| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
THE TUESDAY BULLETIN
Issue No. 6, Spring 2000
February 15, 2000
Weekly News from the AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 100 INTERNATIONAL CENTER EAST LANSING MI 48824-1035
For back issues, see archive <http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfricanStudies>
MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONFERENCES
February 17, Thursday
"Consumer Expectations of the Food Industry," African Studies Center Brown Bag with Tony Mutukumira, Faculty (Dept. of Food and Nutritional Sciences, U of Zimbabwe), 12 noon, Room 201, International Center.
February 24, Thursday
"Targeting of Food Aid in Ethiopia: Chronic Needs or Inertia," African Studies Center Brown Bag with Thomas Jayne, Faculty (Dept. of Agricultural Economics,MSU), 12 noon, Room 201, International Center.
MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS
Graduate School Incentive Fellowship
Each semester The Graduate School at MSU holds a drawing to award one $9,000 fellowship to a currently enrolled MSU graduate student who applies for, but does not receive, an externally-funded fellowship. In addition, $100 is awarded to all graduate students who submit "viable" proposals to The Graduate School. The deadline for the spring competition is June 30, 2000. Contact Cathie Allison or Tony Nunez for further details in The Graduate School, 118 Linton Hall;Tel:(517) 355-0301;allison@msu.edu;nunez@msu.edu.
Roger Meece Named U.S. Ambassador to Malawi
President Clinton announced his intent to nominate Roger A. Meece, a graduate of MSU, to be U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malawi. Mr. Meece, of Seattle, Washington, is a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor. He joined the Foreign Service in l979, after serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone and staff member in several African countries, including Country Director of Gabon. Currently Director of the Office of Central African Affairs at the State Department, Mr. Meece's foreign service assignments have included tours as Deputy Chief of Mission in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Other past assignments include service as Consul General in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in the U.S. Embassies in Malawi and Cameroon, and in the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics Matters. In addition, Mr. Meece attended the National Defense College of Canada for one year, and was detailed for two years to the Office of the Vice President in Washington. Mr. Meece holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics from MSU and is fluent in French.
Papers on Peace, Justice and Human Rights
The Center for the Advanced Study of International Development (CASID) at Michigan State University publishes a bi-annual series, The CASID Connection. CASID seeks submissions for an upcoming edition(s) on "Peace, Justice and Human Rights." CASID seeks papers that1) address the definitions of each of these areas;2) discuss the current situations we face;3) ask what our goals should be;and4) question how we can achieve these goals (and at what expense) CASID is interested in theoretical papers, commentaries and regional case or field reports/observations that demonstrate and critically evaluate where have we been and where are we going.
If you are interested in submitting a paper or have additional questions, contact: Jennifer Fillion, yaegerje@msu.edu, or Robert Glew,
robert.glew@ssc.msu.edu at CASID, Michigan State University, 306 Berkey Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824- 1111;Tel: (517) 353-5925;Fax: (517)353-4840.
Intercultural Communication Institute
The Intercultural Communication Institute (ICI) will meet in Gull Lake, Michigan March 24-25, 2000 to hold a series of workshops, interactive learning situations, and other activities to help increase awareness of cross- cultural issues. ICI participants will meet people from different cultures and develop skills in cross-cultural communication. Registration forms are available at: Office for International Students and Scholars, 103 International Center;Office of Study Abroad, 109 International Center; and Internationalizing Student Life, 101 Student Services. Questions should be addressed to Dr. Rudie Altamirano at rudiea@msu.edu.
MSU African Studies Graduate Fellowships
A) Academic Year Foreign Language and Area Studies (Title VI FLAS) Fellowships for students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in African languages and area studies at MSU are available from the U.S. Department of Education, under Title VI of the Higher Education Act. Applicants must: 1) be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; 2) hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent before the fellowship program begins; 3) be admitted to a graduate degree program at MSU (except for the summer fellowships); 4) undertake an approved program of language, area, and/or development studies. Application forms are available from the African Studies Center. The initial deadline is February 18, 2000, however, fellowships can be awarded any time after this date. Applications will be considered until March 31, 2000, although all fellowships may have been awarded by that date.
B) MSU/Ford Minority Fellowships: East Africa MSU with the support of the Ford Foundation announces three competitive fellowships for beginning graduate students in African studies interested to complete an M.A. and Ph.D. in an MSU academic department. The fellowship offers full financial support for a 12 month African studies immersion program in the language and culture of East Africa beginning June 2000. Those completing the 12 month program will be expected to enroll for continuing graduate study at MSU in the following academic year beginning September 2001. They will be eligible to compete for the Center's Title VI African Language and Area Studies Fellowship.
