MSU Tuesday Bulletin, 11/28/06
THE TUESDAY BULLETIN
Issue No. 13 Fall 2006
November 28, 2006
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 <http://africa.msu.edu/>>
BULLETIN CONTENTS
EVENTS
MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
CONFERENCES
EVENTS
November 30, Thursday
"Xhosa-English Bilinguals: Grammatical Steps in Language Shift," African Studies
Center Brown Bag talk with Carol Myers-Scotton, Adjunct Faculty (Linguistics and
Languages), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center.
December 1, Friday
World AIDS Day Symposium - "No Place To Hide" 2:00 p.m., 3rd Floor
International Center; featuring several works of scholarship and field projects
that address the plight of children orphaned and made vulnerable by the HIV-AIDS
pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. The 2006 theme is: Time to Act.
December 8, Friday
"Human Rights and Social Conditions in Senegal: The Problems of Talibe and of
Clandestine Emigration," CASID/WID forum with Kenneth Harrow, Faculty
(English Dept., MSU), 12:00 noon, Room 201 International Center.
MSU ANNOUNCEMENTS
Visit to MSU by the Honorable Abdoulaye Diop
The Honorable Abdoulaye Diop, Ambassador for the
Embassy of the Republic of Mali visited MSU on
November 3, 2006. He spoke with the Director of
African Studies and others about collaboration with
Mali and the U.S..
Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the Wharton Center
Ladysmith Black Mambazo will perform at the Wharton
Center on February 18, 2007.
The African Studies Center has decided to acquire
tickets for the event. We will collect the money first
(CASH only), then we will purchase the tickets from the
Wharton Center. Tickets will cost $17.00 (includes a
$2.00 restoration fee charged by the Wharton center).
All monies must be in by December 15, 2006 in order
to get prime seating. Please see Lisa in the African
Studies Center, Room 100 International Center. If
questions, call 353-1700.
Spring Course Announcements
RD876, International Rural Development (on web)
3 credit graduate course on the MSU ANGEL program.
This course is available every semester. It simulates a
small group of students sitting around a table with the
professor, who has years of hands-on experience
actually designing and implementing many development
programs and projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin
America. For more information about this graduate
seminar, see the preview at: https://angel.msu.edu <https://angel.msu.edu/> or e-
mail Professor George Axinn at: axinn@msu.edu.
NUR402, International Health (on web); 3 credits.
This course will provide a general understanding of
factors/dynamics that affect the health of human
populations and efforts to improve it. The course will
address: 1) the cultural context of health and illness; 2)
international health and population status, and 3) the
role of international agencies in policy setting and
program development. The course is open to graduate
and undergraduate students, and nursing and non-
nursing majors. For additional information, please
contact the instructor: Professor Connie Currier, (517)
432-1162; e-mail: currier3@msu.edu.
IAH 251A- Topics in Area Studies and Multicultural
- Civilizations
- Focus on Southern Africa. This two-
credit course will meet twice a week during the first half
of spring semester; 2007: January 8-February 28, 2007.
Mon. 6:30 p.m. - 7:20 p.m., Wed. 6:30 p.m. - 8:50 p.m.,
Room 110 Berkey Hall. The course will count toward
the second IAH requirement. Students who have already
completed the second IAH requirement can register for
the course as an elective. This course investigates
contemporary issues in the southern Africa region
through the media of film, literature and lecture. It will
make use of MSU professors with Southern African
expertise and visitors from Southern Africa. Please
direct questions to instructors John Metzler or David
Wiley at 353-1700.
PLS950, Political Islam in Comparative Politics
The seminar will begin by posing the question: Is there
one political Islam or are there many? It will analyze in
some details the historical background to the
phenomenon now called political Islam. This will
include discussions about the nature of the relationship
between state and the religious classes during the
classical period of Islam as well the use of Islam as an
ideology of resistance against European colonial
domination. It will analyze the writings of leading
Islamist thinkers of the 19th and 20th century, such as
al-Afghani, Mawdudi, al-Banna, Qutb, and Khomeini.
