MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 01/08/08

Tuesday Bulletin for January 8th, 2008

Topics covered in this issue: Events | Announcements | Other Announcements | Conferences Events
Film series: Tsotsi (South Africa)

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Part of the new film from Africa series. Films will be shown at the Snyder-Phillips residential college theater, 7:30p.m. Sponsored by the African Studies Center, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, Dept. of English, Film Studies, African-American Literature and Cultural Emphasis (English Dept.). Forestation of the Post-Colonial Madagascar Highlands

Thursday, January 17, 2008

African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with William McConnell, Faculty (Fisheries and Wildlife and Associate Director, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, MSU), ! 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center. Infant & development in Malawian orphanages: A case study in understanding African child development in ecological context

Thursday, January 17, 2008

International Neurologic & Psychiatric Epidemiology Program (INPEP), Brown Bag talk with Dr. Kim Ferguson, 12:00 noon, East Fee Hall, Patenge Room. For more information, contact Diana at 884-0278 Film series: Bamako (Mali)

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Part of a new film from Africa film series. The film will be shown at the Snyder-Phillips residential college theater, 7:30p.m. Sponsored by the African Studies Center, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, Dept. of English, Film Studies, African-American Literature and Cultural Emphasis (English Dept.). Announcements
MSU African Studies Center Director Se! arch

Applications are now being accepted for a new Afr! ican Stu dies Center director to begin in 2008-09 with reviews of applications beginning on February 1, 2008. David Wiley, who has been Director of the Center since 1977, is returning to the Department of Sociology after the 2007-08 academic year. The ASC is one of the strongest African studies centers in the U.S. and is a Title VI National Resource Center. More information can be found at: http://www.isp.msu.edu/ASCdirector/. The Nnamdi Azikiwe Award for Best student paper

The MSU African Studies Center announces a program of two annual awards for the best graduate and the best undergraduate student papers in African studies. The papers should have been written within the past year, should be approximately 20 double-spaced pages in length, and should focus on issues related to any aspect of the study of African nations and peoples including governance, health, society, gender, science, develop! ment, education, environment, communication, and language.

The award honors former Nigerian President Nnamdi Azikiwe, a scholar and politician, who led Nigeria as its first civilian president and who invited MSU faculty to join him and other Nigerians to build a land-grant model university in Eastern Nigeria. This became the University of Nigeria at Nsukka, had a distinguished educational history, and was the beginnings of the MSU African Studies faculty. Papers will be reviewed by a faculty committee, and the first awards will be made in spring 2008. The winning papers will be peer- reviewed for publication in a new African Studies Working Papers Series, and each author will receive a $200 prize.

Papers should be submitted to the African Studies office via e-mail (in MS Word or WordPerfect) or by mail (both hard copy and on diskette/ CD/DVD). Please follow the detailed criteria and submission procedures at http! ://africa.msu.edu/azikiweaward.php.

Papers and form! s must b e submitted by 5PM, February 15, 2008. Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (Afrobarometer)

A full-time, fixed-term position for one year is available in the Department of Political Science and African Studies at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. The Afrobarometer Project in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University seeks a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow to analyze data and publish research reports on public opinion in African countries.

A Ph.D. in political science or related field (economics, sociology, social psychology) and proven experience in the use of advanced statistics is required. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are essential. Field experience in research or project management in one or more sub-Saharan African countries and fluency in either French or Portuguese is preferred. Knowledge of literatures on democratization and public opinion research is also prefer! red, along with experience at analyzing public opinion data. The Fellow will be responsible for (a) developing a program of research based on four rounds of existing Afrobarometer data across up to 20 countries (b) implementing the research program through a series of publications that will initially appear in the Afrobarometer Working Papers series, but which may subsequently be published elsewhere assisting in the management of a large-scale public opinion data set and related tasks (d) participating in Afrobarometer conferences and workshops in the U.S. and Africa.

