Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Jason Davidson gave an invited Zoom lecture entitled America’s Entangling Alliances: 1778 to the Present in the Robert Elgie Brown Bag Seminar Series at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy.
Barrenechea Publishes Essay in Flagship Melville Journal
Professor of English Antonio Barrenechea
Antonio Barrenechea, Professor of English, recently published “The Jungle and the Whale: Vortices of Nation in Moby-Dick and La vorágine” in Leviathan: A Journal of Melville Studies, the flagship Melville journal.
Rettinger Comments in USA Today Article on Ed Tech Platform Chegg
Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger
Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger was interviewed in USA Today and on Yahoo.com for an article entitled, “Millions of college students use Chegg. Professors say it enables cheating – and possible blackmail.”
Company officials said they’re aware some students use its services to cheat but that Chegg works with universities to try to address the behavior. David Rettinger, a professor at the University of Mary Washington who studies academic dishonesty, said Chegg is notable for its transparency and willingness to work with academic institutions compared with other sites offering similar services. Read more.
Majid’s New Food Waste Course Highlighted in The Free Lance-Star
Associate Professor of Marketing Kashef Majid
Associate Professor of Marketing Kashef Majid’s new course, Alleviating Food Waste, was featured on the front page of The Free Lance-Star newspaper on Nov. 6.
Majid developed the new course based on his own interest in and research on the subject of food waste, which is an environmental, social and economic challenge for the United States and the world.
“The course has a couple of goals,” he said. “I want students to be aware of how big a problem this is, and that this is a fixable problem.”
Between 30 and 40 percent of food that is produced gets wasted, Majid said—the equivalent of buying four grocery bags worth of food and just leaving one on the ground.
That waste is occurring alongside widespread food insecurity. According to Feeding America, the nonprofit that operates a network of 200 food banks across the country, an estimated 38 million Americans—including more than 12 million children—were food insecure last year.
“If we even reduced the amount of food wasted by 20 percent, we wouldn’t have food insecurity,” Majid said. Read more.
Cooperman Weighs in on Virginia Governor’s Race
Professor of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman
Professor of Political Science Rosalyn Cooperman shared comments with STAT prior to Election Day in Virginia:
“The governor’s race [is] an important test of how both parties message on Covid,” said Rosalyn Cooperman, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington. “Is that going to be palatable to voters who have typically trended blue over the last election cycles? I think we are paying very close attention to it because of the implications it has in other races in other states moving forward.” Read more.
Marsh Shares Thoughts on MBA on Fuentitech.com
In a Fuentitech.com piece, Associate Professor of Business John Marsh was asked his opinion on how a Master of Business Administration degree continues to be a benefit to today’s jobseekers.
John Marsh, an associate professor of business at the University of Mary Washington, said some people choose to earn an MBA early in their careers. It’s easier to manage when you’re young. Some people find that the MBA puts them in a better position for career advancement.
“Others help to stand out from other applicants, so we pursue it,” continued Marsh. “Yes, in a sense, revenue potential is certainly a major consideration for most people looking to get an MBA.” Read more.
Sanford Provides Comments on Potential Enslaved Quarters on W&M Campus
Professor Emeritus of Historic Preservation Douglas Sanford
Professor Emeritus of Historic Preservation Douglas Sanford provided comments for an article in The Virginia Gazette entitled, “Could there have been homes for enslaved people on William & Mary’s campus?”
One part of the case comes from help I sought from an expert on how enslaved people were housed, Douglas Sanford, professor emeritus of historic preservation at the University of Mary Washington. I had thought the larger structures might have been occupied by the enslaved, but Professor Sanford wrote me that “we do see plantations with ‘streets’ and ‘rows’ of aligned outbuildings and slave quarters, but usually the slave quarters are smaller structures, similar to the small, one-story buildings seen in the Graham drawing. Right now, I cannot think of an example, whether existing or documented historically, with multiple two-story buildings.” Read more.
Farnsworth Lectures on U.S. Politics to Norwegian Washington Seminar
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Stephen Farnsworth
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies recently presented a lecture, “The State of the USA in 2021,” to the Norwegian Washington Seminar. The Washington, D.C., lecture drew on Professor Farnsworth’s recently published book, Presidential Communication and Character.
Dr. Farnsworth has also offered commentary in the following news stories:
Virginia Governor’s Race in its Final Stretch (CBS)
Third poll shows McAuliffe & Youngkin tied in Virginia governor’s race (WUSA 9)
Democratic Biden warns in Virginia Governor election (Texas News Today; Yahoo News; From Press)
UMW professor argues dead heat polls show why Blanding’s name should be included (WINA; WVAX)
The Memo: Biden faces double crunch in Virginia and in Congress (The Hill)
Education is Playing a Big Role in Virginia Elections This Year (WFVA)
Jan. 6th insurrection investigation (CTV News Canada)
VA-Gov: The Daily Beast, “This Mini-Trump Doesn’t Want to Be Seen With the Real Thing” (Daily Kos)
COMMENTARY: Two presidents will have limited effect on governor’s race (The Free Lance-Star)
Larus Comments on China Aggression Against Taiwan on Newsy morning news program
Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus
Dr. Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, conducted an interview on China’s aggression against Taiwan on Newsy morning program, Oct 12. Professor Larus commented that recent incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ by Chinese military planes signal to both Taiwan and the U.S. that China will never relinquish its claims to the island.
Hanna’s Plantation Museum Research Featured in Northern Virginia Magazine
Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna
Professor of Geography Steve Hanna’s work to encourage Virginia presidential plantation museums to recognize and share the stories of enslaved people was featured in an article in Northern Virginia Magazine.
Do plantation museums do justice to the memory of the enslaved? Local professor Stephen Hanna wanted to find out, so in 2014 he joined a team of researchers associated with TourismRESET, a world-wide network of scholars who study and challenge social inequity in tourism.
Hanna, who teaches geography at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, received a grant from the National Science Foundation, enabling him to lead undergraduate students through multi-year research on how narratives and exhibits about enslaved populations and slavery were presented or absent at 15 different plantation sites. The goal was to present their findings to museum managers and thus facilitate more historically accurate and meaningful tours. His team is in the final stages of publishing a book summarizing their data and findings, to be released in March 2022. Read more.