AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
 

MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 02/01/05


THE TUESDAY BULLETIN

Issue No. 4, Spring 2005
February 1, 2005

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


EVENTS

February 3, Thursday

"Education and Training in the Context of a Global Labor Market; Who Gains and Who Loses? The Case of Zimbabwe," African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Visiting Scholar, Albert Natsa, Faculty (University of Zimbabwe), 12:00 noon, Room 201, International Center.


February 10, Thursday

"Challenges Faced by Zimbabwean Universities," African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Visiting Scholar, Jairos Makunde, University Registrar (Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe), 12:00 noon, Room 201, International Center.


February 17, Thursday

"The Season of Courtship in Ethiopia-United States Relations," African Studies Center Brown Bag with Negussay Ayele, Visiting Professor at UCLA (Native of Ethiopia), 12:00 noon, Room 201, International Center.


February 23, Wednesday

"The Tenofovir Trials in Nigeria: Agency, Knowledge and Science," MSU Center for Ethics Brown Bag talk with Kristin Peterson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology (MSU) and DuBois-Mandela-Rodney post-doctoral fellow in the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan, 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m., Room C102 E. Fee Hall(Patenge Room).


MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS

African Studies Center Application for Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) 2005-06

The African Studies Center at MSU is now accepting on-line applications for FLAS fellowships for academic year 2005-06 and for the 2005 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.

Detailed information on the fellowship, and on-line application guidelines and forms are available on the Center's website: http://africa.msu.edu/. Applicants who can not access the on-line forms can either use the printable PDF files available at the bottom of the application form webpage or contact the African Studies Center at (517) 353-1700; or e-mail: africa@msu.edu.

The deadline for submitting applications to the Center is February 18, 2005. In accordance with the Title VI centers' agreement of rotating summer course offerings under SCALI, African languages study in summer 2005 will be hosted by Indiana University-Bloomington. For more information visit the following website: http://www.indiana.edu/afrist/scali1.html.


New York Times Interview of MSU Alum

In October of 2004, an article was written in the science section of the New York times regarding Terese Hart, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Congo.

The Times interviewed Mrs. Hart regarding some of the animals she and her husband, John Hart has long tracked in the eastern Congo. A portion of the interview is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/12/science/earth/12 conv.html?ex=1098579456&ei=1&en=1dd5ab46d6bd 7fd8.

The African Studies Center has copies of the full interview available. If interested, please contact Lisa Fruge' at (517) 353-1700.


African Books Collective in North America at MSU

In January of 2004, Michigan State University Press began its first full year as the sole distributor for African Books Collective titles in North America. African Books Collective (ABC), founded, owned, and governed by African publishers, is an organization of 100 independent and autonomous African publishers from 18 African countries. Underwritten by NGOs and international philanthropic organizations, this not-for- profit consortium is designed to strengthen indigenous African publishing and increase the visibility of and accessibility to the rich and largely untapped resources in scholarship and literature from the African continent.

Since signing this historic agreement on the island of Zanzibar on 4 July 2002, Michigan State University Press, in close collaboration with African Books Collective, Oxford, has been working to increase the visibility and sales of books representing some of the finest new writing and research to come from the continent of Africa a treasure trove that includes literature, research in the social sciences, history, art, and children's books. During the first six months of this new partnership, the Press introduced more that 1,500 new African titles to heretofore untapped North American markets. (For a listing of new titles available from ABC, visit the web site at:
http://www.msupress.msu.edu; or call the MSU Press at: (517) 355-9543.


Film course, Second half of Spring semester 2005

Two-credit Film Course, March 17-April 28, 2005 AL 492: "Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Present: Perspectives on South Africa @10." The world is celebrating South Africa for its 10 years of one of the most extraordinary and relatively peaceful transitions from racial injustice to democratic rule. The MSU African Studies faculty proposes a two-credit course on South African film and video to expose MSU undergraduates to the rich history and vibrant present of South Africa. Built with two key South African visitors and several faculty experts on South Africa and its media, the seven-session course will begin after MSU's spring break. For more information contact David Wiley or John Metzler in the MSU African Studies Center; phone: 353-1700.


Soweto Gospel Choir - MSU Wharton Center

The 32-member Soweto Gospel choir will share their vibrant and colorful culture of South Africa on Sunday, February 20, 2005 at 4:00 p.m.

The choir along with thrilling drummers and dancers offer a musical cornucopia of traditional African gospel and modern western spirituals sung in six of Soweto's 11 languages. Please visit the Soweto Gospel Choir's web-site at: http://www.sowetogospelchoir.com/

The African Studies Center will have a limited number of tickets available soon (the first 50 sold are the very best seats). Ticket cost is $16.50. Contact Lisa Frugé at the African Studies Center to reserve your tickets. (As of January 28th, there are only eight available.) Tickets are also available through the Wharton Center Box Office. Call 1-800-WHARTON or (517) 432-2000.


OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Understanding Africa - Black History Month Event

The International Institute of Flint, located at 515 Stevens Street, Flint, Michigan 48502, will host the following presentations on Thursday, February 17, 2005, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

  • "Africa and the U.S.: A Global Historical Perspective," seminar by Professor David S. Wiley, Director of the African Studies Center at Michigan State University;

  • Ceremonial Objects of Africa by John Henry, Director, Flint Institute of Arts with assistance from Bank One;

  • A Taste of African Cuisine , and;

  • "A Day in the Life of Africa." A video preview of the documentary.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (810) 762-3169. Co-sponsored by U/M-Flint; Office of Educational Opportunity Initiatives and Dept. of Africana Studies; Association of Eritreans and their Friends in Michigan (AEFM); and Flint Institute of Arts and Flint International Institute.


Intensive Yoruba in Nigeria - 2005 Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad, June 17-August 9, 2005

An Intensive Advanced Yoruba Group Projects Abroad (Yoruba GPA) for summer 2005 is planned for Nigeria, pending approval of the grant proposal submitted to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The course will be directed by Dr. Akin?ndé Ak?nyem? of the Department of African and Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Florida in Gainesville.

Participants must be US citizens, or permanent residents and be junior/senior/graduate students in an institution of higher education and have had at least two years of Yoruba language instruction a the university level. The selection committee will conduct oral proficiency interviews in Yoruba over the telephone in order to make their final selection.

To apply, please complete the Yoruba GPA application (see website); a 1-2 page written statement detailing academic background and experience, as well as academic and career goals prompting the need for intensive study of Yoruba. Three letters of reference are also required (one from your most recent Yoruba instructor), as well as official academic transcripts from all institutions of higher learning attended. Send materials by February 15, 2005 to: Dr. Akintunde Ak?nyem?, Program Director, University of Florida, 470 Grinter Hall, PO Box 115565, Gainesville, FL 32611- 5565; Tel: (352) 392-7082; e-mail:
akinyemi@aall.ufl.edu; web site:
http://web.africa.ufl.edu/academic/2005YorubaGPA.h tml..


International Development Journal - Articles Needed

Women for Women International, a non-profit, humanitarian organization, seeks submissions for the autumn 2005 edition of its bi-annual academic journal, Critical Half, about economic, social, and political issues as they relate to women in international development and post-conflict societies. The journal is intended as a venue for debate among professionals and practitioners, addressing issues from various viewpoints.

This issue of the journal will focus on the manifestation of social exclusion during and after conflict, with special attention to gender issues. It is important to understand the role that gender plays in social exclusion and the effect that it has on women. Articles on the following topics and questions are welcome:

  • Overview of social exclusion; the relevance and importance of the term, and its gendered implications for understanding the processes that limit access to opportunities, resources, and participation;

  • Discussion of social exclusion as it affects the individual, the community, and/or the country in conflict and/or post-conflict situations;

  • Identification of some of the gender-specific issues that are experienced in conflict and/or post-conflict contexts that increase risks of social exclusion;

  • A discussion of indicators designed to assess and understand the manifestation of exclusion during conflict and/or post-conflict situations;

  • How to design programs and projects, particularly in post-conflict settings, that are aimed at expanding social inclusion and participation in areas such as governance, decision-making, and resource allocation, and the importance of gender in these approaches;

  • An analysis of successful cases in which cycles of social exclusion are broken in specific issue areas after conflict in particular, papers that address case studies in countries where Women for Women International operate: Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, and Rwanda, although examples from other countries are also acceptable (Papers should incorporate a discussion of gender in their analysis.)

Articles should provide at least one example of a country's experience that demonstrates the writer's argument. Papers should incorporate a theoretical framework where possible and a discussion of its practical implications. Dual submission of opposing articles is encouraged. Articles must contain appropriate citations. Articles should be 2,000-2,500 words long. Submission deadline is April 15, 2005. Articles should be sent by e-mail. Additional submission guidelines and past issues of the journal and this call for papers are available at http://www.womenforwomen.org.


CONFERENCES

Challenging the Genius Within Conference

Challenging the Genius Within: "Excellent Education for African Children" is the theme for the Conference to be held September 16 - 18, 2005, in Chicago, Illinois.

The committee invites contributions from academics, teacher educators, and master educators involved in the active promotion of excellent education for children of African descent. This conference is designed to define and create institutions and curricula that provide educational excellence for African children.

Topics relevant to the conference theme include, but are not limited to: 1) African centered curriculum; 2) Excellent teaching strategies in math, reading, social science, and science; and 3) Hands-on demonstrations of classroom lessons. For more information on attending and/or presenting at the conference, visit http://www.sankofapublishing.com. Contact information: Sankofa Publishing Company, 3863 Waverly Hills Road, Lansing, MI 48917; Tel: (517) 484-0428; or (517) 214-3553; Fax: (775) 239-2042; e- mail: sshule2@aol.com.


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

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