The fellowship begins August 15, 2008. The Fellow must be present in East Lansing by this date and commit to full-time residence through July 15, 2009. The fellowship may be extended beyond one year subject to positive job performance and the outcome of an annual open competition. For further information on the Afrobarometer, see www.afrobarometer.org.

To be considered, applications must be recei! ved no later than February 15, 2008. Please submit hard copies! of (a) a letter summarizing your research experience and interest in the position (b) a curriculum vitae (c) a brief professional writing sample and (d) the names and contact information (including telephone numbers) for three potential referees (do not request letters yourself).

Please mail applications to Professor Michael Bratton, Director (MSU) Afrobarometer, Department of Political Science, 323 South Kedzie Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48823. Do not submit applications via e-mail. Michigan State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. African Studies Center Application for Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) for 2008-09 AY

The African Studies Center at MSU is now accepting on-line applications for FLAS fellowships for academic year 2008-09 and for the 2008 Summer Cooperative African Language Institute (SCALI). The FLAS fellowship is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Titl! e VI program for the study of African languages and non-language courses on Africa. Up to date information and on-line application forms are available at: http://africa.msu.edu/flas.php.

Candidates must have completed application procedures by February 15, 2008. Related application materials are to be mailed to the Assistant Director of the African Studies Center, 100 International Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1035; Phone: (517) 353-1700; Fax: (517) 432-1209; e-mail: fisseha@msu.edu. Summer Cooperative African Language Institute (SCALI) 2008 will be hosted by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. For details, please visit: http://africa.msu.edu/scali.php; or http://scali.afrst.uiuc.edu/ for details. Spring 2008 Course Announcement

LIN 491 Women and Linguistic Politeness

Class will meet Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:40-2:00p.m. The instructor is Dr! . D. Troutman.

This course focuses on examinations of li! nguistic politeness. Students enrolled in the course will examine scholarly work produced on politeness with the main goal of assessing and asserting what Black women do linguistically, particularly as previously unexplored.

The course begins with a basic introduction to politeness, based on second and third wave feminisms

and interjects a Black woman's theoretical standpoint as one frame for further examinations of politeness. Students are expected to conduct exploratory research with one aim of generating some answers to the query, "When and where do Black women enter?" Contact Professor Troutman at troutma1@msu.edu for overrides. 2008 Featherstone Prize Competition

Following is the announcement for the 2008 Featherstone Prize competition. The flyer is available at http://undergrad.msu.edu/documents/Featherstone2008CallforNominations.pdf.

The deadline for 2008 nom! inations is January 30, 2008. Last year, the Featherstone Prize selection committee interviewed six finalists chosen from the 23 students nominated. Brittany Naber, an Honors College member majoring in history and economics with African studies specialization, was awarded the Featherstone Prize and a $1,500 award. MSU International Predissertation Travel Award

Applications are being solicited for the 2008 Predissertation International Travel Awards of up to $5,000. These awards are designed to provide funds for MSU Ph.D. candidates - regardless of citizenship status-in the predissertation stage in the Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), Arts and Letters (CAL), Education (ED), and Social Science (SSC) for travel outside of the United States during one or more of these semesters: Summer 2008, Fall 2008, and Spring 2009.

The instructions and application form can be found at www.isp.msu.edu/students/funding/! prediss/. The application deadline is February 1, 2008. If add! itional information is required, please contact Jenny T. Bond, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Acting Dean, International Studies and Programs, Michigan State University; Tel: (517) 355-2351; Fax: (517) 353-7254; e-mail: jbond@msu.edu. Other Announcements
2008 US Africa Sister Cities Conf. - Lansing, MI

July 23-26, 2008at the Radisson Hotel downtown The city of Lansing and the Lansing Regional Sister Cities Commission (LRSCC) invite anyone interested in Africa and US Relationships to attend the US-Africa Relations: Building Alliances conference scheduled for July 23-26,2008. The conference will conclude Saturday evening, July 26, with an African Ball Gala.

