MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 02/15/05

THE TUESDAY BULLETIN

Issue No. 6, Spring 2005
February 15, 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/WORKSHOPS
SCHOLARSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS

EVENTS

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 18, Friday

"Domestic Workers in South Africa," CASID-WID Friday Forum with Jeanne Gazel, Student Affairs and Services (MSU), 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m., Room 201 International Center.

February 18, Friday

International Coffee Hour., every Friday from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., Spartan Rooms B & C in the Crossroads Food Court. Free Admission and Coffee. Sponsored by the Office for International Students and Scholars.

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).

February 24, Thursday

"Alternate Futures for Sudan after the North-South Peace Agreement," African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Benaiah Yongo-Burre, Dept. of Liberal Studies (Kettering University, Flint, Michigan), 12:00 noon, Room 201, International Center.

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 webpages or contact the African Studies Center at (517) 353-1700; or e-mail: africa@msu.edu.

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.

The MSU deadline for submitting both applications to the Center is February 18, 2005.

MSU Graduate Student Travel Funds Available

The Environmental Science & Policy Program (ESPP) will provide support for graduate student travel to professional meetings. Students must be presenting papers or posters focusing on environmental science and policy. Support of up to $750 for domestic meetings and up to $1,000 for meetings outside the U.S. will be available.

To apply, students should submit:
--An abstract of the paper or poster
--A short description of the nature of the meeting and of the context in which the paper will be presented (e.g., title of paper session or poster session) --A short budget indicating in general terms the costs of travel, registration and lodging for the meeting --A short note from the student's dissertation advisor indicating her or his support for the application

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis starting on February 1, 2005, and continue until the allocated funds are depleted. Materials should be forwarded to: Ken Beer at his e-mail: beerk@msu.edu. Recipients will be contacted and asked to provide personal information (PID, etc.) to assist in filling out University paperwork prior to the awarding of the funds.

Priority will be given to:
--Current ESPP fellowship holders
--Students enrolled in the ESPP doctoral specialization --Students who have enrolled in ESP 801 or are currently enrolled in ESP 802
--Presentations of a clearly interdisciplinary nature --Presentations at interdisciplinary meetings

Students receiving funding are expected to acknowledge that support in their presentation, and to provide ESPP with a copy of the program page displaying their presentation or poster and an electronic copy of the presentation (PowerPoint slides, paper) or poster.

Study Abroad in South Africa, Museum Studies

Announcing a new opportunity for those interested in museum studies and South African arts and cultural heritage in an overseas learning experience!...Michigan State University is offering a Summer Study Abroad opportunity in South Africa in July 2005.

Below is a brief description but more detailed information is available on the web at
http://studyabroad.msu.edu/programs/safricaculher.html. Detailed information about the application procedures and acceptance process can be found on the Office of Study Abroad website http:/studyabroad.msu.edu..

To learn more about the program in general and details about this summer's offering, please feel free to contact Dr. Marsha MacDowell, Professor and Curator, MSU Museum, e-mail: macdowel@msu.edu or Dr. C. Kurt Dewhurst, Professor and Director, MSU Museum, e- mail: dewhurs1@msu.edu. Applications are due March 1, 2005 for the 2005 summer program.

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.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

African Studies Association 2005, Call for Proposals

The ASA 2005 Call for Proposals is Now Open! Please visit www.africanstudies.org to review the Proposal Submission Guidelines and submit your proposal online.

Please remember that ASA Membership and Annual Meeting Pre-Registration Fees must be paid prior to proposal submission. Please direct any inquiries concerning accessing the online system or making a payment, to Ms. Maggie McLaughlin, ASA Executive Administrator, at e-mail: members@rci.rutgers.edu or Tel: 732-932-8173 ext. 10.
Direct inquiries concerning accessing the Annual Meeting proposal system, to Ms. Kimme Carlos, ASA Annual Meeting Coordinator, at e-mail:
asaamc@rci.rutgers.edu or Tel: 732-932-8173 ext. 15. The Proposal Submission Deadline is March 15, 2005.

Bringing Francophone Africa into the Classroom Seminar for Teachers: April 21-24, 2005

The Penobscot Language Immersion School of Rockland, Maine, is offering this intensive introduction to Francophone Africa and African film in the context of the annual Vues d'Afrique film festival in Montreal, Canada.

