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Faculty News - Winter 2008

Burke Presents Paper at Languages and Literatures Conference

February 28, 2008
Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies Jessica Burke presented a paper at the 2008 Southeast Conference on Foreign Languages and Literatures held at Stetson University in DeLand, Fla., on Feb. 22-23. Burke's presentation was on the novel "Los pasos perdidos" by Cuban author Alejo Carpentier. Her talk, titled "Pasos acompañados: Seeking self through relations with the female 'other,'" explores the role of the novel's female characters in the protagonist's misguided search for self.

Westmaas Pens Op-Ed for CaribWorld News

February 27, 2008
Assistant Professor of Africana Studies Nigel Westmaas published an op-ed in the popular online CaribWorld News (Daily Caribbean Diaspora News). The piece titled "Horror and the Response to Horror: the Guyana Situation" critiques the Guyana government's response to two brutal sets of gang killings in January and February in two communities in the South American Republic that resulted in the murder of 23 villagers including children. The reaction of the Guyana state to the murders failed, according to Westmaas, to take into account the fractured nature of the society and urged a more holistic response that addressed the political, social and criminal origins of the execution gang.

Orvis Presents at University of Albany

February 26, 2008
Professor of Government Stephen Orvis gave a lecture at the "Policy Lunch Series" at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany on Feb. 26. His presentation, "What Went Wrong in Kenya?," addressed the set of
developments - social, political, economic, domestic, international - that led to the violence in Kenya following elections; the prospects for the future; and possible solutions to enhance the development of a more stable democracy.  More ...

De Swaan's Images Featured in Photography Book

February 26, 2008
The photography of Visiting Instructor of Art Sylvia de Swaan is included in a four-page spread in a new book titled The Elements of Photography – Understanding and Creating Sophisitcated Images. De Swaan's "Sub-Version Series" is represented with four images and is accompanied by an artist's statement and her comments on framing and borders.  More ...

Briggs Lectures at Belles Artes in Mexico

February 25, 2008
Austin Briggs, the Hamilton B. Tompkins Professor of English Literature emeritus, gave a lecture at the Belles Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on Feb. 12. The talk, titled "The Joys of Joyce: Reading the Dead," was delivered on behalf of International PEN and was attended by an audience of 200. Briggs was also interviewed by the San Miguel newspaper, Atención, about "The Dead," the final short story in James Joyce's collection Dubliners.  

Arthur Presents at Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meetings

February 25, 2008
Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology Mikaila Mariel Lemonik Arthur presented a paper titled "Inside Insider Activism: Understanding Movements that Target Organizations" at the 2008 annual meetings of the Eastern Sociological Society in New York City on Feb. 22.  More ...

Jones Presents Paper on Cooperative Sector

February 25, 2008
At a workshop of the Mondragon Co-operative Academic Community (MCAC) held Feb. 25-26, Derek Jones, Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics, presented a paper "Trust, inequality and the size of co-operative sector: cross-country evidence."  More ...

De Swaan Photo in Center for Fine Art Photography Show

February 22, 2008
A photograph by Visiting Instructor of Art Sylvia de Swaan was selected by The Center for Fine Art Photography as part of it most recent exhibition of photographic fine art, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, which opened on Feb. 1. Andrew Darlow, editorial director at Digital Imaging Techniques magazine and a former instructor at the International Center of Photography in New York City, was the juror for the exhibition.  More ...

Xu Reviews Syracuse University Chinese Program

February 21, 2008
De Bao Xu, professor of Chinese and chair of the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department, was invited as external reviewer to review the Chinese Program and the Chinese Study Abroad Program at Syracuse University in February. The Syracuse Chinese Program has a large enrollment of more than 200 students in its first year and second year Chinese. Its Chinese Studies Abroad Program has two tracks, one goes to Tsing Hua University, Beijing, built in 2005; the other goes to City University, Hong Kong, established in 1997. Professor Stephanie A. H. Divo, coordinator of the Chinese Program at Cornell University, also served as external reviewer.

Mwantuali's Novel, L'impair de la nation, Reviewed in Reperes

February 21, 2008
L'impair de la nation, a novel by Associate Professor of French Joseph Mwantuali, was reviewed on February 8, 2008, in Reperes, a Cameroonian newspaper. The book was published by Les Editions Cle in September 2007. The reviewer praises Mwantuali for "giving to the African Woman a place that few African authors have dared to give her: the position of president." 
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Jones Joins Journal of Co-operative Studies Editorial Advisory Board

February 20, 2008
Derek Jones, Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics, has accepted an invitation to join the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Co-operative Studies. His membership on the editorial board of the Annals of Public and Cooperative Economy has also been renewed.  More ...

Raybeck Presents Papers at Cross-Cultural Research Meeting

February 20, 2008
During the week of Feb. 18, Douglas Raybeck, professor of anthropology emeritus, presented two papers and participated on a panel at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society for Cross-Cultural Research in New Orleans.  More ...

