Tuesday Bulletin, Fall No. 1
THE TUESDAY BULLETIN
Issue No. 1 Fall 2004
August 31, 2004
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
CONFERENCES
FELLOWSHIPS
GRANTS
JOBS
EVENTS
September 2, Thursday
Writing Proposals to Fund International Dissertation and Pre-Dissertation
Research Workshop. This two-hour workshop, which is open to and gratis for
all students, will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m., Room 305 International Center.
For those who wish to continue, it also is the first session of the
semester-long, 1-3 credit seminar "International Social Science Research
(ISSR) in Africa, Asia, and Latin America: Concept, Design, and Praxis",
6::00 noon, Room 201, International Center.
September 9, Thursday
"Impact of HIV/AIDS in Uganda: Building Bridges and Alleviating Poverty
Through the Provision of Free Education for HIV/AIDS Orphans in Rural
Areas," African Studies Center Brown Bag talk with Jackson Kaguri,
Co-Founder/Program Director of Scientific Technology and Sustainable
Agricultural Development, Inc. and Nyaka Aids O, 12:00 noon, Room 201,
International Center.
MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS
Course Announcement
The following Political Science course (PLS 344) is a
one-time only, new African undergraduate course for
those interested in pursuing an interest in Africa.
Fall 2004
PLS 344: Politics of Third World (focus on Africa);
TuTh; 12:40 - 2:00 p.m.; 3 credits
Instructor: Prof. Charles Matkze
- PLS 351
- African Politics; MW; 3:00 - 4:40 p.m.; 3
credits; Instructor: Charles Matkze
Professor Matzke is an experienced senior American
political scientist who has spent a number of years
studying Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
Spring 2005
PLS 351: African Politics; TuTh; 1:00 - 2:20 p.m.; 3
credits; Instructor: John Maukumbe
- PLS 440
- Comparative Politics (focus on Africa); MW;
3:00-4:40 p.m.; 4 credits; Instructor: John Maukumbe.
Professor Makumbe is a Zimbabwean, the former chair
of the Department of Politics at the University of
Zimbabwe, an outspoken critic of Zimbabwe's President
Mugabe, and an articulate and forceful lecturer. He has
written widely on African politics, esp. Southern Africa
and Zimbabwe.
Course Announcement
The Philosophy Department is offering the following
three courses in 2004-05 that are part of the anticipated
ethics and development doctoral specialization. Contact
the Philosophy department at 355-4490 for more details.
Fall 2004
PHL 485: Philosophy of Social Science
MW 3:00 - 4:20 p.m.; Room 106B, Berkey Hall
Instructor: Prof. Paul Thompson
- PHL 486/HRT 486
- Biotechnology in Agriculture:
Ethical Issues (50% Africa focus).
TuTh; 10:20 - 11:40 a.m.; Room A186 Plant & Soil Sci.
Instructor: Prof. Fred Gifford and faculty in Horticulture
Spring 2005
PHL 491: Special Topics: Ethics and Development
MW 10:20 - 11:40 a.m.; Room 112 Ernst Bessey Hall
Instructor: Prof. Stephen L. Esquith
Course Announcement
AL 830: African American and African Studies I
W; 4:10 - 7:00 p.m.; Room 105A Berkey Hall
Instructor: Prof. Pero Dagbovie
This course is the first part of an interdisciplinary, year
long, team-taught graduate seminar. It introduces
students to the varied approaches to the study of African
peoples in the field of African American Studies,
provides a broad and vigorous examination of the Black
experience in the United States, is a solid foundation for
the more specialized curriculum awaiting doctoral
students in African American and African Studies, and
challenges students to think in new ways about the
cultures, politics, and societies of African peoples.
To register, contact the African American and African
Studies Program at 432-0869 or e-mail:
northd@msu.edu
Fall 2004, Study Abroad Fair
The 15th Semi-annual Fall Study Abroad Fair will be
held on Thursday, September 23rd from noon to 6:00
p.m. on the second floor of the MSU Union building.
The fair offers an opportunity to:
Talk with the program faculty about individual
programs
Chat with students who have already participated
See photos and artifacts from around the world
Talk with academic advisers and financial aid reps
Check with the MSU Travel Clinic about health
issues
See who won the 2004 Spartans Abroad Photo
Contest
Get passport photos taken ($10.60)
Enter a raffle to win a gift certificate to the Spartan
Bookstore
For more information contact the Office of Study
Abroad; 109 International Center; Phone: 353-8920; or
visit the web site at: http://studyabroad.msu.edu
New Associate Dean appointment
Congratulations to Dr. Assefa Mehretu who has been
appointed as the College of Social Science Associate
Dean, Academic and Student Affairs. Dr. Mehretu is a
Core Faculty member in the African Studies Center. He
will continue his current appointment as Director in the
College of Integrative Studies.
MSU Faculty News
Dr. Sieglinde Snapp, Core faculty member with the
African Studies Center, co-edited the following recently
published book. Pound, B.S.S. Snapp, C. McDougal and
A. Braun (Eds.) 2003."Uniting Science and
Participation: Managing natural resources for
sustainable livelihoods" Earthscan, U.K. and IRDC,
Canada Details of the publication can be found at:
http://web.idrc.ca/ev?ID=33998_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Use Policy
Soji Adelaja, Ph.D., joined the MSU faculty in January
2004 as the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in
Land Policy. He holds joint appointments in the
department of Agricultural Economics; department of
Geography, and department of Community, Agricultural
and Recreational Resource Studies and heads MSU's
programs in land use and land policy.