Dr. Maria Grosz-Ngaté (Indiana University), an anthropologist with long-term research experience in Francophone West Africa, and Dr. Aliko Songolo (University of Wisconsin-Madison), whose research focuses on Francophone African cinema, will lead the workshop. They will provide pertinent background knowledge for viewing African films and using them in the classroom, so that participating teachers can gain a deeper understanding of Francophone African cinema and build a curriculum unit linked to a readily-available Francophone film. For further information and application materials, please see http://www.cinema- africain.org/teachers.html.

For further information call or write: Julia Schulz, Penobscot School; Tel: (207) 594-1084 or (207) 594- 9995; Fax: (207) 594-1067; e-mail: julia@cinema; or Ben Levine, Watching Place Productions; Tel: (207) 594-9988; e-mail: blevine@midcoast.com.

CONFERENCES/WORKSHOPS

Conflicts in the Horn of Africa, U. of Pennsylvania Call for Papers -April 1, 2005

Over the past decade, several political/ethnic conflicts have taken place in the Horn of Africa that have had many social implications in the region. These conflicts, although domestic in origin, have had implications in neighboring states. The wide availability of arms, poverty, the lack of political participation, and the economic deprivation of citizens in many states, have pushed some people to perpetuate violence between groups, and at times against the state. In order to fully comprehend these conflicts, we must look at them in relation to external and internal factors. During this interdependent global age, we also need to understand how our perceptions and knowledge are shaped by different media outlets, human rights organizations, and other humanitarian organizations. This workshop will address these themes in greater detail, and its structure is as follows:

Title

Internal Conflicts and External Responses in the Horn of Africa; Conveners: Lee Cassanelli, Ali Dinar

Theme One: Internal Interests: Causes and Forms of Conflict

• Youth and Culture of War
• Para-military and Militias
• Statelessness

Theme Two

External Interests: Regional, Continental, and International

• Regional and Global Interests: UN, EU, AU, IGAD
• US Policies in the Horn: War on Terror, Oil, etc.

Theme Three: Human Rights & Genocide

• Reporting on Human Rights Violations and Genocide

Theme Four: Understanding and Responding to African

Conflicts

The Role of
Outside Experts and Media Coverage

• Media Coverage and Depictions of Conflict
• Effect of Media Reporting on Citizens from Conflict Areas
• Mobilizing Constituencies for Intervention, Assistance, Resistance

This workshop is organized by the University of Pennsylvania's African Studies Center, in collaboration with Consortium partners of Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Swarthmore colleges. Those who wish to participate in the workshop are invited to submit 150 -200 words abstracts or completed papers. The submission deadline for the abstracts is March 1st, 2005.

Submissions and inquiries about the workshop should be directed to: Dr. Ali Dinar, e-mail:
aadinar@sas.upenn.edu; Tel: (215) 898-6610.

SCHOLARSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS

Gilman International Scholarship Program

The Gilman International Scholarship Program has received an additional 1 million dollars in funding. This significant increase in funding will enable the Gilman Program to make a minimum of 500 scholarship awards during the 2005-2006 academic year. The Institute of International Education (IIE) is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2005 cycle. The Gilman Scholarship is open to all US undergraduates, in good academic standing, who meet the criteria listed below:

The applicant must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant or provide proof that he/she will be receiving a Pell Grant at the time of application or during the term of study abroad; the applicant is applying to or has been accepted into a study abroad program eligible for credit by the student's institution of higher education in the US; the applicant is studying abroad for at least four weeks in one country; the applicant is studying abroad in any country except Cuba or any nation currently under a US Department of State issued Travel Warning; the applicant is participating in a Fall 2005 study abroad program of up to one academic year that begins between the dates of July 15, 2005 and October 15, 2005.

The Gilman Program offers scholarships for students who have been traditionally under-represented in education abroad including, but not limited to: students with high financial need; students from diverse ethnic backgrounds; students going to non-traditional countries; students attending community colleges; students in under-represented fields of study; students of non-traditional age; and students with physical challenges. The student online application deadline for the Fall 2005 cycle is April 4, 2005. Postmark deadline for student transcripts is April 7, 2005: . Students must submit 3 copies of current and transfer institution, if applicable. Deadline for all Advisor certifications is April 7, 2005:

For more information on the application process, please access the Gilman Website at:
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program

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