MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 02/20/07

THE TUESDAY BULLETIN

Issue No. 6 Spring 2007
February 20, 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
JOBS

EVENTS

February 21, Wednesday

"You Are, Therefore I Am: uMunthu, Peace and Social Justice Education," Partnership to Prepare Global and International Educators (P-GLIE) Seminar Series with Steve Sharra, Dept. of Education, 12:00 - 1:00p.m., Rm 133 F, Erickson Hall.

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.

February 23, Friday

Film

"An Open Window," African-American and African Film-Speaker Series, 7:00 p.m., 170 Arts & Sciences Bldg., Lansing Community College (LCC). An Open Window is a film that deals with a mentally troubled woman in Dakar, Senegal and her friendship with the filmmaker. Khady Sylla is an independent filmmaker, writer, and professor. She will be present for Questions and Answers after the showing.

February 24, Saturday

Film

"An Open Window," 5:00 p.m., Wells Hall (East Lansing Film Festival Series). (See description above).

February 24, Saturday

"The Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela," African-American and African Film-Speaker Series, 5:00 p.m., 170 Arts & Sciences Bldg., Lansing Community College (LCC).

March 1, Thursday

"Recycling Traditions: Cooking Pots, Aluminum Casters, and the Making of a Modern African Diaspora, 1946-2006," African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Emily Osborn, Faculty (University of Notre Dame), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center.

March 8, Thursday

Spring Break

March 13-17, Tuesday-Saturday

African Culture Week and Gala. MARK YOUR CALENDAR for the Gala which will be on Saturday, March 17, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. in the Pasant Theatre of the Wharton Center. Costs are: Gala only $10.00, (free for MSU Students), Dinner only is $7.00 (for everyone, including MSU students), Dinner + Gala is $15.00. (Weekly events will be included on the next bulletin.)

March 15, Thursday

"Future Directions in the MSU Focus on Africa: Agriculture, Medicine, and Education Perspectives -III," African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with MSU African Studies Center Faculty, 12:00 noon, Room 303 International Center.

MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS

New changes in the MSU Museum Exhibit
"WORKERS CULTURE IN TWO NATIONS:
SOUTH AFRICA AND THE UNITED STATES"

Come see the ODW/ODL exhibit, "Workers Culture in Two Nations: South Africa and the United States" in the West Gallery at the MSU Museum. The exhibit is broken into a set of sections on four occupational groups - autoworkers, miners, farmworkers and domestics - that have played important roles in the labor history and workers culture of both nations.

The exhibit features worker art and writing, workclothes and tools, union posters and buttons, and other artifacts and information that will give museum-goers a deeper appreciation of the lives of workers, the creation of workers culture and its expression in both countries.

Watch the exhibit for new developments as new cases are being added, as well as South African/American music and a new guidebook to the exhibit, which are currently in preparation. The exhibit will run until August of 2007.

2007 Study Abroad in Dakar, Senegal through MSU

Study in Dakar, Senegal through Michigan State University May 11- June 23, 2007. Senegal is one of the most beautiful and diverse countries in Africa. A stable democracy, friendly people, and a rich cultural, intellectual, literary, cinematic, artistic and musical heritage make this one of the most accessible of African nations and the cultural center of West Africa.

Courses will be interdisciplinary and will satisfy humanities, social science and anthropology requirements, and will have a special emphasis on Senegalese culture, society and religion. In addition to topics dealing with history, art, music, cinema, and literature, students will learn about the city of Dakar and about "Senegalese" Islam through work in various disciplines and visits to mosques and religious centers. On weekends, students will travel to the various headquarters of the Senegalese Sufi Islamic brotherhoods, tour Goree Island (famous for its House of Slaves), visit St. Louis (former French colonial capital), the Djoudj nature reserves, Toubab Djallo (a beach resort), a fair trade village, museums, artists' studios, cultural centers, etc. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2007. For more information and to apply see: http://studyabroad.msu.edu/programs/senegalculture.html.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

SPEC 403: A Special Education: South Africa Field

Study - June 20 - July 7, 2007

The Department of Special Education at New Jersey City University extends and invitation for interested individuals to explore the South African educational system. Classes and other course related activities will be offered at the University of Zululand, in KwaZulu/Natal, South Africa. The program is open to undergraduate students, teachers, college professors and anyone who wants to benefit from this rich educational experience. You do not have to be a student at New Jersey City University to participate.

This 3 credit hours course seeks to provide students with first-hand experience of a South African Educational system. It requires students to visit and teach in South African schools for 8 days based on pre-prepared lessons revised to suit the children in their placements. Students are to observe, interview their South African counterparts, and reflect on their intercultural teaching and learning experience. This field study will give students an opportunity for international education and travel.

For an application, e-mail: ttorre@njcu.edu or call (201) 200-2089. Deadline to submit letter of reference and deposit is March 9, 2007. For further details, please contact: Dr. Zandile Nkabinde, Dept. of Special Education, Professional Studies Bldg., Room 355, 2039 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07305; Tel: (201) 200- 3023 ext. 4158; e-mail: znkabinde@njcu.edu.

CONFERENCES

Sufi Arts, Rituals, and Performance in Africa University of Kansas, February 22-24, 2007

The Kansas African Studies Center at the University of Kansas, in association with the Spencer Museum of Art, would like to extend an invitation to scholars and members of the general public to attend a conference on Sufi-related arts, rituals, and performances in Africa. The conference will occur in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition, "A Saint in the City: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal," which was curated at the UCLA Fowler Museum by Allen F. Roberts and Polly Nooter Roberts.