Dr. Adelaja comes to MSU from Rutgers University
where he served as Executive Dean of Agriculture and
Natural Resources, the Dean of Cook College, and the
Executive Director of the New Jersey Agricultural
Experiment Station and Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
African Books Collective at MSU Press
A beautifully designed and produced picture biography
of Wole Soyinka, published in honor of his 70th birthday
in 2004. Soyinka, as a dramatist, poet, novelist, essayist,
teacher, political activist and literary scholar, is perhaps
Africa's most brilliant cultural ambassador and critic.
For further details about this publication, contact Justin
Cox, African Books Collective North American
Manager, MSU Press; (517) 355-9543, ext. 113 or visit
the website at: www.msupress.msu.edu.
CONFERENCES
African Heritage Studies Association (AHSA)
Call for Papers
The 38th Annual International Conference, hosted by the
Africana Studies Program at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University at Roanoke, Virginia, will
be held October 7-9, 2004. The conference is open to
the General Public.
AHSA invites abstracts for papers and panels addressing
the conference theme: Scholar Activism in the African
World Community, from multidisciplinary and world
community perspectives. Presentations that address the
themes as it relates to: social movements, revolutionary
politics, economic development, comparative cross-
cultural analysis, student and youth empowerment,
social policy, the prison industrial complex, spirituality,
creative production, aesthetics, social phenomena,
identity, culture, social change, literature and health are
particularly welcomed, as are those that employ or
examine multiple methodological strategies, investigate
various theoretical applications and/or consider issues of
praxis.
Send all abstracts and inquiries by September 15, 2004
to: Dr. C.T. Rowley, c/o AHSA Abstracts, Africana
Studies Program, 672 McBryde (0137), Virginia Tech,
Blacksburg, VA 24061; e-mail: ahsa2004@vt.edu.
Pre-registration deadline is September 24, 2004. For
further details on registration fee and hotels, see the
website at: http://www.contcd.vt.edu/ahsa/
FELLOWSHIPS
Alston/Bannerman Fellowships
The Alston/Bannerman Fellowships are annually
awarded to ten organizers of color who have devoted
their lives to helping their communities organize for
racial, social, economic, and environmental justice.
Fellows receive $15,000 to take sabbaticals of three
months or more for reflection and renewal. Fellows may
use their sabbaticals in whatever way they think will
best re-energize them for future work.
To qualify for a fellowship, applicants must be a person
of color; have more than ten years of community
organizing experience; be committed to continuing to
work for social change; and live in the United States or
its territories. While most fellows have been paid
organizers, an applicant's work can be as a volunteer
organizer or leader, or involve a mix of paid and unpaid
work.
Beyond the basic eligibility criteria, the program seeks
applicants whose work attacks root causes of injustice
by organizing those affected to take collective action;
challenges the systems that perpetrate injustice and
effects institutional change; builds their community's
capacity for self-determination and develops grassroots
leadership; acknowledges the cultural values of the
community; creates accountable participatory structures
in which community members have decision-making
power; and contributes to building a movement for
social change by making connections between issues,
developing alliances with other constituencies, and
collaborating with other organizations.
For complete program information and application
procedures, see the Alston/Bannerman Fellowship
Website: http://alstonbannerman.org/. The application
deadline is December 1, 2004.
GRANTS
International Science and Education Competitive
Grants
The International Science and Education (ISE)
Competitive Grants Program supports research,
extension, and teaching activities that will enhance the
capabilities of American colleges and universities to
conduct international collaborative research, extension,
and teaching. ISE projects are expected to enhance the
international content of curricula; ensure that faculty
work beyond the US and bring lessons learned back
home; promote international research partnerships;
enhance the use and application of foreign technologies
in the US; and strengthen the role that colleges and
universities play in maintaining US competitiveness.
Eligible institutions are: 1862 Land-Grant Institutions;
1890 Land-Grant Institutions; 1994 Land-Grant
Institutions; Private Institutions of Higher Education;
and State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education.
Proposals are due September 13, 2004, and the
maximum grant is $100,000. Information on the
program and a link to the RFA can be found at
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/fundview.cfm?fonum=
1240. Approximately $1.3 million will be made
available in grants. Two major priorities are listed in the
RFA, both of which could encompass extension activities:
1. Strengthening the Global Competence of Students,
Faculty, and Staff in Agriculture and Related Areas
(opportunities for training, curricular development. and
participation in collaborative projects); and
2. Enhancing Business Performance in International
Agriculture and Related Sectors (outreach to businesses
and citizens about international trade/development).
Second National Conference on Internationalizing Extension
As part of the National Initiative to Internationalize
Extension, a Second National Conference is to be held
on January 18-20, 2005, in Orlando, Florida. The
conference will be held at the Grosvenor Resort and
Hotel just across from Disney. The program will
highlight the progress made across the USA as states
move forward in internationalizing their extension
services and programs. Mini-grantees will describe their
projects, states will share materials and resources, and
participants will explore strategies that enhance
institutional and human capacity to bring an
international and global perspective to US citizens and
clientele. Opportunities will be available for projects to
offer in-depth training sessions on-site. The date and
venue for this conference has been planned with
families in mind. Staff are encouraged to bring families
along and visit the various entertainment options that
Orlando has to offer
JOBS
Assistant or Associate Professor-Northwestern Univ.
Pending final approval, the Department of English seeks
a second-term assistant or early associate professor in
twentieth-century Anglophone African literature.
Ideally the candidate should also have expertise in other
Anglophone world literatures, post-colonial theory
and/or feminist theory. The university is especially
interested in candidates who work across national
borders and combine a variety of critical methodologies.
The application deadline is September 15, 2004.
Please send CV, a letter of application, three letters of
recommendation, and a writing sample to: Betsy
Erkkila, Chair, Anglophone African Search Committee,
Dept. of English, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
60208.
Page Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.