MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 01/15/08

The African Studies Center at MSU
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Tuesday Bulletin for January 15th, 2008

Topics covered in this issue: Events | Announcements | Other Announcements | Fellowships Events
MANA meeting on HIV AIDS in Africa

Monday, January 21, 2008

MANA meeting on HIV AIDS in Africa, 12:00 noon - 2:00 p.m., Room 204 International Center. Please direct questions to Washington Mutatu at mutatuwa@msu.edu or 355-9715 ext 258. Film series: Bamako (Mali)

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Bamako will show 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 & 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: Tsotsi (South Africa)

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Tsotsi will play at the Snyder-Phillips residential college theater, 7:30p.m. Sponsored by the African Studies Center, Resid! ential College in the Arts and Humanities, Dept. of English, F! ilm Stud ies, African-American Literature and Cultural Emphasis (English Dept.). Neuropsychological Effects of Pediatric HIV in Ugandan Children

Thursday, January 24, 2008

African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Michael Boivin, Faculty (Neurology & Opthamology, MSU), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center. Announcements
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 Title 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.

Candida! tes 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. MSU African Studies Center Director Search

Applications are now being accepted for a new African Studies 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 o! f the strongest African studies centers in the U.S. and is a T! itle VI National Resource Center. More information can be found at: http://www.isp.msu.edu/ASCdirector/. MSU-Compton Africa Peace Fellowships

The MSU-Compton Africa Peace Fellowships provide $15,000 for dissertation research in Africa by exceptional MSU Ph.D. candidates who are citizens of a Sub-Saharan African country and who intend to return to their country or region of origin after completing their studies and whose topic concerns conflict resolution, peace, and security issues in Africa. Funds require a minimum of six months of research in Africa. Recipients must have completed all Ph.D. requirements except the dissertation before accessing the funds. The application deadline is February 15, 2008 for funds that must be expended during calendar year 2008. See application details at: http://africa.msu.edu/compton/MSU_Application.pdf. 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, development, 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 spr! ing 2008. The winning papers will be peer- reviewed for public! ation 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 forms must be submitted by 5PM, February 15, 2008. 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.

Th! e instructions and application form can be found at www.isp.msu.edu/students/funding/prediss/. The application deadline is February 1, 2008. If additional 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. 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 experienc! e in the use of advanced statistics is required. Excellent wri! tten 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 preferred, 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 d! ate 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 received 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. LIN 491 Women and Linguis! tic Poli teness

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

This course focuses on examinations of linguistic 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. Other Announcements
2008 US Africa Sister Cities Conf. - Lansing, MI

Ju! ly 23-26, 2008 at 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 relationships 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: Th! e Darfur Crisis, Current and Future US and Africa Relationship! s, The A BCs 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. Fellowships
Social Science Research Council

The Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF) is a strategic fellowship program designed to help graduate students in the humanities and social sciences formulate doctoral dissertation proposals that are intellectually pointed, amenable to completion in a reasonable time frame, and competitive in fellowship competitions.

Students in second and third years, who have not defended dissertation proposal; U.S. and Inte! rnational Students are eligible. Students may apply to one of five research fields. For further details, visit http://programs.ssrc.org/dpdf/. Deadline is February 8, 2008.

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