Presenters explore the deep roots in Sufism and the roles of Sufi Brotherhoods in African culture. Geographically organized panels -they cover Senegal, Morocco, Sudan and Ethiopia - are multi-disciplinary and address topics ranging from hagiography, healing, contemporary visual arts and architecture, to popular music and colonialism. They employ an array of methodologies including postmodern deconstruction and embodiment theory. The conference will culminate in a reading of Sufi poetry of Amadu Bamba, Ibn Arabi, Abu Madyan, Ahmed Nabhany and Nana Asam'us in Arabic, Swahili, Hausa and English.

The complete conference schedule can be found on the website of the Kansas African Studies Center at http://www.kasc.ku.edu/. The University of Kansas is located in Lawrence, KS, about 40 miles east of Kansas City, MO. Attendance is free of charge. For more information please call Dr. Gitti Salami at 785-864-5514.

Int'l Conference on Ethiopian Development Studies (4th ICEDS) August 3-5, 2007, Western Michigan University

The WMU Center for African Development Policy Research (CADPR) announces the 4th International Conference on Ethiopian Development Studies (ICEDS) on the theme: "Challenges and Opportunities: Peace, Democracy, and Development in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa." Each contributor is invited to submit the participation form, found at:
http://homepages.wmich.edu/asefa/ (click on the 4th ICEDS Conference Announcement) and a one-page typed double-spaced copy of the proposal. Abstracts that do not include a completed "Participation Form" will be regarded as incomplete and will not be accepted.

Please send all abstracts or proposals by March 1, 2007, and completed papers by April 1, 2007 to: 4th International Conference on Ethiopian Development Studies (4th ICEDS), Attn: Professor Sisay Asefa, Center for African Development Policy Research (CADPR), Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008, USA; Fax: (616) 387-0630 e-mail: SISAY.ASEFA@WMICH.EDU.

JOBS

Yoruba, Zulu and Swahili Instructors - UCLA -- Needed for Summer 2007

Pending sufficient course enrollments, the UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center seeks short-term instructors in Yoruba, Zulu and Swahili for the Language Intensives program during Summer Session 2007 (25 June to 17 August). One instructor will teach Introductory Yoruba and one will teach Intermediate Yoruba; Swahili and Zulu will be at the Introductory level. Classes meet 8:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Monday through Friday. Job duties will include teaching, lesson planning, writing exams and quizzes, grading student work, arranging for guest speakers, and participating in field trips (some of which may take place outside of class time). Candidates must be available to participate in training sessions both before and during the Summer Session. Employment will be for the Summer Session only.

Applicants should have teaching experience and a degree in a relevant discipline. (M.A. or other advanced degree preferred.) Experience with university students in the United States is a plus. Candidates should speak Yoruba, Zulu or Swahili at the Superior proficiency level or beyond, and also have strong English skills. Salary and title will be commensurate with experience and educational level. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2007. Send letter of application, curriculum vita and two letters of recommendation to: Dr. Katrina Daly Thompson, African Languages Coordinator, UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center, Attn: Summer Sessions Instructor Search, 10244 Bunche Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1310.

Scholar in World Music Theory or Jazz Studies - UCLA Ethnomusicology Dept.

World music theorist-composer

Teaching duties will include undergraduate and graduate instruction in world music theory, composition, and studio techniques. Fluency with appropriate digital media and breadth of engagement with diverse musical repertoires, including popular music, are highly desirable. Qualifications: Doctorate; potential for distinguished creativity and scholarship; record of excellent teaching.

Jazz scholar-composer

Teaching duties will include undergraduate and graduate instruction in jazz theory, composition, and history, as well as studio recording and digital techniques. Other activities would include shared duties in administration, production, and auditions. Qualifications: Doctorate desirable; potential for distinguished creativity and scholarship; record of excellent teaching.

Responsibilities of the position begin on July 1, 2007 and will include active research and publication; teaching courses for non-majors, undergraduate majors, and graduate seminars; service on graduate committees; supervision of Master's exams and Ph.D. dissertations, and may include ensemble coordination, as appropriate. Review of applications began February 5, 2007, and will continue until a successful candidate is named.

Applications should consist of a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and at least three names of references with their contact information, including mailing address, telephone, and email address. Applicants are encouraged to send these materials via email as attachments in .pdf format to: donnaa@arts.ucla.edu. Please do not send supporting materials until requested by the Search Committee. Applications submitted as hard copy should be addressed to: Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje, Chair UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology, ATTN: Ethnomusicology Search, Box 951657, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1657. All applications will receive equal consideration, whether submitted electronically or in hard copy. For express delivery, our street address is: 445 E. Charles E. Young Drive.

The Department is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from a diverse background and a demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for disadvantaged students. UCLA is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. For more information about the department, the faculty, and its programs, go to www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu.

Kiswahili Language Instructor -Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont

Middlebury College is currently looking for a visiting instructor to teach an introductory Kiswahili language course during the Colleges 4-week intensive winter term in January 2008. Candidates should have advanced training in language instruction and solid teaching experience in Kiswahili.

Please send a letter of interest and curriculum vitae by e-mail to jtropp@middlebury.edu or by regular mail to Jacob Tropp, History Department, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont 05753.

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