MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 01/23/07
Issue No. 2 Spring 2007
January 23, 2007
Weekly News from the AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 100 INTERNATIONAL CENTER
EAST LANSING MI 48824-1035
For back issues, see archive <http://africa.msu.edu>
BULLETIN CONTENTS
EVENTS
MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONFERENCES
FELLOWSHIPS
JOBS
EVENTS
January 25, Thursday
"Mobile HIV Testing in Makete District, Tanzania: How Outreach Surpasses Facility-based
Service," African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Christian Reed, MSU Advanced PhD
Student (Anthropology), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center.
January 26, Friday
"Voters, but Not Yet Citizens: The Weak Demand for Vertical Accountability in Africa's
Unclaimed Democracies," CASID/WID Forum with Carolyn Logan, Assistant Professor of
Political Science (MSU), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center.
January 26, Friday
International Coffee Hour. Office of International Students and Scholars, 4:00 - 6:00
p.m., Spartan Rooms B & C, International Center Food Court.
February 1, Thursday
"The Rise and Fall of the Islamic Courts in Somalia," African Studies Center Brown Bag
talk with Lee Cassanelli, Faculty, (Univ. of Pennsylvania), 12:00 noon, Room 201
International Center.
February 8, Thursday
"Future Directions of MSU's African Studies Center I," African Studies Center Brown Bag
talk with MSU African Studies Center faculty (TBA), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International
Center.
February 15, Thursday
"Future Directions of MSU's African Studies Center II," African Studies Center Brown
Bag talk with MSU African Studies Center faculty (TBA), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International
Center.
February 16, Friday
"Tourism Development in Niger," CASID/WID Forum with Boulou Akano, (Hubert H.Humphrey
Fellow), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center.
February 22, Thursday
"Workers Culture in Two Nations: South Africa and the United States," African Studies
Center Brown Bag talk with John Beck and Yvonne Lockwood, MSU Faculty (respectively Labor
& Industrial Relations and Traditional Arts Program), 12:00 noon, MSU Museum
Auditorium (note change of venue).
MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS
African Studies Center Application for Foreign
Language and Area Studies (FLAS) for 2007-08 AY
The African Studies Center at MSU is now accepting
on-line applications for FLAS fellowships for academic
year 2007-08 and for the 2007 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/FLAS.htm.
Candidates must have completed application procedures
by February 15, 2007. 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. In accordance with the Title VI
centers' agreement of rotating summer course offerings
under SCALI, African languages study in summer 2007
will be hosted by the University of Illinois, Urbana-
Champaign. For details, please visit:
http://www.afrst.uiuc.edu/SCALI07.htm for details.
2007 Compton Africa Peace Fellowships
Michigan State University's African Studies Center
(ASC) and Women and International Development
(WID) Program are offering Compton Africa Peace
Fellowships to graduate students from Sub-Saharan
Africa to support their dissertation field research in
Africa. This program is an element of the MSU African
Higher Education Partnerships Initiative (AHEPI).
These dissertation fellowship awards are made possible
by a grant from the Compton Foundation through its
Peace Fellowship Program for addressing peace,
conflict resolution, and security in Africa.
The goal of the Compton Fellowship Program in Peace
and Security is to strengthen intellectual capacity in
Sub-Saharan African nations and institutions that can
address the challenges of conflict resolution, peace, and
security issues intra- and internationally. The
fellowships will support exceptional Ph.D. degree
candidates at MSU from Sub-Saharan Africa who intend
to return to their country or region of origin after
completing their studies. A secondary goal is to promote
the integration of environment, peace, and/or population
issues in graduate-level study and research.
The Compton Foundation's peace and security program
focuses on a variety of activities and issue areas which
include: resolving and avoiding international and
regional conflict; reducing the threat from weapons of
mass destruction; and broadening the definition of
national security to include environmental and
population aspects.
For Information on eligible research topics, eligibility
requirements, and application forms please visit:
http://www.wid.msu.edu/forstudents/opportunities.htm
or http://africa.msu.edu/compton.php. Completed
application forms must be submitted by mail and e-
mail to: MSU-Compton Fellowship Committee, c/o
David Wiley, African Studies Center, 100 International
Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing,
Michigan 48824-1035; Tel: 517-353-1700; Fax: 517-
432-1209; e-mail: wiley@msu.edu. The application
deadline is March 16, 2007.
Explore Africa at MSU, June 17-23, 2007
Explore Africa at MSU is a residential program
designed for academically talented high school students
(entering grades 10, 11, and 12) who would like to
become immersed in learning about the tremendous
diversity found within the continent of Africa. This
program is a cooperative venture by the African Studies
Center and the Office of Gifted and Talented Education
at MSU.
Participants will attend daily language classes in
Swahili; participate in sessions on African literature;
develop self-selected projects on African topics;
participate in African music and dance, as well as assist
an African chef in making a traditional dinner.
For registration or other information, contact John
Metzler, (517) 353-1700; e-mail: metzler@msu.edu, url:
http://www.msu.edu/gifted/exploreafrica/exploreafrica.htm.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
Time and History: Wole Soyinka and the Drama of
Existence - Request for articles for a special issue
For its special issue on the philosophical significance of
Wole Soyinka's writing, the journal Philosophia
Africana solicits relevant articles on any aspects of his
versatile work.