Jaksch Publishes Article in AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Scholarship

February 19, 2008
Marla L. Jaksch, visiting assistant professor of women's studies, published a co-authored article in the February 2008 issue of AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Scholarship. The article, titled "Developing Excellence in Indigenously Informed Research: Collaboration between African Communities and the Academy," explores a community-based participatory research strategy called Community Driven Development (CDD).
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Carter Presents at University of Florida Conference

February 19, 2008
Donald Martin Carter, visiting associate professor of Africana Studies, presented a paper at the Center for African Studies Gwendolen M. Carter conference at the University of Florida, Gainesville, on Feb. 15-16. Carter's paper was titled "Navigating Diaspora: Shipwrecks, Identity and the Nation." This year's conference theme was "Migration in and out of Africa: old patterns & new perspectives."
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Westmaas Presents Paper at Louisiana Conference

February 18, 2008
Assistant Professor of Africana Studies Nigel Westmaas presented a paper at the 16th annual conference of the National Association of African-American Studies (NAAAS) held in Baton Rouge, La., on Feb 11-16. His paper, "The 'Quiet' Pan-Africanist: The significance, work and scholarship of Eusi Kwayana of Guyana and his impact on Pan Africanism" assesses the scope of Eusi Kwayana's pan-africanism. It evaluates why, in spite of his substantial literary, cultural and political output over time, Kwayana is scarcely accredited in pan-Africanist historiography and scholarship.

MacDonald Publishes Book on Canyon Cinema

February 18, 2008
Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor written by Visiting Professor of Film History Scott MacDonald was published by University of California Press in January 2008. According to the publisher's Web site, MacDonald brings alive a remarkable moment in American cultural history and "tells the colorful story of how a small, backyard organization in the San Francisco Bay Area emerged in the 1960s and evolved to become a major force in the development of independent cinema."  More ...

Owen and Bing Yu '03 Publish Paper

February 18, 2008
"Regional differences in wage inequality across industries in China," a paper written by Associate Professor of Economics Ann Owen and Bing Yu '03, appears in the February 2008 issue of Applied Economics Letters. The paper explores the causes of very large regional differences in wage inequality in China over the period 1996 to 2001 and finds that the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) varies across Chinese provinces.  More ...

Garrett Publishes Article in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology

February 18, 2008
Professor of Biology Jinnie Garrett published an article in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. The article is titled "Amino acid transport through the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Gap1 permease is controlled by the Ras/cAMP pathway." Ras proteins are important cell growth regulators and are often found in activated forms in human tumors.
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Boutin Publishes Article in Journal of Graph Theory

February 15, 2008
Associate Professor of Mathematics Debra Boutin recently published a research article "Thickness-Two Graphs Part One: New Nine-Critical Graphs, Permuted Layer Graphs, and Catlin's Graphs" in the Journal of Graph Theory with co-authors Ellen Gethner, the University of Colorado at Denver, and Thom Sulanke, Indiana University. A graph (or network drawing) is called thickness-two if it can be drawn in two layers in which neither layer has edges that cross. The thickness of a network is important in computer chip design. In this paper Boutin and her co-authors give new progress on an old problem concerning thickness-two graphs.

Owen Presents Paper at Brown University

February 15, 2008
Ann Owen, associate professor of economics and director of the Levitt Center's Sustainability Program, presented a paper she wrote with economics professors Julio Videras and Stephen Wu at Brown University on Feb. 14. The paper, "More Information Isn't Always Better: The Case of the Voluntary Provision of Environmental Quality" examines how individuals' beliefs about the impact of their actions is related to their behavior.  More ...

Finnish Foundation for Economic Research Offers Fellowship to Jones

February 15, 2008
Derek C. Jones, Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics, has been offered a fellowship from the Charles and Ulla Nyberg Fund, part of the Finnish Foundation for Economic Education, to help support his research on econometric case studies, This award will facilitate his spending part of his sabbatical leave during the 2008-09 academic year at the Helsinki School of Economics as a visiting professor in the economics department.  More ...

Publishers Weekly Reports Sale of Isserman Book

February 14, 2008
Publishers Weekly has announced that Maurice Isserman, James L. Ferguson Professor of History, has sold a new book titled Climbing the American Mountain to W.W. Norton & Company. According to the publication, "the book will cover the history of mountaineering in America and Americans in mountaineering, from Darby Field's 1642 ascent of Mount Washington in search of diamonds to Ed Viesturs's 2006 climb of Annapurna in Nepal.  More ...

