CLASnotesufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/07/36/82/00141/2000-06-CLASnotes.pdf · criminology....
12
The Dean’s Musings June/July 2000 CLASnotes CLASnotes Vol. 14 The University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences No. 6-7 A Grand Opportunity During this past academic year, fac- ulty and administrators from the College of Education and CLAS have been working together to plan an exciting new venture, Pathways to Teaching, that should benefit both colleges, and more importantly, the students for whom the initiative is intended. Beginning this fall, entering fresh- men will have the opportunity to enroll in this inter-college program to attract the best students to a career in teaching. The training of teachers is naturally within the purview of the College of Education, but with the recent renewed emphasis on enhanced course content for teachers, CLAS will now partner with Education for what should be their mutual gain. Faculty from the two colleges will work closely together in permitting students to obtain both a CLAS degree and teaching certification in four years. CLAS will also develop specialized new courses for Education students. In addi- tion, we will help market the new pro- gram to incoming students. This could be a most important venture for UF. Florida faces a critical teacher short- age already, and the continued population growth can only make this problem of greater concern. Anything we can do to attract more students into the profes- sion of teaching should be a high prior- ity. Many students graduate from high school having some interest in teaching as a career, but we are probably not pro-active enough in helping them fol- low these aspirations. And meanwhile, with so many other high-profile majors dancing before their eyes, few students end up in the teaching profession. With the partnership between CLAS and Education, we can do better. Preview and academic advising sessions for new students will include a focus on the teaching profession. Pathways to Teaching will serve to alert T he first year Galia Hatav offered a course in Biblical Hebrew, interest- ed students were required to have at least one semester of modern Hebrew as a prerequisite, but she soon realized this was too great a demand. “I thought we lost students that way, students who would be willing to work hard,” she explains. Hatav quickly dropped the language requirement, and now finds her courses filled with students majoring in every- thing from anthropology to linguistics to criminology. “It’s an interesting mix of students,” she says. “I’m always surprised at the types of people who want to study the Hebrew Bible.” To effectively decipher Biblical Hebrew, Hatav says “you just have to learn—you know, like traffic lights—you have to learn the signs. And that doesn’t take long. They come here and work with me the first week or two and master the alphabet. At the beginning, they feel very intimidated, scared, and unsure of them- selves, but within a week they go, ‘Oh, I’m doing it!’” Deciphering text is one thing. Speaking Hebrew is an entirely different matter. “We are not sure how Biblical Hebrew sounded back then,” says Hatav, who also teaches courses in modern Hebrew language. “We don’t have record- ings from that time, so we can only guess. There are many theories about how you are supposed to read it—what certain let- ters and symbols mean or how they’re pronounced—and Jews from the different diasporas would read it completely differ- ently than people from Arab countries or people from Israel.” Israel’s turbulent political history has compounded the problem. “After Biblical times there was an exile when people stopped speaking Hebrew and spoke Aramaic, instead. Then they returned to Israel and spoke Hebrew again, but there was another exile where, for about 2,000 years, Hebrew nearly became a dead lan- guage,” says Hatav. As a result, until just a little over 100 years ago, almost no one spoke Hebrew except for reading the Torah in the syna- gogue or conversing with fellow Jews from other countries. But at the turn of the 20 th -century, the long marginalized lan- guage was revived in Israel. “Now,” says Hatav, “we have fourth and fifth genera- tions whose mother tongue is Hebrew, so it has become almost a normal language again. Of course, this is a new “Israeli” Hebrew and is as different from Biblical Hebrew as modern English is from the language of Chaucer. But in language there is always change.” Hatav’s Hebrew language students Born in Tunisia, Galia Hatav (above) was a young girl when her parents immigrated to Israel. She earned her BA and MA at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and her PhD from Telaviv University. Hatav joined the UF faculty in 1993. See Musings, page 12 See Hatav, page 9 This month’s focus: African and Asian Languages and Literatures Teaching Hebrew “It’s an interesting mix of students,” says professor Galia Hatav
Transcript of CLASnotesufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/07/36/82/00141/2000-06-CLASnotes.pdf · criminology....
The Dean’s Musings
June/July 2000
CLASnotesCLASnotesVol. 14 The University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences No. 6-7
A Grand Opportunity Duringthispastacademicyear,fac-ultyandadministratorsfromtheCollegeofEducationandCLAShavebeenworkingtogethertoplananexcitingnewventure,Pathways to Teaching,thatshouldbenefitbothcolleges,andmoreimportantly,thestudentsforwhomtheinitiativeisintended. Beginningthisfall,enteringfresh-menwillhavetheopportunitytoenrollinthisinter-collegeprogramtoattractthebeststudentstoacareerinteaching.ThetrainingofteachersisnaturallywithinthepurviewoftheCollegeofEducation,butwiththerecentrenewedemphasisonenhancedcoursecontentforteachers,CLASwillnowpartnerwithEducationforwhatshouldbetheirmutualgain. FacultyfromthetwocollegeswillworkcloselytogetherinpermittingstudentstoobtainbothaCLASdegreeandteachingcertificationinfouryears.CLASwillalsodevelopspecializednewcoursesforEducationstudents.Inaddi-tion,wewillhelpmarketthenewpro-gramtoincomingstudents.ThiscouldbeamostimportantventureforUF. Floridafacesacriticalteachershort-agealready,andthecontinuedpopulationgrowthcanonlymakethisproblemofgreaterconcern.Anythingwecandotoattractmorestudentsintotheprofes-sionofteachingshouldbeahighprior-ity.Manystudentsgraduatefromhighschoolhavingsomeinterestinteachingasacareer,butweareprobablynotpro-activeenoughinhelpingthemfol-lowtheseaspirations.Andmeanwhile,withsomanyotherhigh-profilemajorsdancingbeforetheireyes,fewstudentsendupintheteachingprofession.WiththepartnershipbetweenCLASandEducation,wecandobetter. Previewandacademicadvisingsessionsfornewstudentswillincludeafocusontheteachingprofession.Pathways to Teachingwillservetoalert