Finally, it will explore manifestations of political Islam,
both in terms of ideology and political action, in leading
Muslim countries of the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Students will have the opportunity both to review the
analytical and historical literature and to undertake
research on the interaction of religion and politics in
discrete countries in the Muslim world. Please direct
questions to Professor Mohammed Ayoob at 353-3538
or 353-6750; e-mail: ayoob@msu.edu.
MSU Study Abroad Program in South Africa
Expressive Arts, Cultural Heritage, and Museum
Studies in South Africa is the title of this program
beginning May 28 - June 18, 2007. South Africa has a
history of expressive culture dating from some of the
world's first examples of rock art to today's art that
reflects the complexities of a multi-cultural society
undergoing tremendous transformations. Before the end
of apartheid and the establishment of a new government
in 1994, much of the nation's art, music, history, and
culture were little known to the rest of the world.
Through this program, participants will not only have an
opportunity to be introduced directly to the historical
forms of cultural heritage unique to this region, but also
to critically assess the social, racial, religious, political,
and cultural factors that have impacted both these
expressions and the institutions charged with preserving
and presenting culture. The program will run for four
weeks in three primary locations in South Africa: Cape
Town, Durban, and Johannesburg/Pretoria. More
details about the program may be found at:
http://studyabroad.msu.edu/programs/safricaculher.html.
Questions may be directed to Marsha MacDowell at
macdowel@msu.edu; tel: (517) 355-6511; or C. Kurt
Dewhurst at dewhurs1@msu.edu; tel: (517) 355-2370.
The application deadline is March 1, 2007.
MSU Lending Center - Household items requested
The Lending Center is available to newly-arrived
international students and their families who may need
household items upon arrival to MSU. Supplies of most
items remain adequate, but currently there is a demand
for floor lamps, cutting boards and shower curtains.
Please consider donating the above listed items to the
Lending Center if you have spare ones sitting around.
The Lending Center hours are 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. on
Tuesdays, and 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Thursdays. It is
located on the basement level of 802 Cherry Lane.
Please call Erika at 351-4848 or e-mail
enwank@yahoo.com to find out where to drop off
donations.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
"A Saint in the City: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal"
The award-winning exhibition "A Saint in the City: Sufi
Arts of Urban Senegal," curated by Allen F. Roberts and
Mary (Polly) Nooter Roberts, is currently on display at
the Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign. The exhibit will be showing
through December 31, 2006.
There will be a symposium on December 6, 2006 from
2:00 - 5:00 p.m., with presenters, Mary Nooter Roberts,
co-curator and co-author of the book A Saint in the City:
Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal, Yelimane Fall, a featured
artist in the exhibition, and Chiek Babou, a history
professor and Mouride scholar from the University of
Pennsylvania. Also attending will be members of
Mouride communities from the Midwest and across the
United States, and special representatives from Senegal.
There will be an open dialogue/discussion between
guests, friends, leaders, university students, and
scholars, following the talks. Please direct questions to
Nick Pelafas at pelafas@uiuc.edu or call (217) 244-
4173.
U. of Georgia Group Projects Abroad in Tanzania
The Intensive Advanced Swahili Group Project Abroad
for the summer of 2007 will be held in Tanzania from
June 15 to August 3, 2007. Participants must be US
citizens, or permanent residents and be
junior/senior/graduate students in an institution of
higher education and must have completed at least 4
semesters of Kiswahili or the equivalent.
This year, the in-country (Tanzania) director is Dr.
Lioba Moshi, University of Georgia. All communication
and questions about the program should be directed to
Dr. Lioba Moshi at gpa@uga.edu; Tel: (706) 542-7916.
Application forms can be obtained from the African
Studies Institute office at UGA, 321 Holmes/Hunter
Academic Bldg., Athens, GA 30602 or its website
http://www.uga.edu/afrstu (on-line submission is
encouraged: go to the site, select study abroad, then
Tanzania, then GPA). Students should apply not later
than January 31, 2007.
2007 Zulu Group Projects Abroad in South Africa
The University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center
and African Language Teachers' Association (ALTA)
announce the 9th Fulbright-Hays Intensive Intermediate-
Advanced Zulu Group Project Abroad in Kwazulu-
Natal, South Africa June 13-August 05, 2007.