Bayolo's Works to be Featured on WCNY's "Fresh Ink" With Neva Pilgrim

February 13, 2008
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Armando Bayolo's music will be featured in three upcoming episodes of WCNY radio's program "Fresh Ink," hosted by Neva Pilgrim. The programs, scheduled for February 17, March 30 and April 6, will feature works performed by the Society of New Music at concerts last fall at Syracuse University and Hamilton College.  "Fresh Ink" is a weekly radio program devoted to works of contemporary classical music. It airs every Sunday from 2-3 p.m. on WCNY FM, 91.3.

Peck Presents Paper at Inquisition and Ecclesiastical Justice Conference

February 12, 2008
Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature Anjela Peck presented a paper at a conference held in conjunction with the Second International Seminar on the Inquisition and Ecclesiastical Justice in Springfield, Mo., on Feb. 7-10. Her paper, "The Cave as Prison, Womb and Portal to the Divine: Subverting Christian Inquisitorial Spaces in Early Modern Spanish Muslim Literary Texts," discussed Spanish Muslims' support of intense scrutiny and persecution of all Muslims.
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Jin Leads Forum at Chinese Language Teaching Workshop

February 11, 2008
Professor of Chinese Hong Gang Jin led a forum on recent research and best practices of Chinese language teaching in the U.S. at Swarthmore College in conjunction with Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges on Feb. 7-8. The workshop was intended for the Chinese professors and instructors from three colleges to receive further professional development and to discuss pedagogical issues in teaching Chinese as a second language in the U.S.

The New York Times Publishes Isserman Book Review

February 11, 2008
In reviewing "Defying Dixie: The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919-1950" by Glenda Gilmore in the Sunday, Feb. 10, edition of The New York Times, Maurice Isserman, James L. Ferguson Professor of History, summarized the book as "an exercise in radical antiquarianism, a series of disparate essays built around interesting personalities, the whole rather less than the sum of its parts."  More ...

Klinkner Quoted in Los Angeles Times

February 11, 2008
Philip Klinkner, James S. Sherman Associate Professor of Government and Associate Dean of Students, has been interviewed and quoted recently by several media outlets including The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times political blog about Super Tuesday and future primary elections and caucuses.  More ...

Elgren Presents Paper Co-Authored With Students at Metals in Biology Conference

February 10, 2008
Tim Elgren, professor of chemistry, presented "Halogenation and Oxidative Dehalogenation Activities Catatlyzed by Encapsulated Peroxidases" at the "Metals in Biology" Gordon Research Conference in Ventura, Calif., in January. Co-authors included Hamilton students Sydney Fasulo '09, Christina Clark '10, Nick Berry '09, Ngoda Manongi '08, Hilary Gamble '07 and Marielle Matthews '09, and post-doctoral research fellow Valentin Sukharev. The presentation described progress made in the characterization of the chemistry of sol-gel encapsulated peroxidases. 
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Arthur Presents at Cornell University Institute for the Social Sciences

February 10, 2008
Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology Mikaila Mariel Lemonik Arthur delivered a paper titled "Conflict, Controversy, and Collective Action in the Collegiate Curriculum" at the Workshop on Textbook Controversies at Cornell University on Feb. 8.  It was sponsored by the Cornell University Institute for the Social Sciences Theme Project on Contentious Knowledge: Science, Social Science, and Social Movements.  More ...

Keating Presents Paper at Symposium

February 10, 2008
Neal Keating, visiting assistant professor of religious studies, presented a paper titled "Indigenous Territories, Sacred Space, and Global Foreclosure" at The Creation & Contestation of Sacred Space symposium, held at The College of New Jersey in Ewing on Feb. 9.
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Murtaugh Exhibits Work in Baltimore Gallery

February 7, 2008
Assistant Professor of Art Rebecca Murtaugh exhibited artwork in the Made Home exhibition at Current Gallery in Baltimore. The exhibition showcases art works which extracts intimacy and humor from the surroundings we call home. Works featured included the large-scale photographic series of "To Mark a Significant Space." The show closes later this week.

Werner Publishes Paper in Contemporary Pragmatism

February 6, 2008
Richard Werner, the John Stewart Kennedy Professor of Philosophy, published "Pragmatism for Pacifists" in the December 2007 issue of the philosophy journal Contemporary Pragmatism.

Major Presents Research on Quantum Gravity at RPI

February 5, 2008
Associate Professor of Physics Seth Major presented a mathematics colloquium, "The Attractiveness of Loops and Ribbons," at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Feb. 4. After reviewing the framework of quantum geometry he mentioned research work with Tomasz Konopka '02 and Rob Silversmith (Clinton H.S.). Rob's work helped show that the framed loop ("ribbons") algebra of quantum gravity with a cosmological constant is not represented in the Temperley-Lieb algebra i.e. ribbons are not so attractive.

Cryer Performs 99 Questions at Keystone College

February 5, 2008
Associate Professor of Theatre Mark Cryer performed his one-man show, 99 Questions You've Always Wanted to Ask an African American But Were Too Afraid to Ask, at Keystone College in Scranton on Feb. 4 as part of its Black History Month celebration.  Cryer created the play with a student, Jared Johnson '02, who conducted interviews of people in New York City to arrive at the questions.