ThefirstyearGaliaHatavofferedacourseinBiblicalHebrew,interest-edstudentswererequiredtohave
atleastonesemesterofmodernHebrewasaprerequisite,butshesoonrealizedthiswastoogreatademand.“Ithoughtweloststudentsthatway,studentswhowouldbewillingtoworkhard,”sheexplains.Hatavquicklydroppedthelanguagerequirement,andnowfindshercoursesfilledwithstudentsmajoringinevery-thingfromanthropologytolinguisticstocriminology.“It’saninterestingmixofstudents,”shesays.“I’malwayssurprisedatthetypesofpeoplewhowanttostudytheHebrewBible.” ToeffectivelydecipherBiblicalHebrew,Hatavsays“youjusthavetolearn—youknow,liketrafficlights—youhavetolearnthesigns.Andthatdoesn’ttakelong.Theycomehereandworkwithmethefirstweekortwoandmasterthealphabet.Atthebeginning,theyfeelveryintimidated,scared,andunsureofthem-selves,butwithinaweektheygo,‘Oh,I’mdoingit!’” Decipheringtextisonething.SpeakingHebrewisanentirelydifferentmatter.“WearenotsurehowBiblicalHebrewsoundedbackthen,”saysHatav,whoalsoteachescoursesinmodernHebrewlanguage.“Wedon’thaverecord-ingsfromthattime,sowecanonlyguess.Therearemanytheoriesabouthowyouaresupposedtoreadit—whatcertainlet-tersandsymbolsmeanorhowthey’repronounced—andJewsfromthedifferentdiasporaswouldreaditcompletelydiffer-entlythanpeoplefromArabcountriesorpeoplefromIsrael.” Israel’sturbulentpoliticalhistoryhascompoundedtheproblem.“AfterBiblicaltimestherewasanexilewhenpeoplestoppedspeakingHebrewandspoke
Aramaic,instead.ThentheyreturnedtoIsraelandspokeHebrewagain,buttherewasanotherexilewhere,forabout2,000years,Hebrewnearlybecameadeadlan-guage,”saysHatav. Asaresult,untiljustalittleover100yearsago,almostnoonespokeHebrewexceptforreadingtheTorahinthesyna-gogueorconversingwithfellowJewsfromothercountries.Butattheturnofthe20th-century,thelongmarginalizedlan-guagewasrevivedinIsrael.“Now,”saysHatav,“wehavefourthandfifthgenera-tionswhosemothertongueisHebrew,soithasbecomealmostanormallanguageagain.Ofcourse,thisisanew“Israeli”HebrewandisasdifferentfromBiblicalHebrewasmodernEnglishisfromthelanguageofChaucer.Butinlanguagethereisalwayschange.” Hatav’sHebrewlanguagestudents
Born in Tunisia, Galia Hatav (above) was a young girl when her parents immigrated to Israel. She earned her BA and MA at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and her PhD from Telaviv University. Hatav joined the UF faculty in 1993.
See Musings, page 12
See Hatav, page 9
This month’s focus: African and Asian Languages and Literatures
Teaching Hebrew“It’s an interesting mix of students,” says professor Galia Hatav
2
Around the College
EnglishJim Haskins’bookThe Geography of Hope: Black Exodus From the South After Reconstruction(MillbrookPress,1999)hasreceivedanHonorAward2000fromSkipping Stones,aMulticulturalandEcologicalChildren'sMagazine,inrecog-nitionofitscontributiontomulticulturalandecologicalawarenessinchildren'sliterature.
Roger Thompsonpresentedthework-shop“FlexandReflect:StrategyTrainingforVocabularyDevelopment”attheVConferenceonAppliedLinguistics:PsychologicalAspectsheldattheUniversityoftheAmericas,Cholula,Puebla,Mexico,May19-20.
SociologyJay Gubriumconductedafour-daysemi-naronformsofqualitativeanalysis,May8-11atTampereUniversityinFinland.
HistoryGeoffrey Gilesgaveaplenarypresenta-tioninMayatasymposiuminBerlinonthecontinuitiesandbreaksinpoliciesandinthehistoryofscienceandscholar-shipinGermanyoverthelastcentury.TheDeutscheForschungsgemeinschaft(GermanResearchCouncil)invitedoveronehundredscholarstodebatethefuturecourseofresearchinthisarea.Thesym-posiumtookplaceintheformerheadquar-tersoftheKaiserWilhelmSocietyforthePromotionofScience,whichsinceWorldWarTwohadservedastheofficers’messoftheUSArmyinBerlin.ThebuildingshavenowbeenrestoredtotheGermanscientificsuccessororganization,theMaxPlanckSociety,andopenedasaconfer-encecenterthissummer.
ZoologyTom EmmelwonanationalprizefromtheNationalCouncilofGardenClubsforhisworkinconservation.
DEPARTMENT NEWSCLAS Awards Study Abroad Scholarships and
Recognizes International Students Intwoseparateevenings,theCollegerecentlyrecognizedtheimportanceofinternationalstudyandexchange.OnApril18,inaceremonyorganizedbytheUFInternationalCenter(UFIC),CLASawarded$12,500inschol-arshipsto24undergraduatestu-dentswhowillbestudyingabroadthissummerorduringtheupcom-ingacademicyear.WinnerswillbetravelingtoItaly(Rome),France(Aix-en-ProvenceandAvignon),Germany(Mannheim)England(CambridgeandLondon),Russia(Moscow),Mexico(Merida),Switzerland,Mali,andJapan(Osaka)topursuetheirstudies. OnApril19,intheReitzUnionBallroom,AssociateDeanCarol Murphypresentedcertificatesto83internationalgraduateandundergraduatestudentsinCLASwhowerenominatedbytheirdepartmentsforoutstandingacademicachievement.ProvostDavid Colburnwelcomedthestudentsandtheirfami-lies,andKenneth Gerhardt,AssociateDeanoftheGraduateSchool,wastheinvitedspeaker.OneoftwoAlecCourtelisAwards,a$500scholarship,waspresentedtoMonika Bigler,adoctoralstudentinthecounselingprogramintheDepartmentofPsychology.TheAlecCourtelisAwardgivenannuallytoexceptionalinternationalgraduateandundergraduatesbyLouiseCourtelisinhonorofherlatehusband,AlecCourtelis,awell-knownfinancierandformerchairmanoftheBoardofRegents.See<www.ufic.ufl.edu>formoreinformationontheUFInternationalCenterandStudyAbroadPrograms.
Left to right: Associate dean of the graduate school for academic programs and student affairs Ken Gerhardt, Monika Bigler, Maruja Torres, and Interim Provost David Colburn at the UF International Students Academic Award Ceremony.
The leading movie at the box office for two weeks last month was Gladiator. Lewis Sussman’s review of the film appeared on the cover of the Gainesville Sun’s ‘Daybreak’ section. “The Roman ‘sword and sandal’ movies of the 1950’s and early 60’s are back with a vengeance,” he says.
Fields Medalist and Waynflete Professor Daniel Quillen of Oxford University deliver-ing the second Mathematics Erdös Colloquium on April 10, 2000 at UF.
