THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FALL/WINTER 2009 AIS OCCURRENCES AIS FACULTY AIS Alumni, Students, UPDATES and Faculty Convene Roark Atkinson presented a The first AIS Alumni and AIS and student gathering was held on paper titled “Empirical Wonders: Tuesday, November Sense and Faith at Scottish Revivals, 1690–1750” at the 17, 2009 in the American Society of Church Trustees Pavilion, History meeting in San Diego, CA 7-9 PM. Six of the on January 9, 2010. members of the Lisa Cassidy organized a panel newly created AIS discussion on “Feminism in the Classroom” at the Feminist Ethics Alumni Advisory and Social Theory conference in Board, Antonietta Clearwater Beach, Florida in “Toni” Brower, September. One of Lisa Cassidy's Steve Fonder, Cathy contributions to AskPhilosophers.org will be Moran Hajo, included in the forthcoming volume Thomas M. Photo courtesy RCNJ Press Center continued on page 2 Ask Philosophers: Ethics. AskPhilosophers.org is a free website - you ask and philosophers Professor Carter Jones answer! Meyer Wins Bischoff Award continued on page 4 Carter Jones Meyer, Professor and Convener of History, has received the 2009 Henry Bischoff Award for Excellence in Inside This Issue Teaching. Professor Edna Negron, Chair of the Award Committee, 1 AIS Alumni Convene stated, “Dr. Meyer has a demonstrated record as an effective and 1 AIS Faculty Updates inspiring teacher, who has 1 Professor wins Bischoff Award creatively engaged students in the 2 Undergraduate Alumni News study of American history in both 2 Student News specialty and general education 3 AIS Clubs and Organizations courses.” The Award Committee 5 First Year Seminar Field Trip praised her interdisciplinary 7 Author Speaks on Genocide approach to teaching and her 7 Film Screened Photo courtesy RCNJ Press Center ability “to excite General 8 Harvard Professor’s Workshop This issue of AIS Occurrences was Education students about produced and edited by Professors Roark Atkinson, Risa Gorelick, and continued on page 2 Michael Unger.

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AIS Alumni Bischoff Award continued !om page 1 continued !om page 1 Undergraduate Hewitt, Jonathan N. Marcus Esq., American history, encourage Alumni News and Scott W. Stahlmann, nine upper level students to think Recent Literature graduate Patrick AIS faculty members Professor critically and challenge Stickles is the lead singer and songwriter of up and coming indy Yvette Kisor, Professor Pinar stereotypical myths about the rock band Titus Andronicus (named Kayaalp, Professor Lisa Cassidy, American West, supervise their for a Shakespeare play Patrick read Professor Cliff Peterson, internships and enrich their in Professor Don Fucci’s Professor Erick Castellanos, experiential components with Shakespeare Plays course). Their CD, The Airing of Grievances, has Professor Ron Hayashida, visits to historic sites, been favorably reviewed in Spin and Professor Rosetta D’Angelo, particularly in the Ramapo- Blender, national music magazines. Professor Anthony Padovano, Hudson region.” The Committee As the band's name suggests, Titus and Professor Michael Unger, also praised her work as co- Andronicus tends toward very literate songs, with song titles drawn and 28 students attended this founder and faculty advisor to from Shakespeare, Hunter event. the History Tutoring Fellows Thompson, and Albert Camus. One of their signature songs, “Fear and The evening began by a panel program, “a successful peer-to- peer-program in which students Loathing in Mahwah, NJ,” surely discussion consisting of three has the ring of Ramapo to it! ❑ students and three alumni. The help each other succeed in Student News student members of the panel coursework assignments, test preparation and paper reviews.” Elizabeth Gilmour won the were: Marissa Dragone (Senior King Scholarship from the New History Major), Elizabeth Dr. Meyer received her award and Jersey Martin Gilmour (Senior International gave a presentation on her teaching Luther King Commemorative Studies Major), and Boris philosophy in a special ceremony Commission ($5,000). Elizabeth held in the York Room of the was nominated by Professor Erick Glazman (Senior International Castellanos. Studies Major). The Alumni Mansion on September 9. ❑ Students Matt Heitman, Evan panelists were: Antonietta “Toni” Brown, and Ravi Gurumurthy (now Brower ’02, Thomas M. a graduate) represented Hewitt ’75, and Scott W. Ramapo at the International Stahlmann ’79. Panel Psychohistorical Association conference in members discussed their June, 2009 at Fordham academic and experiential University, with a lengthy experiences at the panel discussion on College and in AIS. “Political and Psychological Insights on the First One Alumni provided advice Hundred Days of the Obama and guidance on career Presidency,” winning the paths, and graduate/ Emilio Bernabei Prize— professional school with a plaque and stipend— for their outstanding work. opportunities. This was the culmination of The panel discussion their independent study with Titus Andronicus performing in 2008. Source: Wikipedia Professor Paul Elovitz. Dean was followed by two Hassan Nejad’s funding of round tables involving the students to do faculty/student faculty, alumni, and students. ❑ research had also encouraged these dedicated students. ❑

