MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 09/06/07

Thursday, September 6, 2007

African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Solomon Addis, Faculty (History, Central Michigan Univ.), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center. Taytu's Feast History, Cuisine, and the Nation in Ethiopia, 1887

Friday, August 31, 2007

Special African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with James McCann, Faculty (History, Boston University), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center. Under-appreciated Facts! about African Agriculture: Implications for Poverty Reduction and Agricultural Growth Strategies

Thursday, September 13, 2007

African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Thom Jayne, Faculty (Agricultural Economics, MSU), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center. Announcements
MSU Africanist Graduate Student Research

Conference: September 28-29, 2007 - CFP

Submission deadline extended to September 3, 2007

The graduate students and African Studies Center at MSU are hosting this conference with the hope to foster an engaging atmosphere in which students can discuss their research and receive important feedback. The conference is interdisciplinary (encouraging presentations from students of political science, history, anthropology, sociology, women and gender studies, etc.), and open to stu! dents at all levels of their graduate careers. The conference ! organize rs hope to receive submissions that present research proposals, research designs, dissertation or thesis chapters, methodological models, work in progress, outlines of dissertation and preliminary research findings. Michigan State University has over 175 faculty members that focus on Africa and some faculty will serve as discussants in the hope that they will offer constructive feedback to the conference participants. The conference is also designed to help prepare students who will present at the 2007 African Studies Association Meeting to be held in New York. Abstracts are due September 3, 2007. Please e-mail submissions to: msuasgc@msu.edu. Abstracts should include the author's name, address, institutional affiliation, e-mail address and phone number. A $20 conference fee can be paid upon registration at the start of the conference. Please note the e-mail address for submissions was incorrect on the previous bulletin. Please submit abstracts and dir! ect inquiries to msuasgc@msu.edu.

Fall Course Announcements

EAD813 "Education in the Developing Countries," Wednesdays, 12:40-3:30, C-106 Wonders Hall, Instructor: Professor Amita Chudgar.

Course description: The challenges facing education researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in the developing world can be vastly different from those faced by their counterparts in the developed world. This course aims to develop a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the key issues and debates in education research and policy in the developing countries. The course will begin with a discussion of key theoretical concepts to create a conceptual framework to guide the discussions in later classes. The class will then consider some of the current international conversations about education to create a broad understanding of education issues in the developing countries. The class will then explore spec! ific issues such as access to education, quality of education,! teacher shortage, lack of infrastructure, adult illiteracy, and widespread inequity of educational opportunities in the developing world. In exploring these issues the class will draw from research in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Having explored specific issues, the class will engage in case-study-based discussions of challenges of education policy in the developing context. The course will conclude with a discussion of the role of international organizations such as the World Bank, or UNESCO, in shaping the education discourse in the developing world. Master's degree students in administration, curriculum, and teaching would also benefit considerably from this seminar.

HM 550 or LAW 548W- International Law & Ethics of Human Subjects Research

The Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences, in the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and the Michigan State University College of Law together offer this 2-c! redit interdisciplinary seminar: The course meets on Tuesdays, 7:45-9:45 p.m. in the Law College Building. Instructor approval is required.

Around the world, researchers in the biomedical and behavioral and social sciences study people to understand and counter the world's disease burden, especially in resource-poor countries, and to understand people's troubles, beliefs, behavior, and hopes. Research on human beings incurs special ethical and legal responsibilities. This seminar brings together scholars and researchers from many fields to foster interdisciplinary understanding of the substance and interrelationships of law, particularly international law, and ethics in the protection of human subjects of transnational biomedical and behavioral research.

This seminar is for medical and law students, graduate students, faculty, professionals, practitioners, researchers, research administrators, international scholars, and other interest! ed individuals from the many fields (including health, law, me! dicine, science, government, international relations, international development, agriculture, ethics, philosophy, and geography) involved directly or indirectly in international research. For further information contact: Gerald S. Schatz, J.D., 517-355-3499, schatzg@msu.edu.