Reynolds, Mason and Simons Present at EDUCAUSE Conference

February 4, 2008
Nikki Reynolds, director of instructional technology support services, Janet Simons, instructional technology specialist, and Susan Mason, director of the Education Studies Program, presented a paper in January at the 2008 EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting in San Antonio. The paper was titled "Building the Scaffolding: Supporting Student Use of Technology in the Learning Process." 
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Domack's Larsen Ice Shelf Research Included in New Book, Earth Under Fire

February 4, 2008
Antarctic research work by Eugene Domack, the Joel W. Johnson Family Professor of Geosciences, is cited in a new book, Earth under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World, by Gary Braasch (University of California Press). Published in late 2007, it is a comprehensive look at the worldwide effects of climate change. The book includes Domack's research work at Antarctica's Larsen Ice shelf in 2002. Braasch also accompanied Domack to Larsen in 1999.
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Kodat Publishes Review of Lincoln Kirstein Biography

February 4, 2008
The most recent issue of the literary journal Salmagundi has published Associate Professor of English Catherine Gunther Kodat's review of Martin Duberman's The Worlds of Lincoln Kirstein (Knopf, 2007). "If it is read with the careful attention it deserves," Kodat writes, "Martin Duberman's biography of Lincoln Kirstein should have several bracing effects on U.S. cultural scholarship, not least of which would involve serious re-examinations of the purposes of arts patronage, the cultivation of aesthetic distinction, and the intersections of class, politics, and sexuality in mid-century U.S. life."  More ...

Hamilton Group Presents Election Campaign Simulation

February 2, 2008
A group of Hamilton College faculty and administrators presented a case study exercise at the Collaborative Pedagogy and Instructional Design Session of the NorthEast Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) held in Southbridge, Mass., on Jan. 25. James Helmer, director of the Oral Communication Center; Lynn Mayo, reference librarian; Sharon Werning Rivera, assistant professor of government; and Janet Simons, instructional technology specialist, discussed the election campaign simulation used in Rivera's comparative politics course and helped participants design personalized course projects.  More ...

Connolly Publishes Article in The Astrophysical Journal

February 1, 2008
Assistant Professor of Physics Natalia Connolly published an article in the February 1 issue of The Astrophysical Journal. The article, titled "A New Determination of the High Redshift Type Ia Supernova Rates with the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys," presents a new measurement of how often huge stellar explosions, called Type Ia supernovae, occur in the universe. Type Ia supernovae are special because they allow cosmologists to study the way the universe is expanding.
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Bailey Receives Grant from Microsoft Corporation

February 1, 2008
Associate Professor of Computer Science Mark Bailey recently received a grant award from Microsoft Corporation's research division for the development of a new computer security course titled Secrets, Lies, and Digital Threats. The course will provide background information on computer security issues for future leaders, including those who will shape public technology policy, to understand the nature of security threats and how they can be expected to evolve in the future.  More ...

Isserman Op-Ed in Albany Times Union

January 31, 2008
On the 40th anniversary of the Tet Offensive, the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) published an opinion piece titled "Iraq of '08 eerily like Vietnam of '68" written by Maurice Isserman, James L. Ferguson Professor of History, and University of Albany Professor of English Thomas Bass. As the title suggests, Isserman and Bass compare the official reports on the status of the war in Vietnam in 1968 to the war in Iraq in 2008 and suggest that the situation in Iraq is far less stable than the administration would have the nation believe.
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Owen Quoted in Christian Science Monitor

January 30, 2008
Associate Professor of Economics Ann Owen was quoted in a Christian Science Monitor article titled "Fed's tough call: how far to cut interest rates" on Tuesday, Jan. 29. The article discussed the choices faced by the Fed in determining what might stimulate the economy.  More ...

Article by Adams Reprinted in Advances in the History of Rhetoric: The First Six Years

January 28, 2008
An article by Visiting Professor of Communication John Adams was reprinted in Advances in the History of Rhetoric: The First Six Years (Parlor Press 2007). Adams' article, titled "Let's Re-enact Rhetoric's History," is one of 29 scholarly articles published in the journal. The collection covers a range of periods and topics in the history of rhetoric, including Greek and Roman rhetoric, rhetoric and religion, women in the history of rhetoric, rhetoric and science, Renaissance and British rhetorical theory, rhetoric and culture and the development of American rhetoric and composition.