3
Around the College2000 Dissertation Fellowship Winners
Gerson Dissertation FellowsLisaFrank,HistoryDuk-YoungKim,LinguisticsIlyaPogorelov,PhysicsAudleyReid,Political ScienceAlyssaWaters,Psychology
Gibson Dissertation FellowsJohnAshbrook,HistoryEvaKort,PhilosophyCharlesParks,PhysicsLarissaBaia,Political ScienceFranciscoBustamente,Romance Languages and LiteraturesLaraFoley,Sociology
Massey Dissertation FellowsAlexandraShapiro,BotanyNiveditaMajumdar,English
McGinty Dissertation FellowsSusanWarshauer,AnthropologyElishaPolomski,AstronomyHeatherMilton,English
Nutter Dissertation FellowsKeithWalters,ChemistryAmyVanderbilt,Mathematics
O’Neil Dissertation FellowMarixaLasso,History
McLaughlin Dissertation FellowsJamesConley,Political ScienceVilmaFuentes,Political ScienceJessicaBaker,PsychologyMichelleSimmons,PsychologyCarlaEdwards,SociologySunghyunHwang,SociologyRobertDuncan,ZoologyCarlosIudica,Zoology
Russell Dissertation FellowsFlordelizBugarin,AnthropologyLaurenJones,AstronomyFrankHering,EnglishTaeilYi,Mathematics
Threadgill Dissertation FellowsJosephMcClellan,ChemistryBillHardwig,EnglishJanetPuhalla,GeographyDouglasTompson,HistoryRichardPietri-Santiago,PhysicsMarianCurrinder,Political Science
Yardley Dissertation FellowsMatthewCurtis,Anthropology
Maurice Coffyn Holmes Memorial Scholarship ($1575)MariadelCarmenMartinez,English
Every year, CLAS invites students pursuing PhDs to apply for dissertation fel-lowships for the spring and summer terms. Awardees receive tuition waivers and $3,150 stipends for one term.
Women’s Studies Art Show
“MotherEarth,ISaluteYou!”anartexhibitfeaturingoilpaintingsbySisterDolorosaKissaka,isnowshowingatthe
CenterforWomen’sStudiesandGenderResearch,Room3357TurlingtonHall.SisterDolorosa’spaintingswillbeondisplayuntilAugust11,2000.Formoreinformationcall392-3365.
Distinguished ProfessorAlan G.Agresti, StatisticsDavid B. Tanner, PhysicsNeil D. Opdyke, Geology
ProfessorBo A. Gustafson, AstronomyDaniel R.Talham, ChemistryFrank Garvan, MathematicsJ. Eric Enholm, ChemistryJ. G. Booth, StatisticsJames Boncella, ChemistryKhandker A. Muttalib, PhysicsMichael Binford, GeographyPeter Schmidt, AnthropologyPhilip Williams, Political
ScienceRichard Elston, AstronomyRobert D’Amico, PhilosophyWilliam Marsiglio, Sociology
Associate ProfessorClifford Russell Bowers,
ChemistryDavid Foster, GeologyJames P. Hobert, StatisticsJane Douglas, Dial Center for Written and Oral
CommunicationJeffrey L. Krause, ChemistryJon Martin, GeologyJon Sensbach, HistoryJon Stewart, ChemistryKathryn J. Burns, HistoryLouise M. Newman, HistoryMarian Borg, SociologyMonika Ardelt, SociologyPhilip Boyland, MathematicsSidney Dobrin, EnglishTimothy Olson, Mathematics
Associate InstructorBrent Nelson, AstronomyLynn O’Sickey, Academic
Advising
ScientistErik Deumens, Chemistry
Promoted ProfessorsEffective Fall 2000
I’mhappytoreportthattheprovosthasdecidedthatInstructionalTechnology
(IT)hasbecomesuchaninte-gralpartofcampuslifethattheUFITstructureshouldberegularized.Consequently,hehasroundedupacommitteetolookintohowtheorganizationandexecutionofITshouldbecarriedoutatUF.Thecom-mittee’schargeisto:“Provideananalysisofthecurrentinfor-mationandtechnologyenvi-ronmentatUFandgeneraterecommendationsonhowITservices,support,andbudgetsshouldbeorganized(consistentwiththeUniversity’saspira-tiontojointhecountry’stop10publicinstitutionsinteaching,researchandservice).” Thecommitteeischairedbyviceprovost Chuck Frazier,andincludesPaul Avery(Physics)andmefromCLAS.Additionalcommit-teemembersincludeDonna Johnson(Business),Ed Poppell(AdministrativeAffairs),Eleanore Kantowski
(Education),Fedro Zazueta(IFAS),Gerhard Ritter(Engineering),Mike Conlon(MedicalSchool),andVictor Yellen(AcademicAffairs). Asmanyofyouareaware,computingsupportandadministrationhereatUFarebadlysplintered.NERDCandCIRCAarevaguelyUniversity-widefacilitiesthatacademicfolkcomeintocontactwithbutwhichhavenoapparentcon-nectiontooneanother.Mostofthebiggercolleges(CLAS,IFAS,Medicine,Engineering,etc.)havetheirownITstaffs.Thereareseveraladministra-tiveunitssuchastheregistrar,financeandaccounting,thelibraries,RGP,andtheofficeoftheCIO,thatalsohavetheirownIThubs.Whilemanyoftheseunitsperformwell,thereisnocoherent,long-termplanforthedevelopmentoforga-nized,consistentIToncampus.Worse,thereisnocoherentsupportforresearchcomput-ing;facultymembersmustpursuetheirowninitiativesand
acquireresourceswithoutthebenefitofanextensiveinfra-structurethattheycouldlever-age.Asaresult,thecommitteeplanstorecommendanITstructuretotheprovostwhichwillfacilitatecommunication,planning,andtheprovisionofservicestotheUniversityfac-ulty. Inordertomakesucharecommendation,weneedtoknowwhatyoufeeltobeimportant.Ihavealreadygot-tenasmallcommittee,chairedbyErik Deumens(Chemistry),toprovidemewithareportoftheirviewoftheimportantcomponentsforacampus-wideITplan,but,inaddition,theprovost’scommitteeneedsinputfromindividualfacultymembers.Thus,IinviteyoutocommunicatedirectlywithPaulAveryand/orme,eitherbye-mail<[email protected]><[email protected]>,orinperson,tomakeyourviewsknown.Youmayalsochoosetoe-mailthewholecommit-teeat<[email protected]>or
youcane-mailanyindividualmemberofthecommitteewithyourideas. InlightoftheincrediblyfastpaceatwhichITischang-ing—high-speednetwork-ing,wireless,voice-over-IP,etc.—itisveryimportantthatweincludeyourinputinthisplanningprocess,soIurgeyoutocontactuswithyourideas.Thecommittee’srecommenda-tionswilllikelybeannouncedlatethissummer.✎
4
Instructional Technology at UF
Kevin GriffithComputer Support AnalystComputer contact for Social Science departments.
CLAS recently hired three new technical support staff:
Sherri TathumComputer Support AnalystComputer contact for Mathematics & Botany departments.
Michael MorganSystems ProgrammerMaintains Language Learning Lab & NT Server; Computer contact for language departments.
