CCOOLLLLEEGGEE OOFF AARRTTSS AANNDD SSCCIIEENNCCEESS AANNNNUUAALL RREEPPOORRTT 22001133--22001144 1 Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 African and African American Studies 5 Anthropology 16 Art 29 Biology 39 Chemistry 57 College of Arts and Sciences Education Program (CASEP) 74 Communication, Media and Theatre 80 Computer Science 110 Earth Science NA Economics 116 English 125 English Language Program 157 Geography and Environmental Studies 163 History 168 Justice Studies 178 Latino and Latin-American Studies 190 Linguistics 199 Mathematics 211 Mathematics Development 222 Music and Dance Program 227 Office of Cultural Events 261 Philosophy 263 Physics 273 Political Science 279 Psychology and Gerontology MA Program 285 Social Work 325 Sociology 350 Student Center for Science Engagement (SCSE) 372 Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language 386 Women‘s and Gender Studies 393 World Languages and Cultures 406 2 CCOOLLLLEEGGEE OOFF AARRTTSS AANNDD SSCCIIEENNCCEESS AANNNNUUAALL RREEPPOORRTT Executive Summary The College of Arts and Sciences was active in the 2013-2014 academic year, working to meet the needs of our students and maintaining a strong focus on student retention, success, and graduation. New programs were developed, such as the EMERGE summer program, which prepares new students in the areas of Math and English Language, as well as the MARC (Minority Access to Research Careers) Program, which is designed to prepare underrepresented minority students for careers in science. Progress was also made in developing NEIU‘s General Education Program into a University Core Curriculum, which includes more opportunities for engaged learning experiences. As you will find in this year‘s report, CAS programs have hosted career fairs, alumni events, student awards ceremonies, café societies, brown bag seminars and speaker series; and they have established scholarships for students. CAS students have conducted community-based research and service-learning projects in area neighborhoods; they have participated in internships at Chicago-area museums, government agencies and non-profit organizations; and they have attended professional meetings. Many of our students presented their research and creative projects at local, regional, national and international conferences, including NEIU‘s Annual Student Research and Creative Activities Symposium and SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicano and Native American Students in the Sciences). These and other applied learning activities provide important opportunities for professional development, and they prepare our students for careers and graduate school. For the last two years, the College of Arts and Sciences has pursued its Re-imagining Food Initiative, a joint effort between the CAS and NEIU‘s Division of Student Affairs. The initiative has brought together members of the NEIU and surrounding community to promote high-impact pedagogical practices and University-community engagement, in an effort to enhance the learning environment and to encourage student engagement around issues of social justice, food security, and sustainability. The CAS also celebrated the presentation of the Sarah Hoagland and Lawrence Frank Lectures, as well as the Art in Response to Violence Conference and Genocide Conference. 3 The College of Arts and Sciences was pleased to welcome six tenure-track faculty members to campus: Elyse Bolterstein in Biology, Andrew Brake in Social Work, Nadja Insel in Earth Science, Jimin Kahng in Teaching English as a Second Language/Foreign Language, Ting Liu in Geography and Environmental Studies, and Marcos Feldman in Sociology. Our faculty also continued to excel in various areas of teaching, research and service. In the past year, six faculty members were awarded tenure, six were promoted to the rank of associate professor, and four were promoted to full professor. CAS faculty were also recognized for their exceptional teaching and research. The Audrey Reynolds Distinguished Teaching Award had two finalists, both from the CAS: Ana Fraiman of Chemistry and Cynthia Moran of Communication, Media and Theatre – who was named the recipient of the award. Likewise, the Bernard J. Brommel Distinguished Research Professor Award resulted in Christopher L. Schroeder of English being named a finalist. The award winner was Erica R. Meiners of the College of Education, who also teaches in the Women and Gender Studies program. Each year as a College, we continue to serve the academic and professional needs of our students; we celebrate the wonderful diversity of our programs and community; and we strive to uphold NEIU‘s values of integrity, excellence, access to opportunity, and empowerment through learning. Wamucii Njogu Dean 4 AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES Annual Report 2013-2014 Submitted by Marshall Thompson Executive Summary The African and African American Studies Program (AFAM) is the study, research, interpretation and dissemination of knowledge about Africans, both on the continent of Africa and in the Diaspora. Administratively, AFAM is housed in the Sociology Department as a part of a larger combined department that includes Sociology, Women Studies, and Latino and Latin American Studies programs. AFAM is designed to provide a curriculum that prepares its minors for advanced graduate studies in African/African American and African Diaspora Studies, international affairs, education, social work, social policy studies, and legal and professional training as well as in such fields as communications, writing, teaching, theatre, and dance. The mission of AFAM is to provide a high quality undergraduate interdisciplinary academic curriculum and services to enrich the educational experiences of Northeastern Illinois University‘s diverse faculty, staff, and student body. AFAM is an 18-credit hour program. The AFAM curriculum consists of three required core courses (9 credit hours). These three courses include: Introduction to African and American Studies (AFAM 200); Foundations of African Civilization (AFAM 301); and Foundations of Africans in the Diaspora (AFAM 302). The curriculum also includes three elective courses (9 credit hours) spread over 17 departments or programs. Students in the AFAM minor must select their three electives from at least two different departments including Anthropology, Art, Educational Leadership, Teacher Education, English, Foreign Languages, Geography and Environmental Studies, History, Inner City Studies, Justice Studies, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work. As an academic program, the objectives of AFAM are aligned with the NEIU strategic goal of fostering diversity and intercultural understanding. AFAM supports this strategic goal by (1) introducing students to the language, concepts and theoretical paradigms of African and African Diaspora Studies; (2) providing students with a framework and necessary skills to take a comprehensive approach to challenging and critiquing racist paradigms, assumptions, and theories; (3) grounding students in an 5 African-Centered epistemological framework that focuses on the cultural and human realities of African and African Diasporic thoughts and practices; (4) providing students with opportunities to explore the continuities and discontinuities among peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora; (5) providing students with international educational opportunities through participation in the University‘s study abroad programs; and (6) providing K-12 teachers with a knowledge base they can utilize to develop lesson plans and classroom curricula about Africa and its peoples throughout the world. During academic year 2013-2014, AFAM continued to make major programmatic developments and organizational strides. Some achievements include: 1) the planning, development, and successful implementation of the African Summer Institute for Teachers at NEIU, 2) planning and implementing the Third Annual African and African American Symposium: Silencing Genocide in Africa and the African Diaspora, 3) sponsoring, co-sponsoring, or participating in numerous programs, events, and projects, 4) strengthening our collaboration with the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University, and 5) the revision of the AFAM Program Goals and Outcomes. From July 8 through July 26, 2013, AFAM implemented its tenth annual African Summer Institute for K-12 teachers at Northeastern Illinois University. The Summer Institute is a three-week intensive program designed to provide K-12 teachers in the Chicago area with a knowledge base and pedagogical skills they can utilize to develop lesson plans and classroom curricula about Africa and its peoples. Enrollees have included: public school teachers, NEIU students, and instructors from the City Colleges of Chicago. Several NEIU professors and staff participated as instructors, including: Josef Ben-Levi (EICS), Courtney Francis (TESOL), Alfred Frankowski (Philosophy), Tracy Luedke (Anthropology), Nicholas Kilzer (Anthropology), William Stone ( TESL), T.Y. Okosun (Justice Studies), Durene Wheeler (EICS), Jeanine Ntihirageza (TESOL), Edward Kasule (Political Science), Wamucii Njogu (Dean, CAS), Beverly Rowls (CTC), Barbara Scott (Sociology), Job Ngwe (Social Work), Jade Stanley (Social Work), Marshall Thompson (Political Science), and Gilo Kwesi Logan (Justice Studies). The overall goal of this year‘s Institute was to advance knowledge and understanding of the African continent and its peoples and to explore new and more effective approaches