Leadership and Media Studies, has perhaps the best answer: primaries.
https://starexponent.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-virginias-leaders-opt-for-safe-route-over-gun-safety/article_802429c6-baad-11ed-8158-1300dccd3e29.html
Filler-Corn Leaving (WMAL)
“The Democratic caucus has selected a different leader and so her prospects politically may be best in a statewide contest,” said Stephen Farnsworth.
Filler-Corn Governor Bid (WMAL)
“Her fundraising bids were first rate and that is going to create an opportunity for her to be one of the leading candidates,” said Stephen Farnsworth.

Filler-Corn Not Seeking Re-election (WTOP)
“I do think that the possibility of a gubernatorial run is something to be considered seriously,” said Stephen Farnsworth.

Youngkin’s CNN Town Hall on Education (WTOP)
“The polls show him at one percent or so, so what he really needs to do is convince a lot of people that he belongs … higher up in the pecking order. That’s what this event would be about for the Youngkin campaign,” said Stephen Farnsworth.
Youngkin hits up New York donors amid mixed signals about 2024 plans (Cave Spring News)
“No one would describe Youngkin’s prospects as great, but it would have been useful to have him described as potentially good, at least,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington.
https://cavespringnews.com/youngkin-hits-up-new-york-donors-amid-mixed-signals-about-2024-plans/
Texas Abortion Pill Challenge (CTV News)
“I think the likelihood that the judge is going to provide for support for the pro-life movement in the United States is pretty good,” said Stephen Farnsworth.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2648020

Psychology Textbook by Liss and Erchull a Bestseller

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the cover of the Liss, RIchmond, and Erchull (2019) Psychology of Women and Gender book coverMiriam Liss, Mindy Erchull, and their co-author Kate Richmond (of Muhlenberg College) recently learned that their textbook, Psychology of Women and Gender, published in 2019 by Norton has become the best-selling textbook in the market for psychology of women and gender courses. This is an impressive feat for a book in its first edition in a niche market.

The authors are excited by the ability to reach a wide array of students with a text that is both readable and deeply grounded in science and theory. They used an intersectional lens throughout the book to both educate about the field and critique the current state of it and provide students with tools to help them use this lens both in this course and in their lives beyond it.

Miriam, Mindy, and Kate are currently finishing the revision of their book for the second edition which will be published in January 2024.

Davidson Publishes Commentary on European Defense Spending

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Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson‘s commentary was published in the Atlantic Council’s publication The New Atlanticist. The piece, “No ‘free-riding’ here: European defense spending defies US critics,” begins: “Barack Obama and Donald Trump agreed on very little. Yet both former U.S. presidents critiqued NATO allies for “free riding” off of U.S. military power.” Read more.

Gupta Discusses India’s Globalization Strategies

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Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Surupa Gupta

Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Surupa Gupta

Surupa Gupta, professor of political science and international affairs, was invited by the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University to discuss India’s economic policies and strategy for economic growth in a webinar titled “India’s Approach to Globalization in the 2020s.” Participants in the webinar, held on February 14, discussed India’s policy of self-reliance as a strategy for reducing its vulnerability to external shocks such as the Covid pandemic and foster jobs and growth  in the Indian economy.

Fallon Presents on Blin Speaker at Virginia Humanities Conference

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Associate Professor of Linguistics Paul D. Fallon

Associate Professor of Linguistics Paul D. Fallon

Associate Professor of Linguistics Paul D. Fallon co-presented with Daniel Yacob of the Ge‘ez Frontier Foundation at the Virginia Humanities Conference on Friday, March 3, 2023. Their paper, “A Lighthouse of Language,” discussed the contributions of the late Tekie Alibekit, a native-speaker of Blin. Tekie helped analyze and develop the Cushitic language of Eritrea, and, with Yacob’s help, succeeded in computerizing letters necessary to write Blin in Ethiopic script, letters also adopted by other languages spoken in the Horn of Africa.

Mackintosh to Deliver Lecture on Gilded Age Holidays

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Associate Professor of History Will Mackintosh

Associate Professor of History Will Mackintosh

Associate Professor of History Will Mackintosh will be among presenters in the Preservation Society’s six-part lecture series, “The Gilded Age Years: Transforming America.” Americans in the Gilded Age vacationed in a growing number of northeastern summer playgrounds, from the Adirondacks to Coney Island, from Martha’s Vineyard to the Catskills, and from Saratoga to Newport. Mackintosh will explore the many and diverse summer holidays of the American Gilded Age during his lecture, “The Many Playgrounds of an Industrial Age,” on Thursday, May 4, at 6 p.m. in The Breakers Great Hall in Newport, Rhode Island, and via Zoom. Read more at What’s Up News and The Newport Buzz.

Orozco Presents Paper on Galdós and Newspaper Political Articles

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Lecturer of Spanish Patricia Orozco Watrel

Lecturer of Spanish Patricia Orozco

Patricia Orozco, Lecturer of Spanish, contributed a paper, “Galdós y artículos de prensa: visiones de ultramar en el libro IV “Política española” as part of the Peninsular Spanish II (1700 to Present) Quadruple Session of the 2022 SAMLA Convention last November. The conference was to take place in Jacksonville, Florida, but had to switch to a virtual conference as Tropical Storm Nicole was forecasted to hit just before November 11. The articles in reference originally appeared in La Prensa, a newspaper from Buenos, Aires, Argentina, between 1883 and 1894. Her work centered on three articles dealing with overseas issues to later make connections to his novels of modernity. Among others, she points out to two issues that are still relevant today: territorial questions about La Isla del Perejil and US politics dealing with Latin America. By studying these overseas matters, Orozco noted how the author’s understanding is later reflected in some of his emblematic characters e.g., Lucrecia Richmond in El Abuelo or Cintia-Pascuala in El caballero encantado. These topics led to a discussion of how his critical eye focused on current events to create fictional worlds with pedagogical interest in mind.