Williams Publishes Book of Poems Interpreting Lao Zi's Dao De Jing

January 25, 2008
Lao Zi's great Chinese philosophical classic, Dao De Jing, serves as the inspiration for a new book, The Path and Its Power, by Walcott-Bartlett Professor of Religious Studies Jay G. Williams '54.
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Rubino Presents at International Seminar on Complexity Theory in Cuba

January 24, 2008
Carl Rubino, the Edward North Professor of Classics, participated in the Fourth Biennial International Seminar on the Philosophical, Epistemological and Methodological Implications of Complexity Theory in Havana, Cuba, from January 14-19. The seminar was organized by the Havana Instituto de Filosofia, which invited Rubino to give a pre-seminar course on "Complexity, Ethics, and Connectivity."
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Is the Optimal Rectangle a Square?

January 24, 2008
Professor of Mathematics Robert Kantrowitz '82 co-authored a paper "Is the Optimal Rectangle a Square?" with Michael M. Neumann of Mississippi State University, which appears in the Fall 2007 issue of The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal. The paper centers around concave and log-concave functions and the extent to which their products are maximized at a unique point. The results, which also involve symmetry of the graphs of the functions, lead to simple solutions of several calculus problems.

Chung Serves as Discussant at Columbia Modern Japan Seminar

January 23, 2008
Assistant Professor of Anthropology Haeng-ja Chung served as a discussant at the Columbia Modern Japan Seminar on January 18 at Columbia University. She presented a reaction paper titled "Problematizing the Legal Definitions of Ethnicity, Nationality and Citizenship."   More ...

Wilson Presents Paper in Athens

January 22, 2008
Professor of History Thomas Wilson presented a paper titled "A Confucian Theory of Gods" at the Fifth International Conference on History, sponsored by the Athens Institute for Education and Research in Greece, in December. The Institute was established in 1995 as an independent academic organization with the mission to become a forum where academics and researchers from all over the world could meet in Athens and exchange ideas on their research and discuss the future developments of their discipline.

Klinkner Interviewed by Gannett News Service

January 21, 2008
In a recent Gannett News Service wire story, "Demystifying the presidential nomination process," Philip Klinkner, James S. Sherman Associate Professor of Government and Associate Dean of Students, was interviewed as part of a comprehensive explanation of the process by which the nation's two major parties select their presidential nominees.  More ...

Isserman's "Adventure Writing" Featured in Chronicle of Higher Ed

January 21, 2008
The Chronicle of Higher Education, in its Jan. 25 issue, featured an article,"In One Writing Course, Freshmen Take After Lewis and Clark," about Hamilton's "Adventure Writing" course taught by James L. Ferguson Professor of History Maurice Isserman last semester.  More ...

Omori Elected to MLA Delegate Assembly

January 21, 2008
Assistant Professor of Japanese Kyoko Omori was elected as a delegate to the MLA Assembly in the 2007 election. Her term of office as a Less-Taught Languages special-interest delegate covers from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2010.

De Swaan and Muirhead Exhibit at Delavan Gallery

January 20, 2008
Visiting Instructor of Art Sylvia de Swaan, Professor of Art Bruce Muirhead and alumnus Jake Muirhead '86 are exhibiting their work at the Delavan Art Gallery in Syracuse in a show titled "The Artistic Domain." The Delavan Gallery will host a reception for the exhibition's opening, on Thursday, Jan. 24, from 5 - 8 p.m.  More ...

Burke Presents Paper at International Conference in Hawaii

January 17, 2008
Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies Jessica Burke presented a paper at the 6th annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities on January 11. Her paper, "Discovering the 'Other': Silence and Solitude in the Poetry of Rosario Castellanos" is part of a work in progress on the poetry of the 20th century Mexican writer Rosario Castellanos. The conference participants traveled from all over the world, representing different fields and disciplinary interests.

MacDonald Essay Published in James Benning

January 17, 2008
Scott MacDonald's essay on two recent films by James Benning, "James Benning's Thirteen Lakes and 10 Skies and the Culture of Distraction," has just been published in James Benning, a collection of essays published by the Austrian Film Museum on the occasion of a major retrospective of Benning's work. An interview conducted by MacDonald with David Gatten, "Gentle Iconoclast," has just been published in Film Quarterly (Winter 2007-08).  More ...

Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz Publishes New Book, Greek Tragedy

January 17, 2008
Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz, the Margaret Bundy Scott Professor of Comparative Literature, has published a new book titled Greek Tragedy (Wiley and Blackwell).  More ...

Walker Serves as Panelist at National Defense University

January 15, 2008
Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professor in Global Political Theory Edward S. Walker, Jr. '62 has participated in numerous interviews and panel discussions in the last few months related to U.S. relations with the Middle East.  More ...