The eight week Intensive Intermediate-Advanced Zulu
GPA in South Africa will be directed by the University
of Pennsylvania, in affiliation with the University of
KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg. The Zulu GPA is
sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania with the
support of the U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-
Hays Group Project Abroad Program. To be eligible
applicants must be: 1) U.S. citizens, nationals, or
permanent residents of the United States; 2) currently
enrolled in graduate studies concentrating on Africa, or
3) undergraduates currently in their sophomore, junior
or senior year and focusing on Africa.
The following will be the criteria for the selection of
participants: 1) Overall previous academic
performance; 2) Superior performance in at least two
semesters of a university-level series of Zulu courses, or
the equivalent; 3) Letters of recommendation that
portray a strong candidate; 4) Applicant's statement of
purpose, including professional and academic goals; 5)
Satisfactory level of competency in spoken Zulu; and, 6)
Academic/career commitment to Southern Africa or
African Studies. For more information visit:
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/afl/zulugpa.htm or e-mail:
africa@sas.upenn.edu. The application deadline is
February 15, 2007.
CONFERENCES
Performing Africa! Visualizing Africa!- Ohio Univ.
April 18-21, 2007, Ohio University, Athens, OH
Conference Directors Dr. Paschal Yao Younge and Dr.
Zelma Badu-Younge invite papers for the First Biannual
International Conference on African Performing and
Visual Arts to examine new perspectives in Traditional
and Contemporary Art Traditions. The objective of the
conference is to create a forum for musicians,
composers, dancers, choreographers, dance therapists,
actors, playwrights and directors, visual artists,
educators, teachers, and scholars to discuss new
perspectives in African Performing and Visual Arts
from a variety of viewpoints. The goal is to stimulate
interest in exploring various ways of theorizing,
analyzing, performing, teaching, and researching
African performing and visual arts.
The directors are interested in a range of new theories,
teaching pedagogies, curricula development,
interdisciplinary approaches, research methodologies
and analytic techniques, and intersections with other
disciplines. Presentations may include individual
papers, panels, workshops, performances, lecture-
demonstrations, and other original forms of
presentation. More detailed information is available at:
http://www.ohio.edu/africanarts/. The deadline for
papers/proposals is December 1, 2006. Papers may also
be faxed to: (740)-593-9476.
Int'l Conference on Ethiopian Development Studies
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: "The Challenges of Peace and
Development in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa." The
Horn is one of the most strategic areas of Africa and the
global economy. It is a bridge between Africa and the
Middle East, as well as the oil fields of the Persian Gulf.
It is culturally and historically a rich region of the world
with great natural resource potential. It is a region of
diversity in culture, languages, and religions. In spite of
these potentials, it is currently one of the poorest and
unstable sub-regions of Africa. The region suffers from
conflicts within and among the states caused by internal
and external factors.
The objectives of the conference are to: 1. Raise
awareness about and understand the critical issues that
affect the sub-region, 2. Provide a forum for constructive
and informed dialogue on key policy options for
sustainable peaceful conflict resolution for future
development and progress, 3. Exchange research papers
by scholars and researchers on the various dimensions of
the Horn of Africa, and 4. Build consensus on policy
options that are crucial for future progress toward
peaceful conflict resolution, development, peace and
democratic governance both among states and within the
states. The Symposium is intended for academics, policy
makers, investors and donors, and others interested in
contemporary issues 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.
Proposals on the following broad range of issues and
topics are invited: 1) Agriculture, Food Security, and
Rural Development; 2) Education for Sustainable
Development; 3) Regional Integration for Development;
4) Building Democratic Institutions of governance and
civil society; 5) Health and HIV/AIDS Issues; 6) Private
Sector, Entrepreneurship and Markets; 7) Science and
Technology for Development; 8) US Policy on Ethiopia
and the Horn of Africa; 9) Managing Ethnic, Clan, and
Religious conflicts; 10) Peace building and Conflict
Resolution; 11) Women and Development; 12) The Role
of the Diaspora in Development; and 13) An open forum
for political parties. Please send all abstracts or
proposals 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.
Page Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.