PAGE 2 THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FALL/WINTER 2009 AIS CLUBS AND and national identities in the late hosted a lecture by Dr. Lynne Ottoman Empire. RCHC also co- Carmikle on “Are Emotions ORGANIZATIONS sponsored a number of events Biological or Social?” with the Center for Holocaust & Student and Faculty Events Genocide Studies and the AIS “The Latinoization of the AIS Club Events Colloquium Series. Prof. Tae Americas: Structural Realities, The Anthropology Club Yang Kwak is the Club’s faculty Fluid Identities” organized “Do You Actually Eat advisor. The Latino/a and Latin American That?” Students and faculty The Literature Club continues Studies program received a grant brought in something they enjoy its tradition of Wednesday night from the Platinum Series for a eating that others might find meetings at 10:00 p.m. in the Latinoization of the Americas strange, distasteful, horrific, or second floor lounge of the ASB symposium celebrated in repulsive. They explained how building under the able direction October. The symposium they began to eat this and what of Mike Stringer featured twelve outside speakers significance, if any, it had to ([email protected]) and and seven panels on such topics them. Items included dishes from Heather Kristian st ([email protected]). New as Latin America in the 21 various cultural traditions to century, reporting on Latin eclectic personal tastes. members always welcome. Professor Yvette Kisor is the America and Latino USA, The Ramapo College History Latinos and the census, Latino Club (RCHC) continued to Club’s faculty advisor. ([email protected]) and Latin American literature, bring historians to campus as part transnational Latino of is Speaker Series. In communities, José Martí’s “Our September, Prof. Marilyn Young, In November, the Philosophy and Anthropology Clubs co- America,” and people and the author of Iraq and the Lessons of environment in the Amazon Vietnam: Or, How Not to Learn Basin. The panels were all from the Past (2008) chaired by Ramapo faculty. and Bombing Civilians: A There were also film screenings Twentieth-Century in conjunction with the History (2009), presented Cinematheque and the Center for “Necessary Wars of Choice” Holocaust Studies. ❑ about the current American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and First Year Seminar Field Trip lessons from the Vietnam War. By Yvette Kisor Her book, The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990 (1991), is used in On Sunday, 18 October the FYS several classes at Ramapo students were taken to see a College. In November, Prof. rendition of Charles Smith’s Elektra Kostopoulou of Istanbul award-winning play, Free Man of Bilgi Universitesi presented, Color. This three-person play “Negotiating Space in the revolves around John Newton Eastern Mediterranean: The Case Templeton, an ex-slave and the of Crete,” about the fluidity and ambiguity of religious, cultural, Latina/Latin American Studies Symposium continued on page 5