Isserman OpEd Appears in The Christian Science Monitor

January 14, 2008
An opinion piece written by James L. Ferguson Professor of History Maurice Isserman titled "The higher summit in Sir Edmund Hillary's life" appears in the Monday, Jan. 14, issue of The Christian Science Monitor. Isserman's piece focuses on Hillary's enormous philanthropic contributions to Nepal after his successful climb to the summit of Mount Everest.
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Simon Addresses NCAA Scholarly Colloquium on College Sports

January 11, 2008
Robert Simon, the Marjorie and Robert W. McEwen Professor of Philosophy, was one of four national experts who presented a key address at the first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Scholarly Colloquium on College Sports on January 10-11 in Nashville. Simon's address was titled Does Athletics Undermine Academics? Examining Some Issues. The colloquium was part of the 2008 NCAA Convention, which was attended by more than 3,100 people.
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Garrett Presents Paper at Genetics Society of America Meeting

January 10, 2008
Professor of Biology Jinnie Garrett attended a meeting of the Genetics Society of America held in San Diego from Jan 5-8. The conference was titled "Genetic Analysis: Model Organisms to Human Biology" and focused on how basic research in the genetics of well-studied organisms (such as the fruitfly or mouse) can be applied to the understanding of human biology and disease. Garrett presented a poster titled "Including 'Genetics and Society' in genetics courses for majors" in which she described exercises she has developed in her courses to promote discussion of the most recent developments in molecular genetics and their potential impact on society.

Omori Publishes Article on Contemporary Japanese Woman Poet/Novelist

January 9, 2008
Assistant Professor of Japanese Kyoko Omori published an article "Finding Our Own English": Migrancy, Identity, and Language(s) in Ito Hiromi's Recent Prose" in the US-Japan Women's Journal (Number 32, 2007). The article discusses the significance of interlingualism in works by Ito Hiromi. Ito originally came to prominence as a poet during the 1970s in Japan. In the 1990s, however, she migrated to California and began producing prose works that portrayed her multilingual everyday life. She particularly chose to create a literary language that highlights the clashes, fusions, and echoes between (mostly) English and Japanese.

Chung Gives Paper at University of Tokyo

January 3, 2008
Assistant Professor of Anthropology Haeng-ja Chung presented a paper, "Deconstructing the Notions of 'Korean' 'Nightclub' 'Hostesses' in Japan and Proposing 'Labor Participant Observation'" at the Contemporary Anthropology Workshop at the University of Tokyo in November. She highlighted diversity within Koreans in Japan and discussed the notions of "nightclub" "hostess" based upon her research.
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Janack Presents Paper at American Philosophical Association Conference

January 2, 2008
Marianne Janack, the Sidney Wertimer Associate Professor of Philosophy, presented a paper titled "The Evidence of Experience and the Problem of Subjectivity" in a special session on Feminist Political Philosophy during the annual meetings of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in Baltimore in December.  More ...

Urgo Presents Paper at MLA Convention

January 2, 2008
Dean of Faculty and Professor of English Joseph Urgo presented a paper at the Modern Language Association Convention in Chicago on Dec. 29. He presented a paper titled "Counting to One is Not Not Counting" in the session, Quantifying Higher Education: Making Arguments for the Humanities in Response to the Spellings Commission.  More ...

Utica OD Publishes O'Neal's Essay on France's New Relations with the U.S.

January 2, 2008
The Utica Observer-Dispatch published Professor of French John C. O'Neal's essay "A revolutionary idea: the French as our friends" in its viewpoints section (Dec. 23). In this piece, O'Neal summarizes the recent speech of French President Nicolas Sarkozy before the joint sessions of Congress and sees "a veritable sea change in French-U.S. relations."

Yao Co-edits Volume, Publishes Essay

January 2, 2008
Associate Professor of English and Assistant Dean of Faculty for Diversity Initiatives Steven Yao has co-edited a volume of essays titled Sinographies: Writing China, published by the University of Minnesota Press. The volume includes an essay by Yao titled "Transplantation and Modernity: The Chinese/American Poems of Angel Island." It discusses the poetry inscribed upon the walls of the Angel Island Immigration Station Detention building in San Francisco Bay, the site of entry for the vast majority of the 175,000 Chinese immigrants to the U.S. between 1910 and 1940.  More ...

Omori Invited Presenter for History Workshop at Dartmouth

January 2, 2008
Assistant Professor of Japanese Kyoko Omori was one of six invited presenters for the Modern Japan History Workshop at Dartmouth College on Dec. 15. The workshop focused on the idea of Japan's middle class, examined from the perspectives of historical, anthropological and literary studies. 
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Marcus Presents Paper at American Philosophical Association Meeting

December 30, 2007
Russell Marcus, the Chauncey Truax Postdoctoral Fellow of Philosophy, presented a paper on the main program at the Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Baltimore on December 29. The paper, titled "Intrinsic Explanation and Field's Dispensabilist Strategy," argues that our best theories seek to unify mathematics with science, particularly physical science, rather than to isolate, and in principle eliminate, mathematics from scientific theory.
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Kim Publishes Article in Internationale Zeitschrift für Philosophie

December 27, 2007
Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy Alan Kim has published an article titled "Recollecting the Soul: Paul Natorp's Construction of a Platonic 'Psychology'" in the Dec. 2008 issue of the Internationale Zeitschrift für Philosophie. Natorp was a philosopher of the Marburg School of Neo-Kantianism that dominated the German philosophical scene at the turn of the last century, but which has only recently enjoyed a revival of interest.  More ...