Provost appoints committee to plan Florida’s IT futureFrom Jack Sabin, CLAS Director of Information Resources & Technological Programs
Jack Sabin
Cn: Do both your teaching and research center around the Swahili language?HD-H: IteachSwahililanguageinAALL,andlinguisticsthroughthePrograminLinguistics.SoIhavealeginbothpro-grams.MyresearchinvolvesthelanguageSwahiliitself,alongwithotherlanguagesinthesub-SaharanBantufamilyoflan-guages.SwahiliattractsgraduatesandundergraduateswhoareinterestedinEastAfricaaswellasthosewhowishtomeettheirlanguagerequirement,soIworkwithanicevarietyofpeople.
Cn: Are there fundamental differences between Africans’ use of language and the way Americans use language?HD-H: ToanswerthatIfirstneedtoclarifythatourconditionshereintheUSarenotallthatdifferentfromthecircum-stancesinanygivenAfricancountry.Ourdifferencesareamat-terofdegree.Forinstance,inmanyplaces,Americaisadiversesociety.Butyou’dbemoreawareofthisinNewYorkCitythanin,say,Gainesville. However,acountrylikeKenya,typicalofsub-Saharannations,ismuchmorediversethanAmerica.Thediversityofethnicgroupsandlanguagecommunitiesissogreatthatuseoflan-guagehasaqualitativeimpactonsociety.Choiceoflanguagebecomesasocio-politicalfactorquicklyandintenselyinaplacelikeKenya.WhenyouandIspeakEnglishtoeachother,theonlypurposeitservesistocommu-nicateinformation.Assoonaschoiceoflanguageservespurposesbeyondmerecommunication,itimmediatelybecomesa
participantinthesocio-politicaldynamismofthesociety.
Cn: Are most people in sub-Saharan Africa multilingual?HD-H: Yes,theyhavetobe.AtypicalTanzanian,forexample,speaksatleasttwoorthreelanguages.Theyspeaktheirownethniclanguage,perhapsthelanguageofaneighboringethnicgrouportwo,theirnationallanguage–Swahili–andprobablythelanguageofcoloniallegacy.It’snottypicallydifferentfromcircumstancesinMiami,whereproximityandnecessityhavemadespeakingbothEnglishandSpanishapartoflifethere.Ifagroupspeakingathirdlanguagemovedthereinlargenumbers,peopleinMiamiwouldsurelypickthatlanguageup,too. It’simportanttoknowthatthereare
not“thousands”oflan-guagesinsub-SaharanAfrica,asmanypeopleseemtothink.Onereasonforthismis-conceptionisthatdifferentpeoplehavegivendifferentnamestothesamelanguages.Youhadmissionarygroupsandcolonialadministrators,forexample,eachnamingalanguagewithoutconsultingoneanother.Youhavedialectsofthesamelanguagewhichforpoliticalrea-sonsassume“separatelanguage”status.Soontheimpressionarises
thattherearefiveorsixlanguagesinaplace,wheninfact,it’sjustone.
Cn: How has the department changed since it was created?HD-H: Thedepartmentstartedin1982withthreeprofessors:ChaunceyChu,whoteachesChineseandlinguisticsand
isthecurrentactingchair;TimVance,whotaughtJapaneseandlinguistics;andmyself.Dr.VanceisnolongeratUF. Nowwehave12full-timefacultymembersandfivelecturers.Andwe’vegrownsothatwethoroughlycoverEastAsia,theMiddleEast,andsub-SaharanAfrica.That’sChinese,Japanese,Hebrew,Arabic,Yoruba,Swahili,andAkan.AndwehopetoaddZuluinthenearfuture.I’malsopleasedthataswe’vegrown,thedepartmenthasmaintainedabalancebetweenthelinguisticsandliterature;wehaveamoreorlessequalnumberteachingeach.
Cn: AALL works closely with other CLAS disciplines, right?HD-H: Yes.Allofourlinguiststeach-ersareloanedtotheLinguisticProgramforspecificcourses.DepartmentsfromalloverCLAS—Anthropology,English,ComputerSciences—contributetotheLinguisticsProgram.AALLalsoworkscloselywiththreeotherprograms:theCenterforAfricanStudies,whichiscon-sideredoneofthethreebestofitskindinthenation;theCenterforJewishStudies,whichcontributestoourHebrewelement;andtheAsianStudiesprogram,whichnicelycomplementsourEastAsiancom-ponent.
Cn: What is the most noteworthy aspect of the AALL department?
5
Cultivating Non-Western Knowledge
Haig Der-Houssikian teaches linguistics and Swahili language in the Department of African and Asian Language and Literature (AALL). The chair of AALL for its first nine years, Der-Houssikian came to UF in January of 1967. He was born in Egypt, where he was raised speaking four languages.
See Der-Houssikian, page 8
An interview with Haig Der-Houssikian
Haig Der-Houssikian (above) has been with the Department of African and Asian Languages and Literature since it’s inception.
Maintaining and repre-
senting this [non-west-
ern] body of knowledge
is absolutely essential
on a modern American
campus, especially one
with UF’s aspirations
for greatness.