To apply, one must complete forms seeking admission both to this special program for Immersion in African Studies (from the African Studies Center) and to an MSU academic department for graduate degree study. Graduate admission forms may be obtained from the relevant department or through the Admissions Office at MSU. The application deadline is February 18, 2000.
Summer 2000 Intensive Swahili Language Program
Summer 2000 Intensive Swahili Language Program will be held from June 19 to July 21, 2000 by the African Studies Center and the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages at Michigan State University. Three courses will be offered during the Institute: Elementary Swahili (AFR 101A & 102A) and Intermediate Swahili (AFR 201A & 202A), both 8 credits each, for 25 hours per week for five weeks; and Advanced Swahili (AFR 450A), 6 credits, for 18 hours per week for five weeks.
This five-week Intensive Summer Program in Swahili will be preceded by a three-day gratis seminar on East Africa. The three-day workshop on East African culture for students, faculty, and members of the public with a special interest in East Africawill be offered June 15-17, 2000. Lecturers will be drawn from across the nation and from MSU faculty who have taught, worked, and conducted research in East African countries. Swahili Intensive Summer Program participants are required to participate in this workshop.
The Summer program will be directed by Prof. Deogratias Ngonyani, Faculty at Michigan State University,who specializes in the linguistics of Swahili and other Bantu languages.
A limited number of FLAS fellowships will be offered to Intermediate and Advanced Swahili students. Application forms both for the Swahili Institute and the FLAS fellowships are available from the Center. The application deadline is February 18, 2000.
For further information, contact Dr. Yacob Fisseha, Assistant Director, African Studies Center, 100 Center for International Programs, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1035; Phone:(517) 353-1700; Fax: (517) 432-1209; or E-mail: fissehay@msu.edu.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mandinka - A West African Epic
Ballet d'Afrique Noire will perform The Mandinka Epic at Ann Arbor's Power Center, 121 Fletcher Street, March 9-10 at 8:00 p.m. The Senegalese performance tells a story of power struggles among rival kings that ultimately leads to new discoveries in the 14th century. Featuring a cast of 30, The Mandinka Epic is directed and choreographed by Jean Pierre Leurs and produced by Mamadou Mansour Gueye. For more information and tickets, call (734) 764-2538.
Arabic Summer Institute in Utah
Intensive, eight-week language courses in Arabic will be offered at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City from June 19 to August 11, 2000 as part of the Middle East Summer Language Institute. The program is sponsored by the Western Consortium of University Centers of Middle East Studies. Applications are welcomed from undergraduates and graduate students from all universities as well as high school graduates. Students may register for beginning, intermediate or third-year Arabic. The application deadline is April 5, 2000. For more information, contact:Summer Language Institute 2000, University of Utah, Middle East Center, 260 S. Central Campus Dr., Room 153, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-9157;Tel:(801) 581-6181;Fax:(801) 581-6183; mec@mail.hum.utah.edu;
http://www.mec.utah.edu/mec/su2000.html.
CONFERENCES
Enduring Trends and New Directions in African Literatures
The 26th Annual Meeting of the African Literature Association will be held at the University of Kansas in Lawrence April 12-16, 2000. The theme of the conference,"Enduring Trends and New Directions in African Literatures: Theory and Praxis" is intended to embrace literature both in African and European languages and related Diaspora literature. The conference provides opportunities for a re-examination of a century of African and related Diaspora experience in imaginative and critical literature. For more information, contact: Arthur Drayton and I. Peter Ukpokodu, Conference Conveners, African Studies Resource Center, 104 Lippincott Hall, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045-2107; Tel: (785) 864- 3054;Fax:(785) 864-5330; afsctr@falcon.cc.ukans.edu; www.ukans.edu/afs/ALA2000.htm.
Africa and Its Environment
The Mid-America Alliance for African Studies (MAAAS) will host a conference at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas September 30, 2000. The general theme will be Africa and its environment. The deadline for proposed sessions and paper abstracts is March 1, 2000. Contributions can be in the form of papers (20 minutes), round tables, panel discussions or other formats. Founded in 1995 at the University of Kansas, MAAAS is an organization for the promotion of African Studies in mid-America. It is open to all with an interest in scholarship and teaching within an African Studies focus. For more information, contact:Claire L. Dehon, Department of Modern Languages, Eisenhower Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506;Tel: (785) 532-1929;Fax: (785) 532-7004;dehoncl@ksu.edu.
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Message-Id: <4.2.0.58.20000211165052.00a31a70@pilot.msu.edu> Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 16:51:18 -0500 From: MSU African Studies Center <beckum@msu.edu> Subject: Tuesday Bulletin No. 6