Chung Presents Papers at Two Conferences

December 26, 2007
Assistant Professor of Anthropology Haeng-ja Chung presented a paper, "Erotic Capital of Korean Nightclub Hostesses in Japan: Performative, Emotional, & Affective Labor," at the Symposium: Imperial Japan and Colonial Sensibility: Affect, Object, Embodiment at UCLA on Dec. 7.  More ...

Jin Awarded Grant From the Henry Luce Foundation

December 25, 2007
Hong Gang Jin, the William R. Kenan Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures and director of the Associated Colleges in China Program (ACC), recently received a grant of more than $300,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation for the establishment of an ACC Post Study Abroad Field Experience in Rural China. The program will enable 12 students who have already completed a term or more of study in China to participate in a language-intensive and experience-based language and cultural internship in rural China for eight weeks during the summer. 
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OSU Series, Co-Edited by Peter J. Rabinowitz, Publishes New Book by James Phelan

December 21, 2007
The Ohio State University Press series ("Theory and Interpretation of Narrative") that Professor of Comparative Literature and chair of the Comparative Literature Deapartment Peter J. Rabinowitz co-edits with James Phelan has just published its 24th volume: Phelan's Experiencing Fiction: Judgments, Progressions, and the Rhetorical Theory of Narrative.  More ...

McEnroe Contributes to Book Honoring his Mentors

December 19, 2007
John McEnroe, the John and Anne Fischer Professor of Fine Arts, contributed the lead article, "Minoan Archaeology and the Quest for the Primitive Hut," to Krinoi Kai Limenai: Studies in Honor of Joseph and Maria Shaw, published by the Institute of Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP) Academic Press. The volume celebrates the work of Joseph and Maria Shaw, who were recently awarded the Archaeological Institute of America's Gold Medal for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement, and who have been McEnroe's mentors and friends for more than 30 years.

Omori Invited Guest Discussant at Conference in Kyoto

December 17, 2007
Assistant Professor of Japanese Kyoko Omori was an invited guest at an international conference on Edogawa Rampo, arguably the most famous Japanese mystery novelist from the 20th century. The conference, "Rampo and Modernism as a Global Cultural Movement" (December 7-9), took place at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. Omori is currently a visiting researcher (SSRC-JSPS postdoctoral fellow) at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan.

Gant's Work in Solo Show at Bruno David Gallery

December 14, 2007
The work of Associate Professor of Art Ella Gant is being exhibited by the Bruno David Gallery in St. Louis in a one-person show titled "mother choo choo" through Jan. 12, 2008. Featured in the gallery's New Media Room, Gant's series of short videos are centered on the principle that, in her words, "awareness of our own experience can inspire social consciousness, political responsibility, cultural interaction and changed behavior."  More ...

Yao Invited Participant in Conference at Harvard

December 12, 2007
Associate Professor of English and Assistant Dean of Faculty for Diversity Initiatives Steven Yao presented a paper at the Globalizing Modern Chinese Literature: Sinophone and Diasporic Writings conference held at Harvard University on December 6-8. His paper, "Transplantation and Modernity: The Chinese/American Poems of Angel Island," discussed the intricate weave of diverse historical, social and cultural contexts in both China and the U.S. against which the "Island" poems gain their complex significance.  More ...

Li Featured on C-Span's Washington Journal

December 11, 2007

"Using China as a target may provoke a backlash, so politicians need to be careful," said Cheng Li, William R. Kenan Professor of Government, in a Dec. 11 Bloomberg News article. Li, who is also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, was commenting on a recent poll that found that the U.S. public has a more favorable impression of China than do congressional staff members and is more positive about trade with China than those staffers and business executives believe they are.

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SHOTS Magazine Features de Swaan's Work

December 11, 2007
The photography of Sylvia de Swaan, visiting instructor of art, has been selected by SHOTS Magazine for inclusion in its annual portfolio issue (winter 2007). The magazine selected and showcased the work of nine photographers, publishing a four-page spread for each that included images as well as an interview. De Swaan's work was also selected for the magazine's back cover.  More ...

Rivera Presents Paper at Slavic Studies Conference

December 10, 2007
Assistant Professor of Government Sharon Werning Rivera presented a paper titled "The Russian Elite during Putin's Second Term: Has Militarization Continued?" at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies on Nov. 16 in New Orleans. Rivera and her co-author, government lecturer David W. Rivera, revisit the question they addressed in a 2006 article in Post-Soviet Affairs, whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has created a "neo-KGB state."  More ...