—Haig Der Houssikian
CLASacademicadvisorGlennKepicwasnamedthe2000OutstandingAdvisoroftheYear
bytheNationalAcademicAdvisingAssociation(NACADA)inground-breakingfashion.“Glenndidwhatnooneelsehaseverdone,”saysAssociateDeanforStudentAffairsandDirectoroftheUniversityAdvisingCenterAlbertMatheny.“Inordertobenominatedfortheaward,hefirsthadtowinthe1999CLASAdvisoroftheYearandUFAdvisoroftheYear.Bothoftheseawardcommitteesweremadeupentirelyoffacultymembers,andtheyhadnevergiventheawardtoaprofessionaladvisorbefore.” ButKepic’sadvisingcareerhasbeenfulloffirstsandinnovations.AfrequentspeakeratNACADA’snationalconven-tionswhowillbehonoredattheirnextmeetinginOctober,heiswell-knownatUFandwithinNACADAforhiscom-mittedandcreativework.Oneofhisrecentinitiatives,theAdvisingCenter’sLearningServicesCenter(LSC),reflectshisenergyandvision.“TheLSCgrewoutofourworkwithreadmissionstu-dents.ThesestudentswerereturningtoUFafterhavingacademicdifficul-ties,buttherewerenospecificservicesdesignedtohelpthemgetbackontherighttrack,”Kepicexplains.Hedesignedaprogramofcounselingandinstructionalservices—includingworkstationswithvideoandCD-ROMinstructiononsuchtopicsasprocrastination,note-taking,and
testpreparationskills—thatallreadmittedCLASstudentsnowtakepartin. TheLSCalsoservesasamini-careercenter.“Withoutdupli-catingwhattheCareerResourceCenterdoes,wespecificallytrytoaddressconcernsandinterestsaboutliberalartsmajors,”Kepicsays.Thecareeropportunitiesdatahaswideappeal,andnotonlytocurrentCLASstudents.“Parents,prospectivestudents,andevencommunitycollegecounselorswhohavequestionsaboutwhereaCLASmajormightleadfindthisinformationreassur-ing,”hesays. Amongtheresourcesavailableisthe“Gator’sGuidetoExploringMajorsandCareersinCLAS,”yetanotherresourcethatKepicwasinstrumentalindeveloping.Theguidegivesthoroughinformationoneachmajorinthecollege,describesthedifferentmodelswithineachmajor,andalsooffersgeneralinformationaboutuniversitypolicies. MathenysaysheisparticularlyimpressedthatKepicnotonlyinitiatedanddesignedthelearningcenter,buthealsopursuedfundingforit.“Glenngoestheextramileforthestudents,”saysMatheny.“Hereallylivesthejob.InadditiontotheLSC,hehashelpeddevel-opourWebpagesande-mailadvisingservices,heisoursoleliaisonwiththe1600-studentDepartmentofPsychology,andheworksonuniversity-widecommit-teesforstudentissues.Glennwasborntodothiswork.” BeforecomingtoUFfiveyearsago,Kepicworkedasastudent-athletecoun-selorathisalma-mater,GeorgeMasonUniversity.“Iwasonthewrestlingteamincollege,andthatexperienceledmeintocounseling.Andtobehonest,thestu-
dent-athleteandthetypicalstudentfacemanyofthesameissues,”saysKepic,whothinksthathisbiggestchallengeinworkingone-on-onewithstudentsisget-tingthemtocometotermswithissuesofpersonalresponsibility.“Ilookforwaystogetstudentstoseeforthemselvesthatactionorinactionontheirpartisoftenwhatcausesacademicproblems.”Kepicwillleadapre-conferenceworkshoponthisissueentitled“CanIPetitionThat?”atNACADA’supcomingnationalmeet-ing. “Wecoveralotofgroundinaca-demicadvising,andweareveryluckytohavegreatsupportfromDr.MathenyandDeanHarrison.Theyhavebothbeenveryenthusiasticsupportersofourexpandingservices.AndIfeelfortunatetoworkwiththeotherprofessionaladvisorsandstaffattheadvisingcenter,theyareter-rific,”Kepicsays. Responsibleforadvising12,000stu-dents,thetenfull-timeCLASadvisorsarecurrentlyimmersedinPREVIEW,thefreshmanorientationprogram.ThisyearUFexpectsarecord6,600newstudentstoenterduringtheSummerBandFallterms.MathenyestimatesthattheAdvisingCenter’sWebsitereceives15,000hitspermonthandthatcounsel-orsseeroughly36,000walk-invisitorseachyear.“I’msoproudofouradvisors.Justseeingstudentseverydaywouldbeenoughformostoperationslikethis,butourcentertakesprideindoingmore.”✎—John Elderkin
Glenn Kepic in the Advising Center's Learning Services Center.
6
Innovative Student AdvisingGlenn Kepic wins national advising award
Kepic and Genette Britt (Computer Engineering) explore the CD-ROMs available in the Learning Services Center.
East Asian Studies at UF
Yumiko Hulvey
YumikocitesherbiculturalheritageastheimpetusforchoosingtostudyclassicalJapanesepoetryandproseat
theUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.“IwasinspiredtolearnJapanesebecauseIwantedtoreadmymother’sletters,writteninastrong,flowingcalligraphichand.PeopleofbothChinaandJapanbelievethatagoodhandindicatescharacterandbreeding,socomingfromabackgroundinstudioartandarthistory,Iwasnaturallydrawntothevisualaspectsofcalligra-phy.”
AlthoughsheteachesmodernJapaneselanguageclasses,herspecialtycentersonmasterpiecesoftheHeian(794-
1185)andKamakura(1185-1333)periodswritteninvernacularJapanesebywomenwhoservedattheroyalcourtinKyôto.Duringthattime,menwroteintheborrowedlanguageofChinese,whilewomentappedthevernaculartoproducemas-terpieceslikeThe Tale of Genji,untiltheriseofthewarriorclassforcedwomentostaytheirbrushesintheensuingchaosofwar.ButYumikowasalsotrainedbytwooftheleadingscholarsofwartales,WilliamH.andHelenCraigMcCullough,andoffersacoursefocusingonthetalesofsamuraiwarriorsasanotheraspectofgenderresearch.“IthinkstudentsneedasolidfoundationinpremodernJapaneseculture,sincethis
knowledgeiscriticaltotheproperinterpretationofmod-ernandpostmodernJapan,tosaynothingofthelanguagetheyspendsomuchtimestudying.”
Shealsoteachesaclassonwaka(traditionalJapanesepoetry)thatisthekeytomale-femalerelationsinthe
premodernperiod,sincepoetrywasthemediumthroughwhichcourtshipritualswereconductedandwastheonlytimeduringwhichbothmenandwomenwrotesimultane-ouslyinthevernacular.Assuch,poetryisthelanguageofloveinpremodernJapan. Currently,Yumikoiscompletingrevisionstohertransla-
tionandstudyofathirteenth-centurypoeticmemoirwrittenbyawomanknownasBennoNaishi,whoservedthe89thsov-ereignGo-Fukakusa,forthcomingfromtheCornellEastAsiaSeriespress.Sheisalsoworkingonavolumeoftranslations,The Old Woman Who Eats Flowers and Other Stories by Enchi Fumiko(1905-86),thatisbeingconsideredforpublicationaspartofaseries,Japanese Women Writing,byM.E.Sharpe,Inc.
Cynthia Chennault
CynthiaL.ChennaultisanAssociateProfessorofChineseLanguageandLiterature.Herrecentresearchincludesa
multigenerationalstudyofanelitelineageofChina'smedievalperiod("LoftyGatesorSolitaryImpoverishment?XieFamilyMembersoftheSouthernDynasties,"T'oung Pao80:1-79;1999),andabookmanuscriptunderreviewaboutgenresoffifthcenturypoetry.Infall1999,ChennaultacceptedafouryeartermaseditorofthejournalEarly Medieval China,whichshedescribesbelow:
AquestionoftenaskedbycolleaguesoutsideAsianStudiesiswhat"medieval"meansintheChinesecontext.