Free tickets for South African Drama, Flint, MI

"Truth in Translation" a play on the issues of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will run Saturday, September 15, 2007 at 8:00pm. The Mott Foundation-sponsored South African theater troop is coming to the Whiting Theater in Flint, Michigan.

Please contact the phone ticket center at (810) 237-7333 or toll free (888) 8CENTER, Mon. - Fri., 12:00pm-6:00pm and Sat. 12:00pm - 4:00pm. They will hold or mail up to four FREE tickets per caller. Tickets must be reserved for entry. The MSU African Studies Center has 20 tickets available on a first-come basis. Please pick them up in Room 100 of the International C! enter.

Free English Life Skill Classes with Leslie Eubank

Leslie Eubank, a volunteer with the Volunteer English Tutoring Program (VETP) at MSU is offering Free English Life Skill classes for any international students who are attending MSU. Classes will be on Monday's from 7:00-9:00pm. For more information contact Leslie Eubank at: esl2u@yahoo.com. Free on-line exercises are also available at: leslie2k.com. Other Announcements
Cameroonian Ladies Association of Lansing

The Cameroonian Ladies Association of Lansing (CALALA) cordially invites the community to their first "Taste of Cameroon," to be held Saturday, September 8, 2007, 7:00 pm until mid-night. Special features include authentic Cameroonian cuisine, cultural events/fashion show, and dance.

This fundraising dinner/gala will be held at the Parish Family Center, 3815 South C! edar Street, Lansing, Mi, 48910. For tickets and information, ! call Mel anie at (517) 927-9637 or e-mail: wandjim11@yahoo.com, or call Caroline at (517) 703-0304. Tickets are $25.

Peace Corps Anniversary Book Project -CFP/stories

Considering how many Africanists, and African historians were once Peace Corps Volunteers, Professor Dennis Cordell of Southern Methodist University cordially invite those who are interested to consider participating in the publishing project described in the paragraph and link below. The project is linked to the organization's 50-year anniversary, but it is not an official Peace Corps project. Four individuals who served in the Peace Corps are putting it together.

Jane Albritton, Pat Alter, Jay Chen, and Dennis Cordell are launching a 4-volume book project to feature stories from volunteers, staff, and instructors. Each volume will focus on a geographic area including Africa and the Middle East; Asia and the Pacific; Central America, South America, and the Caribbean; ! and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russia. Please visit the site at: http://www.peacecorpsat50.org/ to read about this exciting project and the players putting it together. Writers' guidelines have been posted. The project coordinators welcome your inquiries and contributions.

Fellowships
Aluka Award for Innovative Teaching 2007

Application Deadline, September 24, 2007

The Aluka Digital Library is a broad and diverse collection of materials about African history, culture, and botany relevant to disciplines such as global politics, economics, archaeology, anthropology, architecture and preservation, ecology, history, and human rights. Aluka aspires to enrich teaching and research by making valuable primary and supporting materials about Africa available to students, faculty, and researchers. The Aluka Award for Innovative Teaching recognizes instructional uses of ! the digital library that enrich teaching about or related to A! frica.Gr aduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty at academic institutions are invited to apply for one of six Aluka Awards. Any faculty member or graduate student teaching an accredited course in any discipline is eligible to apply. The US$2000 award is unrestricted and may be used toward any academic- or research-based expense, including books, supplies, equipment, or travel.Information about the award program is available at: http://www.aluka.org/page/about/news/20070718.jsp. Aluka will not provide guidance on proposals; however, general questions may be directed to info@aluka.org. To contact or learn more about Aluka or access the digital library, please visit www.aluka.org; or write to: 100 Campus Drive, Suite 100 Princeton, NJ 08540 USA; Tel: +1 212 358 6450; Fax: +1 212 358 6499; e-mail: info@aluka.org.