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AIS FACULTY symposium “What Makes continued !om page 1 Europeans European?” Elovitz has presented papers at the 32nd Erick Castellanos presented a International Psychohistorical paper entitled, “The National and Association meeting, the Manhattan Transnational Lives of Corn: headquarters of the World Technological, Political, Edible Association for the Advancement of Object,” at the Society for the Psychoanalysis, and at the Social Studies of Science Association for the Psychoanalysis Conference in Washington, D.C. He of Culture and Society (APCS). On also organized and chaired the November 7, 2009, Elovitz session “Political Charisma” at the presented on the psychology of American Anthropological health care reform in Manhattan, Association annual meetings in together with colleagues from NYU Philadelphia, PA, in which he also and the U. of Massachusetts. presented the paper “Charm, Risa Gorelick published three Polenta, and Pasta Sauce: Italian podcasts/e-lectures for Pearson Political Charisma.” His Food and Professional Services on “Focusing Culture course visited Glynwood First-Year Composition on Food Farm in Cold Spring, NY to meet Writing,” “Fun with Food: Service- organic farmers and see first hand Learning Cookbook Writing how an organic farm works. AIS Colloquium Series Project,” and “Writing ‘for’ the Students were able to pick fresh Psychohistorical Exchange on Community: Service-Learning vegetables from the fields, and they Barack Obama’s Family Writing for Non-Profits.” received a recently laid egg (it was Background,” and the following still warm). He also organized a Tae Yang Kwak’s chapter articles in the same issue “Anxiety, group to attend the play “De Novo” titled, “The Clash of Civilizations: Denial, Fantasy, Fear, and Hysteria at SUNY Rockland. Obfuscating Race, History, and Regarding Health Care Reform,” Culture in the Film ‘300’ (2007),” Paul Elovitz published (with “Reflections on Health Care and Its in The Americanization of History: Prof. Ken Fuchsman of UConn) “A Reform,” and “Psychohistorical Insights on Remembering continued on page 6 September 11th.” In September 2009, he published “Nancy Kobrin’s Journey from Psychoanalysis to Fighting Terrorism,” “A Psychohistorical Retrospective of September 11, 2001,” “Exploring the Psychobiography of an Elusive Artist” (with Cassandra Langer and Irene Javors), and “How Will You Use Psychohistory?” In June, he published “Psychological Explorations of Economic Crises” and “Searching for the Origins of European Identity.” In addition, Elovitz continues to serve as editor of Clio’s Psyche including special issues on the psychology of economic crisis, the uses and abuses of 9/11 remembrance, and the psychology of health care AIS Colloquium Series reform, and a five-article AIS Colloquium Series

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AIS ORGANIZATIONS Penguin Rep, a continued !om page 3 small, local, yet highly first black man to attend Ohio professional and University during the years renowned 1824-1828. The play takes place theatre. Students during these years, when pro- were first slavery factions argued against treated to a emancipation, four decades delicious buffet- before Abraham Lincoln signed style dinner the emancipation proclamation. before making The other two characters are their way over Ohio University’s president, to the theater Robert Wilson, an avowed itself, a abolitionist, and Templeton’s beautifully wife, a complex woman who is restored barn house. skeptical about the big plans that Afterwards, Professor her husband has for Templeton. Yvette Kisor and The play took place in the director Joe Brancato Penguin Rep Theatre, located in opened the floor to a Stony Point, NY. The FYS lively question and faculty and students were answer session. Actors Sheldon grateful to Professor Erick Best, Tom Frey, and Emma Castellanos for introducing us to O’Donnell stayed on to contribute to the discussion. Overall, the FYS students were very pleased with the event, which was reflected in the following class discussions and written assignments. ❑ Posters from the 2009 AIS Film Series Ramapo Students, Cahill Center, and Faculty Attend World Food Day Event College English students, members of the Cahill Center and Professor Risa Gorelick attended the World Food Day Event at Rutgers in October. Ramapo College students were

sponsored by the Cahill Center. Photo courtesy Risa Gorelick ❑

Marilyn B. Young at the AIS History Club

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AIS FACULTY students attended the panel and AIS ORGANIZATIONS continued !om page 4 participated in the discussion with continued !om page 3 both frustration and enthusiasm Conflation of Time and Culture in about the present situation. worked with the author in Film and Television edited by Carter Jones Meyer has drafting two hundred notes on the Kathleen McDonald will be written four book reviews for major myriad cultural and literary published by Cambridge Scholars publications in U.S. and Western references in the texts. Portela was Publishing. Based on research history. Reviews of Marit K. selected in 2007 as one of the 39 conducted last year on an SBR Munson, ed., Kenneth Chapman’s most important writers in Latin summer grant, Professor Kwak will Santa Fe: Artists and America under the age of 39. be presenting at the Association for Archaeologists, 1907-1931 and Asian Studies (AAS) annual Emily Abbink, New Mexico’s meeting a paper titled, “Behind the Palace of the Governors: History of Myth of the ‘Korean Model,’” on a an American Treasure appeared in panel with four other scholars from the summer 2009 issue of Journal the US and Korea titled The of the West. A review essay Dynamics of the International commissioned by H-NewMexico, Order in Northeast Asia during the “Championing Southwestern Indian Vietnam War and the Detente. AAS Art in the Early Twentieth Century: is the largest and most respected The Life of Kenneth Milton organization in the field of Asian Chapman,” appeared on H-Net in Studies. October 2009. A review of Tisa Wenger, We Have a Religion: The 1920s Pueblo Indian Dance Controversy and American Religious Freedom is forthcoming in The Journal of American History. Yvette Kisor’s “Totemic Reflexes in Tolkien’s Middle-earth” has been accepted to the journal Mythlore. Her article “Numerical Composition and Beowulf: A AIS Colloquium Series Reconsideration” will be published Ed Shannon’s essay “Shifting in Anglo-Saxon England. The Identity, Disguise, and Christian volume On the Aesthetics of Typology in Pudd’nhead Wilson” Beowulf and Other Old English was published in November’s the Poetry, edited by John Hill, is due 2009 Mark Twain Annual, a to be published by the University of publication of The Mark Twain Toronto Press this spring; her essay Circle, the premier Mark Twain “The Aesthetics of Beowulf: scholarly organization. He was also Structure, Perception, and Desire” accepted into the Faculty Resource will appear in its pages. Network’s “Literature And The Elektra Kostopulou at the AIS History Club Edited by Iraida H. López, El Environment” Seminar to be held at viejo, el asesino, yo y otros cuentos the University of the Sacred Heart On campus Tae Yang Kwak (The Old Man, the Assassin, I, and in San Juan, Puerto Rico. and Peter Scheckner led a panel Other Stories) features nine stories presentation and discussion titled Jeremy Teigen had two articles and a testimonial essay by Cuban “The State of Higher Education in accepted for publication in the fall. writer Ena Lucía Portela. López’s NJ and the Effects of a Recession in “Orphan Counties and the Effect of prologue offers an overview of short a Time of War,” as part of the two- Irrelevant Information on Turnout in fiction in since 1959, focusing day teach-in on the Economic Crisis Statewide Races” (with Keena particularly on the 1990’s and the Future of NJ Higher generation and Portela’s fiction. She continued on page 8 Education. About two hundred