This conference will be a worldwide gathering of representatives of government, traditionalists, cultural and higher education institutions, artists, educators, health professionals and students coming together to address issues pertinent to strengthening relationsh! ips between the United States of America and African nations. Presenters and participants will include international diplomats, sister cities leaders, elected officials, experts in US-African relations, experts in areas including Education, Health, Agriculture, Culture, Business, Trade and Economic Development.

Suggested topics include: The Darfur Crisis, Current and Future US and Africa Relationships, The ABCs of Trade and Investment, Major Health Issues, Technology: Access to Information, Culture and the Arts, Africa and the World, Environmental Impacts, Sister Cities' Sharing Ideas, How to Establish a Sister City, and other topics of interest.

Early bird registration is $275 per person before April 15, 2008. For more information, contact Barbara Roberts Mason at (517) 483-4588 or (517) 646-9077; e-mail: masonb@msu.edu. Faculty Publication

Kenneth Harrow, Professor in the Department of English at MSU has written a ! new book, Postcolonial African Cinema: From Political Engageme! nt to Po stmodernism, Indiana University Press, 2007. Conferences
The 5th Annual Sport in Africa Symposium - CFP

February 22-23, 2008, Ohio University

Since its inception in 2004, the Sports and Africa Symposium has sought to foster meaningful dialogue on the interface of sports and Africa among academics, practitioners, media, NGOs and the public. The first four conferences covered a range of topics across time and disciplines. The presentations have explored the relationships among sports and broader themes such as politics, culture, gender, age, cooperation, conflict, history, migration, mass media, health and development.

The multi-disciplinary approach has allowed scholars and practitioners to explore multiple dimensions of African sport and to learn from each other. In continuing the multi-disciplinary exploration and study of African Sport, Communication, Media and Sports in Africa will be the leadin! g theme of the 2008 symposium. The conference will focus on the following themes: Communication for sports and development, International media coverage of African sports, Digital media and sport, Internet and sport, Satellite and cable media and sport, Women sport in media, Youth and sport media, Economics and sport media, Media and the 2010 World Cup, and The Role of Media Sponsorship in Sports. Although the submission of papers that focus on communication, media and sports, are encouraged, the conference organizers are also open to the submission of papers that deal with other aspects of sports in Africa.

Presentation sessions (20 minutes): Authors must submit a cover page, including the title of the paper, the name(s) of the author(s), and the author(s)' affiliation(s), if applicable; and an abstract of the paper. The abstract may be no longer than 350 words and should not contain the name(s) of the author(s) or reference(s) that would identify the author(s).! All submissions should conform to Endnote style guidelines. E! ach subm ission should be made as a separate email attachment, using the .doc format from Microsoft Word or .txt format. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Send to: http://www.sportinafrica.org/forms/abstract_sub.php.

The submission deadline is January 15, 2008. Authors whose abstracts are accepted for presentation must submit the completed papers by January 26, 2008. Selected papers will be considered for publication in Impumelelo: the Interdisciplinary Electronic Journal of African Sports.

Roundtables (60 minutes): The Roundtable sessions have been well received in the past due to the engaging discussions that they produce. Presenters may suggest a relevant theme or topic that they believe will benefit from a public debate. Proposals for roundtable sessions should include a cover page with the title of the discussion, the name(s) of the presenter(s), and the presenter(s)' affiliation(s), if applicable; and an abstract of the topic. The abstract may be no! longer than 350 words and should not contain the name(s) of the presenter(s) or reference(s) that would identify the presenter(s). All submissions should conform to APA style guidelines. Each submission should be made as a separate email attachment, using the .doc format from Microsoft Word or .txt format. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Send online submissions to http://www.sportinafrica.org/forms/abstract_sub.php.

The deadline is January 15, 2008.

For more details, contact: Gerald Akindes, Ohio Univ., Grover Center E211; e-mail: akindesg@ohio.edu; or Matthew Kirwin, Michigan State Univ., e-mail: kirwinma@msu.edu.

Page Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.