Contributors may examine Soyinka's work in any genre -
drama, poetry, fiction, occasional essays, or criticism -
but analysis must focus on those themes with special
appeal to an audience interested in philosophy. Relevant
topics may address issues in one branch or several
branches of the discipline, such as: aesthetic theories,
philosophy of culture, ethics and morality, epistemology
and metaphysics, or philosophy of religion. Other topics
may address matters in Soyinka's cultural and social
thought from the perspective of existentialism, political
theory or activism, theories of tradition and change, or
philosophy of history.
Send a title and an abstract (200 words or less) by
March 30, 2007. Completed articles (7,000 words or
less) are due by November 30, 2007. Submissions and
inquiries can be sent by e-mail to: Dr. Peter Gratton,
africana@condor.depaul.edu or posted to: The Editors,
Philosophia Africana, Department of Philosophy,
DePaul University, 2352 N. Clifton Ave, Suite 150,
Chicago, IL 60614.
For detailed "Notes for Contributors" visit:
http://condor.depaul.edu/africana/html/notes.html.
Sponsor a Girl from Africa
Here's an opportunity to help an individual African girl.
The Canadian Harambee Education Society
(www.candianharambee.ca) serves as a middle-person
for people in the U.S. and Canada who wish to sponsor
the education of an African girl in Kenya or Tanzania.
School fees are about $400 to $450 a year.
The society gives you the name of the girl you sponsor.
For more information, e-mail Carol Myers-Scotton at:
myerssc3@msu.edu, who sponsors a girl in Tanzania.
CONFERENCES
Fifteenth Annual Graduate Research Conference
Boston University - March 9-11, 2007
The Graduate Research Conference in African Studies
is an interdisciplinary conference intended for students
at all levels of their graduate careers. The conference
aims to provide a friendly and informal setting in which
students can discuss their research. In past years,
participants have presented research proposals, thesis
chapters, methodological models, work in progress, or
simply outlines of dissertation proposals. The keynote
speaker is Emmanuel K Akyeampong.
Abstracts are due February 15, 2007. Email
submissions to: ascgrcon@bu.edu, or Mail to: Graduate
Student Conference African Studies Center, 270 Bay
State Road, Boston, MA 02215. Abstracts submitted by
mail should include the author's name, address,
institutional affiliation, email address and phone
number. A $20 conference fee can be paid upon
registration at the beginning of the conference. For
application forms or questions regarding the conference,
please contact the conference organizers at
ascgrcon@bu.edu.
FELLOWSHIPS
Dissertation Fellowships in Population,
Reproductive Health, and Economic Development
The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) is accepting
applications for the Dissertation Fellowship in
Population, Reproductive Health, and Economic
Development. The two-year fellowships of $20,000 per
year will be awarded by The William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation and PRB. The fellowships are open to
students currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs in the
United States and Canada. Students in economics,
economic demography, geography, and epidemiology
are especially encouraged to apply.
These fellowships will support dissertation research on
topics that examine how population dynamics and
family planning and reproductive health influence
economic development, including economic growth,
poverty reduction, and equity. Dissertations that
address population and development issues pertinent to
the African continent are especially encouraged. The
research must include a strong quantitative component,
with an emphasis on rigorous data analysis. The
development or use of new statistical methods are also
encouraged. Finally, the research must have a strong
policy-relevant component, demonstrating an interest in
communicating research results with program managers,
planners, and policymakers.
The deadline to apply is February 16, 2007. For
details visit: http://www.prb.org/. Direct inquiries to:
popecondissertationfellows@prb.org.
JOBS
Librarian - Univ. of Kansas Libraries
The University of Kansas Libraries invite applications
for the Librarian for African and African Diaspora
Studies and Bibliographer for International Documents.
The successful applicant will join a team of individuals
engaged in building print and digital collections and in
providing specialized reference services, instruction,
consultation services and outreach activities in person
and digitally for students, faculty, researchers and staff.
The KU Libraries maintain outstanding collections in
support of international programs, developed by a staff
of librarians specializing in international cultures and
languages. The KU Libraries' Africana collections total
nearly 78,000 volumes, with a longstanding emphasis on
the acquisition of African imprints. The international
documents collections include components from United
Nations, British documents and selected international
agencies. The African Studies and International
Documents Librarian reports to the Coordinator of the
International Programs and Cultures Council within the
University Libraries and will participate in our newly
proposed Center for International and Area Studies
Programs in Watson Library.
This is a 12-month, tenure-track, library faculty
appointment. Librarians at the University of Kansas are
members of the University faculty. Librarians participate
in the Library Faculty Assembly and are members of the
University Faculty Council. Librarians are evaluated
annually first and foremost on the performance of
professional responsibilities. In addition, librarians are
expected to participate in, and are evaluated on,
research, and service to the Libraries, the University,
and the profession.
Applications and nominations will be accepted until the
position is filled. Initial screening will begin February
26, 2007. Complete application includes: letter of
interest, a statement addressing each of the required and
preferred qualifications, curriculum vitae, and the names
with contact information of three references. Send to:
African and African Diaspora Studies Librarian Search
Committee, University of Kansas Libraries, 502
Watson, 1425 Jayhawk Boulevard, University of
Kansas, Lawrence KS 66045-7535, fax 785-864-5311,
rcwilson@ku.edu. E-mail submission is encouraged.
Additional information about the University, the
Libraries, and its collections can be found at
http://www.ku.edu and http://www.lib.ku.edu. More
information on the instructional services program is
available at http://www.lib.ku.edu/instruction.
Page Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.