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pleading with their captors or editor with the poet Bruce Smith of Award-Winning facilitating bribes. In some of these the poetry magazine Graham House Author Speaks On instances and generally to elude his Review, which was published from Turkish oppressors, he put his talent 1976-1996, and is the co-translator Armenian Genocide to assume disguises from that of an (with Nevart Yaghlian) of the book (MAHWAH, NJ) – Peter Ottoman soldier to a German of poems “Bloody News From My Balakian, an award-winning author engineer to survive by, for example, Friend” by the Armenian poet and Bergen County native, spoke at finding work on the Berlin-Baghdad Siamanto. Ramapo College of New Jersey on Railway and at various vineyards. In his academic career, Balakian November 12 Under the auspices of A native of Bergen County, has been at Colgate University since the Center for Holocaust and Peter Balakian earned his bachelor’s 1980 where he is currently Donald Genocide Studies and the Armenian from Bucknell University, a M. and Constance H. Rebar National committee of New Jersey. master’s from New York University, Professor of the Humanities in the His third appearance at Ramapo, and a doctorate from Brown department of English, and director Balakian discussed his new book, University in American Civilization. of creative writing. He was also the “Armenian Golgotha.” Recently He probably best known for his first director of Colgate’s Center For published by Alfred A. Knopf, it is Ethics and World Societies. ❑ the translation, on which Balakian collaborated with Aris Sevag, of his Acclaimed Post- great great-uncle Rev. Grigoris Genocide Rwanda Balakian’s first-person account of the Armenian Genocide, including Film Screened his arrest and subsequent trek to (Mahwah) – On October 5th, avoid death at the hands of the Ann Aghion screened and led a Turkish authorities and their allies. discussion of her film “My A uniquely insightful and Neighbor, My Killer” at Ramapo compelling first person account of College of New Jersey Monday. The the Ottoman genocide of the presentation was sponsored by Armenians, it is far from being Ramapo College’s Center for simply a chronicle of oppression. Holocaust and Genocide Studies Rather it, as Peter Balakian took and Communication Arts Major pains to point out, a with the support of the Office of multidimensional rendering and Student Affairs Platinum Series. reflection on a world that no longer Screened out of competition at this exists. Finally available in English, year’s Cannes Film Festival, “My it will enrich the study and Neighbor My Killer” charts the remembrance of the Armenian impact of the government’s open air memoir “Black Dog of Fate,” the Genocide for decades to come. Gacaca Tribunals in Rwanda as part winner of the PEN/Albrand Prize Cognizant of his and the other of the attempt by survivors and for memoir, and “The Burning arrestees’ limited prospects for perpetrators alike to reconcile after Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and survival when they were shipped the genocide that tore apart the America’s Response,” that won the into the interior of the country, country through an open process of 2005 Raphael Lemkin Prize. Both Balakian became a leader among his admission and foregiveness. books were also New York Times peers. His knowledge of languages, Announced in 2001, and ending this and national best sellers. especially German, and penchant year, the government put the Gacaca However, Peter Balakian is also for diplomacy enabled him to gain Tribunals in place with citizen- prolific poet, scholar and educator. unusual access to Ottoman and judges meant to try their neighbors The most recent of his five books of German officials and soldiers. Most and rebuild the nation. poems was “June-tree: New and importantly, perhaps, he was on “My Neighbor My Killer” has Selected Poems 1974-2000, and he several occasions able to intervene been critically acclaimed and was authored “Theodore Roethke’s Far on behalf of his fellow refugees the winner of the 2009 Human Fields,” published by LSU Press in Balakian used his position to save Rights Watch Nestor Almendros the refugees from certain death by 1989. He is also co-founder and co- continued on page 8