Pliskin and Jones Invited to International Economic Meeting

December 10, 2007
Jeff Pliskin, Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Levitt Center, and Derek Jones, Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics, were invited attendees at the First International Economic Research Meeting of the Mondragon Cooperative Academic Community. The meeting was hosted by the Mondragon University business studies faculty in Oñati, Spain, Dec. 3-4.
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Mockus Publishes Book, Sounding Out: Pauline Oliveros and Lesbian Musicality

December 10, 2007
Martha Mockus, the Jane Watson Irwin Chair and visiting assistant professor of women's studies, has published a book titled Sounding Out: Pauline Oliveros and Lesbian Musicality (Routledge, Nov. 2007). This book theorizes the notion of "lesbian musicality" in the musical career of avant-garde composer, accordionist and author Pauline Oliveros, whose radical innovations of the 1960s, '70s and '80s have redefined the aesthetic and formal parameters of American experimental music.
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Gold Publishes Article in Antichthon

December 10, 2007
Professor of Classics Barbara Gold has published an article "The Natural and Unnatural Silence of Women in the Elegies of Propertius" in Antichthon (the Journal of the Australasian Society for Classical Studies) 41 (2007). The article was invited as part of a keynote lecture (the Trendall Lecture) that she gave at the annual meeting of the Australasian Classical Society in Hobart, Tasmania, in 2006.

Miller Evaluates Student Research Grant Proposals for Sigma Xi

December 10, 2007
Professor of Biology Sue Ann Miller served on a panel to evaluate and award grants-in-aid of research through the program of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society. She recently completed a 6-year term as chair of the committee, and she continues as a member of the committee that meets twice a year at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina to evaluate and recommend awards. The purpose of the program is to recognize and encourage scientific research by student scientists.  More ...

O'Neal Studies Early History of Psychiatry in France

December 7, 2007
Professor of French John C. O'Neal's article "Understanding and Interpreting Confusion: Philippe Pinel and the Invention of Psychiatry" is among the articles included in volume XXVI (2007) of Lumen. Travaux choisis de la Société canadienne d'étude du dix-huitième siècle. Selected Proceedings from the Canadian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, pp. 243-258. 
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LaDousa Publishes Article in Anthropological Quarterly

December 7, 2007
Chaise LaDousa, assistant professor of anthropology, recently published an article in Anthropological Quarterly. The journal is published by the Institute for Ethnographic Research at George Washington University. The article is titled "Of Nation and State: Language, School, and the Reproduction of Disparity in a North Indian City." LaDousa's article draws on many years of research in Banaras and Delhi on the ways in which institutions such as the school structure ideas about the nation, state and self.

Muirhead Paintings Included in "Urban Landscapes" Show

December 6, 2007
Professor of Art Bruce Muirhead has two paintings in a show titled "Urban Landscapes" that opened on Friday, Dec. 7, at Susan Maasch Fine Art, a gallery in Portland, Maine. There will be a reception at the gallery on Friday, Jan. 4.  More ...

Cafruny Discusses Russian Elections on Jamaican Radio

December 6, 2007
Alan Cafruny, Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Affairs, discussed the recent elections in Russia and the European Union's criticism of the election process on Jamaica's major news/talk radio station on Thursday, Dec. 6. Interviewing Cafruny were former Jamaican Minister of Tourism Anthony Abrahams and Trevor Munroe, government professor at the University of West Indies.  More ...

Chang Represents Hamilton's Sigma Xi Chapter at Annual Meeting

December 5, 2007
Assistant Professor of Biology Wei-Jen Chang represented Hamilton's Sigma Xi chapter in the Sigma Xi annual business meeting held in Orlando from Nov. 1 - 4. Sigma Xi is a scientific research society founded in 1886. Hamilton College chapter members include faculty at several local colleges, institutions in other regions, scientists in non-academic roles, and loyal alumni.  More ...

Brueck Lectures at University of Michigan South Asian Studies Series

December 3, 2007
Visiting Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature and Freeman Postdoctoral Fellow in Asian Studies Laura Brueck gave an invited lecture on Nov. 30 titled "Good Dalits, Bad Brahmins: Melodramatic Realism in the Hindi Dalit Short Story" as part of the University of Michigan's Center for South Asian Studies Scholarly Lecture Series.    More ...

O'Neal Publishes Article on Rousseau

December 3, 2007
Tanguy L'Aminot, editor of Etudes Jean-Jacques Rousseau and director of the study group at the Sorbonne focused on the work of this 18th-century Swiss thinker, has announced the publication of volume 16 in this series, for which Professor of French John C. O'Neal wrote an article: "La confusion de la société dans la Lettre à d'Alembert sur les spectacles et la question de la modernité de Rousseau" (pp. 253-266). As an honorary associate member of the Centre d'Etude des XVIIe et XVIIIe Siècles at the Sorbonne, O'Neal participated in the work of this study group in 2003-2004. He is chair of the French Department at Hamilton.