Chronologically,theperiodbeginswiththedeclineofChina'sfirstgreatempire,theHan,attheturnofthefirstmillenniumA.D.TheendpointisusuallygivenastheeighthcenturyoftheTangdynasty,bywhichtimethecivilserviceexaminationhadbecometheregularchanneltogovernmentoffice,replacingcourtappointmentsandreferralsbyregionaljudges. ThereareroughparallelswiththeMiddleAgesinEurope.WavesofinvadersfromCentralAsiaandthenorthernsteppes("barbarians"inChineseeyes)eventuallyforcednativeruletoseekrefugebelowtheYangzi,farfromtheheartlandofclas-sicalcivilization.Oneithersideoftheriver'sdivide,politicalfragmentationmarkedmostofthemedievalera'seightcenturies.Aconsequencewasthatlocallyprominentfamiliesassumedfunctionsnormallycarriedoutbythestate.Theleadershipexercisedbythistopstratumofendogamous"greatfamilies,"ingovernment,aswellasintheliteraryandculturalspheres,hasbeenlikenedtotheroleofthehereditarynobilityinEurope. ButtheoriesaboutmedievalChinaarecon-tinuallyevolving.Early Medieval ChinaservesasaforumforscholarsfromtheP.R.C.,Taiwan,Japan,theU.S.,andothercountriestopresentnewscholarshipontheperiod.Interdisciplinarycollaborationtendstocharacterizethenewresearch.Thejournalwasfoundedin1994atWesternMichiganUniversity.Thankstofundingfromaprivatefounda-tion,andsupportreceivedfromCLASandtheOfficeofResearchandGraduatePrograms,thejournalwillnowbenotonlyeditedatUFbutalsopublishedanddistributedfromFlorida.
The Department of African and Asian Languages and Literatures offers a BA in East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL). Among public institutions in the southeast region, the major is unique for providing a full four-year
program in both Chinese and Japanese. In addition to advanced language train-ing as preparation for graduate specialization, the BA includes lecture courses in the areas of literature, linguistics, film studies, and culture. Library collections in Chinese and Japanese have been built with a view toward the eventual develop-ment of graduate-level courses. Study abroad is also coordinated by the EALL faculty. Students in Chinese may elect overseas study in Taiwan (National Taiwan University) or the PRC (Shaanxi Normal University). In Japan, tuition-exchanges are available in Ôsaka (Kansai Gaidai University) and Tokyo (Kokugakuin). There are five faculty mem-bers of professorial rank for the two programs, among whom Cynthia Chennault and Yumiko Hulvey are both engaged in premodern literary research.
7
Cynthia Chennault (left) and Yumiko Hulvey (right).
WhenTampanativePeterSonesfirstcreatedascholarshipforpre-medstudentsattheUniversityofFlorida,hewantedtheawardtoreflecthisbeliefthataliberaleducationprovidesanimportantbroadeningexperienceforthosepursuinga
careerinmedicine. TheretiredAtlantaradiologist’srecentadditiontothePeterJ.SonesScholarshipdoesexactlythatbyannuallygiving$1000foruptothreeUFpre-medstudentswhomaintaina3.8GPAwhilemajoringinoneoftheliberalarts. SonesattendedEmoryforbothundergraduateandmedicalschools.Whileincollege,hestruggledtochooseamajoruntilacounselorgavehimwhathecallssomeofthebestadviceheeverreceived.“MyacademicadvisorsuggestedIdevelopmynon-scienceinter-ests,”Sonesexplains,“soIchosetopursueadegreeinpoliticalscience.”Henowcreditsthisdecisionwithmakinghimabetterdoctor.“Havingagoodfoundationinliberalartsgivesadoctorotherwaysofunderstandingpeople,”hesays.“Frankly,myknowledgeofpoliticalsciencehelpsmerelatetowhatgoesoninmypatients’lives.” Sones’interestsextendtonumerousfields,includingaviation.HeisaformerpresidentandcurrentboardmemberoftheFlyingPhysiciansAssociation.“IflewT-33sandT-34sintheAirForceinthe1960sandI’vebeenflyingeversince.InowpilotaPiperCheyennealloverthecountry,”hesays. SonesinitiatedtheSonesfundin1996,afterthedeathofhismother.EleanorDysonSoneswasalong-timeFloridaresidentandSoneswantedtogivefamilyandfriendsaworthwhileplacetomakegiftsinherhonor.“IcontactedCarterBoydstunandDeanHarrisonwithacold-callaboutsettingupascholarshipfund,andworkingwiththeUniversityhasbeenanabsolutepleasureeversince.” “PeterSones’owncareerservesasareadyexamplethatthehighlyquantitativefieldsofmedicineandsciencearecomple-mentedandmademorehumanbyanappreciationfortheliberalarts,”saysDeanHarrison.“ThroughtheSonesScholarshipsheisencouragingotherstudentstofollowthispath.” SeniorHeatherDavis,a1999-2000SonesScholarwhoismajoringinFrenchwhiletakingpre-medcourses,agreeswiththerationalebehindtheaward.“Ithinkmyliberalartsbackgroundwillbeinvaluableinthemedicalfield,”shesays.“Ithinkthekeytobeingasuccessfuldoctorisbeingabletotreateachpatientasunique.TheFrenchmajorisnotonlyaboutlanguage;it’saboutpeople.StudyingFrenchhastaughtmetorespectandadmireotherculturesandpeoples.” Sones’donationispartofUF’s“It’sthePerformanceThatCounts”fundraisingcampaign.AsofJune1,thecampaignhasraised$710millionofits$750milliongoal.✎—John Elderkin
8
CLAS Background Aids Medical CareersTampa-born physician endows pre-med scholarships
Dr. Peter Sones
Der-Houssikian, continued from page 5
HD-H: Wearetheonlydepartmentoncampusthatistotallydevotedtonon-westernlanguagesandcultures.Otherdepart-mentshavenon-westernscholars,butweareUF’srepositoryfornon-westernknowledgeandtraditions.MaintainingandrepresentingthisbodyofknowledgeisabsolutelyessentialonamodernAmericancampus,especiallyonewithUF’saspirationsforgreatness.Wehavebeenveryfortunatetohavethecollege’sfullsupportonthispoint. Withinthiscontext,Ithinkit’sfairtosaythatourdepart-mentisalsouniqueintheunmatchedattentionwegiveourstudents.Thenumberofstudentsfluctuatessomewhatwiththeamountofmediaattentionourregionsreceive,butourlanguageswillneverdrawthenumberofstudentsthatSpanishandFrenchget.However,I’mconfidentthatevenifwecan’tplaythequan-titygame,wecanmatchanyoneinthequalitygame.
Cn: Describe your current work.HD-H: I’mworkingontwomajorprojects.IwanttoputoutabookonthestructureofSwahilithatcouldbeusedbyeitherthelearnersofthelanguageorbypeopleinterestedinitsstructure.I’malsoworkingonaprojectthatIhopewillresultinabookcalledThe Sociology of Language in Africa.ThisdealswiththewholeoflanguageandthedynamicsofAfricansociety—thoughI’llbedealingwiththesixorsevencountrieswhereIhavepro-fessionalandintimateknowledge.Thisprojectisnicebecauseit’sgrownoutofacourseIteachcalled“LanguageandSociety.”ForthelastfewyearsalmosteverythingI’vedonecontributestooneofthesetwoprojects.Myworkisinharmony;eachaspectsupportstheothers.✎—John Elderkin
9
AALL Staff
Rosie Hall (left), Office Manager, and Jeanette Flander (right), Senior Secretary, run the main office of the Department of African and Asian Languages and Literatures in Grinter Hall.