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Genocide Dr. Sommers is the author of Rules Students in the Teacher Education continued !om page 7 for Writers, the handbook being program saw a connection to what used in College English, Readings they were studying about Prize for courage in filmmaking. It in the Humanities, and First-Year responding to writing in person. The has also been nominated for a Seminar. workshop was sponsored by the Gotham Award in the documentary Dr. Sommers studies the writing School of American & International category. “My Neighbor My Killer” development and literacy skills of Studies, the Writing Convening is the fourth and last in Ms. college and high school students. As Group, and Bedford/St. Martin's Aghion’s series of films about the principal investigator of the Harvard Press, the publisher who genocide in Rwanda, one of which Study of Undergraduate Writing, produces A Writer's Reference. ❑ won an Emmy. she tracked the college writing A graduate of , experiences of 400 students from AIS FACULTY Anne Aghion lives in New York and the Harvard Class of 2001, to continued !om page 6 . understand the complex role writing Her other films include “Ice plays in undergraduate education. Lipsitz at Queens College) in People,” a study of geologists For twenty years, Sommers directed Political Communication examines working in that she made Harvard’s Expository Writing how irrelevant political ads from in 2006, and her first film, “The Program, as the Sosland Chair in neighboring states suppresses voting Earth Moved Under Him,” that Expository Writing and as a Senior in some contexts. The other, examines the lives of ’s Lecturer. In addition to directing the “Probing the Reds and Blues: urban poor. ❑ freshman writing program, she Sectionalism and Voter Location in established and directed the Harvard the 2000 and 2004 US Presidential Harvard Professor Writing Project, a cross-disciplinary Election” (with Seth McKee at U Gives Workshop writing program, and also South Florida) in Political conducted a series of studies, Geography empirically estimates On Wednesday, December sponsored by two Harvard the influence of population density 2, Dr. Nancy Sommers, Harvard Presidents, to research Harvard’s and region on voting habits University professor and writing culture of undergraduate writing. nationwide. Teigen also presented specialist, gave a workshop to 60 Sommers is highly regarded within papers at two conferences, the Inter- faculty, staff, and students on the field of writing instruction for University Seminar on the Study of “Responding to Student Writing” her six textbooks and her essays, the Armed Forces and Society facilitated by Dr. Risa Gorelick. articles, and films on the theory and Biannual Conference and the Faculty from the writing programs practice of teaching writing. Her Northeastern Political Science at Bergen Community College and prize-winning articles “Revision Association Conference. His op-ed Kean University also attended. The Strategies of Student and piece on voter turnout in the 2009 workshop asked those who respond Experienced Writers” and New Jersey gubernatorial election “Responding to Student Writing” was published in the Bergen Record. are two of the most widely-read and anthologized articles in the field. Lisa Williams’ article, Her films—”Shaped by Writing” “Steinem at Baruch,” will be and “Across the Drafts”—have published in the forthcoming issue received international recognition of the Flora Nwapa Society for bringing students’ voices into a Newsletter. “1925,” an excerpt from larger discussion about writing her book, Forget Russia, was instruction. Sommers is currently published in The Mom Egg Journal

Photo courtesy RCNJ Press Center writing a book about the Harvard (online). The children's play, Study of Undergraduate Writing and “Goofball Galaxy,” co-written by Professor Williams and her son was to student writing to first think what developing a longitudinal study of performed at the NJ Meadowlands the assignment requires for a high school literacy practices. Environmental Center during student to be successful and then to Faculty and staff who December. ❑ work backwards in terms of teach found practical applications to thinking about what a student needs apply to their classrooms and in order to revise a piece of writing. grading from Sommers' workshop.

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