Conferences
The World Igbo Congress (WIC)

The 13th Annual World Igbo Congress (WIC) conv! ention involving Igbos from around the world runs Thursday, August 30 to Sunday, September 2, 2007 under the theme: "Empowering Igbo Communities: Policies Strategies and Tools." The convention will be held at the Marriott Hotels Resorts Suites: Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center, 400 Renaissance Ctr, Detroit, MI 48243. The two major nights are the Cultural night (Friday, August 31) and the Gala night (September 1). Tickets for the two evenings are $50 and $75 respectively. The Cultural night will be at the Howard Johnson Ambassador Hotel in Southfield, MI while the Gala night will be at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance, Detroit, MI.Send Registration to: 333 Plus Park Blvd, Nashville, TN 37217; Fax: (615) 469 5838 (Attn: Convention Registration). If you have questions, please contact any of the following coordinators: Dr. Anthony Ejiofor, Tel: (615) 830 2078; Chief Cyril Nwaguru, 16859 Griggs, Detroit, Michigan 48221; Tel: (248) 688-5004 or (313) 590-4603; e-mail:! cnwaguru@sbcglobal.net; Sir Mathias Mgbafulu (President), 856! 4 Appoli ne, Detroit, Michigan 48228; Tel: (313) 729-2076 or (313) 834-2147; e-mail: chibafulu@yahoo.com; Ernest Ndukwe, Ph.D., e-mail: amarest@aol.com; or Dr. Aloysius A. Aguwa, 6000 Cromwell Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322; Tel: (248) 559-5500 or (248) 788-1708; e-mail: aaguwa@altechenvironmental.com. Jobs
Two Positions at Virginia Commonwealth Univ.

Virginia Commonwealth University seeks to fill two full-time tenure track positions, contingent upon funding, for August 2008. Both positions are at the assistant or associate professor level. African American Studies

The ideal candidate will specialize in global health issues, especially as they relate to the integration of traditional African healing paradigms and practices with contemporary approaches to the health and well-being of African Americans and others persons of African descent living in the Americas and/or the Caribbea! n. Doctoral degree required in the social sciences or a health related field. A degree in the humanities will be considered if the candidate has a sub-specialty in a medical or health-related area (e.g., traditional African religions and healing practices, history of medicine etc). The successful candidate should demonstrate a track-record of peer-reviewed scholarship and the potential for securing external funding for their research program.

Essential functions of this position include: maintaining an ongoing research program, teaching courses in the Department of African American Studies, contributing to curriculum development, grant writing, serving on program, college, and university committees, recruiting students, and providing service to professional associations and the community. Psychology and African American Studies

This position is for a psychologist with a specialization in the area of A! frican American health, broadly-defined. Preference will be gi! ven to c andidates with a background in African American culture, religion, and spirituality. PhD in psychology required. The successful candidate should demonstrate a track-record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals and the potential for securing external funding for their research program. Candidates with strong research skills in quantitative or qualitative methods are desirable. Essential functions of this position include: maintaining an ongoing research program and teaching courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels in both the African American Studies Department and the Department of Psychology. In addition, the successful candidate will be involved in advising and mentoring graduate student research.

Applicants should submit a statement of research interests, teaching philosophy and interests, a current curriculum vita, representative publications, and at least three letters of reference to: Dr. Ann Creighton-Zollar, Chair of the African American Studies Searc! h Committee, at Virginia Commonwealth University, African American Studies Department, PO Box 842509, Richmond, Virginia 23284; Tel: (804)827-0962; Fax:(804)828-1665; Web: http://www.has.vcu.edu/aas/. Application review will begin on September 1, 2007 and continue until the positions are filled.

For more information, visit the African Studies Center Website. Please submit information on Africa-related events or news seven to ten days in advance of publication. Send to the African Studies Center, 100 Center for International Programs, Michigan State University. Telephone: (517) 353-1700; Fax: (517) 432-1209; E-mail: africa@msu.edu.

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