Hatav, continued from page 1
arefairlyeasytocategorize.ManytakeBeginningModernHebrewtofulfillthelanguagerequirement.ButwhyHebrewinsteadof,say,Spanish?“BecausetheyareJewish,”saysHatav,“orbecausetheirparentsareIsraeliandwantthemtostudyHebrew,ormaybebecausetheythinkitwillbeeasysincetheytookitinSundaySchool.They’realsointerestedinthelan-guagebecausethey’reinterestedinIsraelandtheculture—they’vetraveledtoIsraelorlivedinakibbutz.” Alternatively,herBiblicalHebrewcourseattractsJewishStudiesstudentsaswellasnon-Jewishstudentsinter-estedinotherculturesandotherreligions,especiallyChristianity.ManywanttolearnmoreabouttheHebrewBible,sinceitisaholybookforthreemajorreligions:Christianity,IslamandJudaism.Hatavsaysthemixtureiswonderful.“Thesearethebeststudentseverbecausetheyarereallyinterested,theydon’tneedthe
course,andtheyworkhardandareusu-allyverygoodstudents.” Often,saysHatav,suchstudentshaveprovidedherwithnewinsightintothetext.Forexample,oneofHatav’s
BiblicalHebrewstu-dentswroteapaperdis-cussinghowChristiansinterpretpartsoftheHebrewBiblediffer-entlythanJews.“Thiswasjustwonder-fulbecauseIdon’tknowanythingaboutChristianity.Professorsaresupposedtolearnfromtheirstudents—itshouldn’tgoonewayyouknow!”saysHatav.“SheshowedmeallkindsofthingsthatChristiansfindintheHebrewBible,liketheybelievethatJesuswasannouncedtherealready;ofcoursetheJewsdon’tbelievethat.
Itwasquiteinteresting.” ThesamestudentcomparedtheMishnai(Jewishsecularlaw)withAmericanSecularlaw.“ShewasacriminologymajorsoshetookanAmericanlawcourse,”explainsHatav.
“Sheshowedthatthoughthewordsandexamplesaredifferent,thecultures’legalboundariesarequitesimilar.Inmodernlawyougetalotofrigidlanguage:‘Ifapersonfindsanarticlenotbelongingtohim/her,s/heshould…’Inthisveryboringway,”saysHatav.“TheMishna,however,maysaythesamethinginstoryform:‘Twopeoplewereridingacamelandoneofthesawagoldenbookinthesand…’Itgiveyousituationswhicharelikecasestudies,andnowinmoderntimeswecansubstituteacellphoneforabook,forexample.”It’sallinterpreta-tion,butwehavetodothatwithmodernlaw,too—it’sthesame,”shesays. “Afterall,”Hatavconcludes,“Lifeisalotricherthantheruleswemakeforourselves.”✎—Jane Gibson
Each summer, Hatav travels to Tel Aviv to research, write and work with linguists and Hebrew colleagues there. “In my classes I teach culture along with the language, but I’m a pure linguist in my research,” she explains. In a current paper, which Hatav says came out of her work with CLAS AALL colleague Muhammad Muhammad (Arabic), she compares Hebrew with Arabic to demonstrate similar linguistical phenomenon.
“This was just won-
derful because I don’t
know anything about
Christianity. Professors
are supposed to learn
from their students—it
shouldn’t go one way
you know!”
—Galia Hatav
Grants (through the Division of Sponsored Research) April 2000 Total: $2,525,877
Investigator Dept Agency Award Title
Corporate ........................$146,709 Katritzky,A. CHE DowChemicalCompany 2,500 Dowelancocompoundsagreement.Katritzky,A. CHE MultipleCompanies 4,682 Softwareresearchsupport.Katritzky,A. CHE MultipleCompanies 5,000 Milescompoundcontract.Katritzky,A. CHE MultipleCompanies 23,532 Milescompoundcontract.Schanze,K. CHE AmChemicalSociety 1,226 ACSeditorialship.Wagener,K. CHE MedtronicInc 70,000 Metathesisandmetathesis-associatedtechnologiesastheyrelatetothesynthesisapplication ofbranchedtelechelic.Monkhorst,H. PHY TriAlphaEnergyInc 26,000 Supportfortheresearchanddevelopmentofthecollidingbeamfusionreactor.Scicchitano,M. POL AgricultrlLaborProgramInc 5,500 Communityneedsassessment.Scicchitano,M. POL WestCoastInlandNavigDist 8,269 Boat-usecharacterizationstudyforCharlotteHarbor,Florida.
Federal .............................$2,008,349 Gustafson,B. AST USNavy 25,628 Cosmicdustresearch.Hamann,F. AST NASA 37,652 Theultra-highvelocity(56,000km/s)absorberintheQSO.Duran,R. CHE NSF 47,000 AnREUinchemistryattheUniversityofFlorida.Scott,M.Kennedy,R. CHE NIH 185,284 Invivochemicalmonitoringusingcapillaryseparations.Ohrn,Y. CHE USNavy 20,000 Electionnucleardynamicsofmolecularenergytransfer.Richardson,D. CHE USArmy 85,000 Catalyticoxidationofmustardsimulantsinbasicsolution.Tan,W. CHE NIH 217,275 Glutamatebioanalysis;precisedeterminationofglutamatewithhighsensitivity.Winefordner,J. CHE NIH 336,813 Newapproachforbiomedicalimaging.Wright,D. CHE AmCancerSociety 49,628 Studiesoninhibitorsofphosphatidylinositol-3-kinase.Binford,M. GEOG NASA 22,581 Land-useland-coverchange:decadal-scaledynamicsoflandownershiplandmanagementGholz,H. carbonstoragepatterns.Malecki,E. GEOG NSF 121,752 Theinfrastructureoftheinternet:telecommunicationsfacilitiesandunevenaccess.Corney,F. HIS NEH 30,000 WritingOctober:memoryandthemakingoftheOctoberRevolution.Dranishnikov,A. MAT NSF 23,843 Asymptotictopologyofmetricspaces.Hager,W. MAT NSF 17,750 Innovativesparsematrixalgorithms.Davis,T.Zapletal,J. MAT NSF 61,431 Largecardinalsandthemethodologyofmathematics.Stanton,C. PHY NSF 83,000 Theultrafastdynamicsofcoherentandincoherentelectronsandphononsincondensed mattersystems.Sullivan,N. PHY NSF 224,385 Magneticresonanceimaginguserfacility.Blackband,S.Hackenberg,T. PSY NSF 209,780 Quantificationofspeciesdifferencesinadaptivechoice.Rowland,N. PSY NSF 43,034 Psychobiologysummerresearchforundergraduates.Stehouwer,D.Tucker,C. PSY DOH 21,845 Unrestricteddonation.Fennell,R.Agresti,A. STA NIH 35,823 Statisticalinferenceforsparsecategoricaldata.Kepner,J. STA NIH 28,003 Molecularmarkersofprognosisinmedulloblastoma.Shuster,J.Chapman,C. ZOO NSF 3,000 Determinantsofcolobineabundance:implicationsfortheoryandconservationresearch experiencesupplement.Chapman,C. ZOO NSF 77,842 Determinantsofcolobineabundance:implicationsfortheoryandconservation.
Foundation ......................$271,427 Burns,A. ANT UFFoundation 6,356 Dissertationfellowships.Dermott,S. AST UFFoundation 3,178 Dissertationfellowships.Vala,M. CHE MellonFoundation 143,941 Proposalforthecosteffectiveusesoftechnologyinteaching.Clark,I. ENG UFFoundation 4,753 Dissertationfellowships.Mcmahon,R. HIS UFFoundation 9,534 Dissertationfellowships.Townsend,M. MAT MellonFoundation 78,241 Proposalforthecosteffectiveusesoftechnologyinteaching.Thiele,L. POL UFFoundation 9,534 Dissertationfellowships.Branch,M. PSY UFFoundation 3,178 Dissertationfellowships.Nichols,G. RLL UFFoundation 3,178 Dissertationfellowships.Radelet,M. SOC UFFoundation 6,356 Dissertationfellowships.Brockmann,J. ZOO UFFoundation 3,178 Dissertationfellowships.
Miscellaneous. . . . . . . . . $99,392 Falsetti,A. ANT MiscellaneousDonors 24,000 Unrestricteddonation.Lieberman,L. ANT FlClinicalPracticeAssn 3,750 CenterforResearchonWomen’sHealth.Bowes,G. BOT WilliamL.Stern 1,000 Miscellaneousdonors.Eyler,J. CHE UFFoundation 3,178 Unrestricteddonation,dissertationfellowships.Kennedy,R. CHE MarineBiologicalLaboratory 2,500 WorkperformedbyDr.Sung-KwongLungperagreementwiththeagency.Mossa,J. GEOG StJohnsRiverWaterMgmtDist 35,000 Fordetermination,design,andcollectionofgolfcoursewaterusedataanddata collectionassistance.Mossa,J. GEOG StJohnsRiverWaterMgmtDist 25,000 Interagencyagreementforcollection,verification,andmappingthepublicwatersupply inventory.Mueller,P. GEOL MiscellaneousDonors 1,400 Unrestricteddonationmultiplesources.Craig,S. POL AmericanUniv 2,000 Improvingcampaignconduct.Brockmann,J. ZOO MiscellaneousDonors 1,200 Unrestricteddonation.
10
Book Beat
Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative ApproachesH. Russell Bernard (Anthropology)Sage
(from cover)At last a social research methods text for students and future researchers who will need to use both words and numbers in their research. Using actual examples from psychology, sociology, anthropology, health, and education, the book provides readers with both a conceptual understanding of each technique as well as showing them how to use the technique.
(excerpt)I want you to know, right off the bat, that social science is serious business and that it has been a roaring success, contributing mightily to humanity’s global effort to control nature. Fundamental breakthroughs by psychologists in understanding the stimulus-response mechanism in humans, for example, have made pos-
sible the treatment and management of phobias, bringing comfort to untold millions of people. The same breakthroughs have brought us wildly successful attack ads in politics and millions of adolescents becoming hooked on cigarettes from clever advertising. I never said you’d like all the successes of social science.
Recent publications from CLAS faculty
Justice in Africa: Rwanda’s Genocide, Its Courts, and the UN Criminal TribunalPaul J. Magnarella (Anthropology)Ashgate
(from cover)Justice in Africa describes the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) the first international court created to try persons for genocide and violation of the humanitarian law of non-interna-tional armed conflict. The book begins with an explanation of the causes of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It then discusses the UN Security Council’s creation of the ICTR and the Tribunal’s organization, functioning, accomplishments and shortcomings. The author explains how the Tribunal has gained custody over sus-pects who had fled to other countries in Africa, Europe and the United States. Justice in Africa analyzes the ICTR’s first several cases and describes the unique contributions the Tribunal is making to the expansion of humanitarian law.
(excerpt)In short, the sine qua non of the Rwandan genocide was the increasing imbalance in land, food, and people that led to malnutri-tion, hunger, periodic famine, and fierce competition for land to farm. Rwanda’s leaders chose to respond to these conditions by eliminating the Tutsi portion of the population. They employed the weapons of indoctrination to convince the Hutu masses that this strategy was right. However, they failed to employ the kinds of demographic and economic policies that would have addressed these problems in a peaceful and more effective way. These policies would have included birth control, economic diversification into non-agrarian sectors, requests for significant foreign food aid, sincere negotiation with the RPF, and attempts at a regional solution to the refugee problem.
Political Participation in the United StatesM. Margaret Conway (Political Science)CQ Press
(from cover)Who takes part in American politics, and in what types of political action do people engage? This new third edition of Political Participation in the United States examines these important questions and offers explana-tions for the patterns of political participation found in American public life. The book analyzes symbolic and instrumental forms of participation, from the simple act of saluting the flag to the more demanding action of running for office. In addition, it examines who the participants are, what forms of participation they choose, and what they hope to accomplish through their actions.
(excerpt)The news media have a direct impact on one form of political participation—voter turnout. Citizens’ percep-
tions and attitudes, and ultimately their decisions about whether to vote and for whom, can be influenced by the campaign coverage in news broadcasts, candidate-sponsored (and-financed) advertisements, and television programs devoted to debates among candi-dates or public forums. The media also affect turnout by predicting election outcomes before and on election day.
11
TheDepartmentofAfricanandAsianLanguagesandLiteratures(AALL)atUFiscomposedofadiversegroupoffaculty,whoseinterestsvary
geographicallyfromEastAsia(JapaneseandChinese)throughtheMiddleEast(ArabicandHebrew)toAfrica(Swahili,AkanandYoruba)andwhoseexpertiseextendsfrommodernlanguagesandlinguisticstomedievalandancientliteratureandcultures.Theyare,however,unit-edbyacommongoal—toimparttrueknowledgeofthenon-Westernworldinthisglobalvillage. Whilelanguage-teachingisoneofthebasicmis-sionsoftheDepartment,languagesarenottaughtasmereskillswithoutanyculturalback-ground.Veryoften,afterastudenthastakenthefirstsemesterofthebeginninglanguageclass,he/shegoesontorelatedcoursesinthecurriculum.ThoselattercoursesintheDepartmentdon’tjustconsistofthetraditionalliteratureandcultures,buttheyalsoexam-
inemoremodernaspectsofnon-Westernlife.Forexample,studiesofAfrican,JapaneseandChinesefilmshaveproventobeverypopularsubjectsamongundergraduates.Morerecently,coursesinbusinessChineseandJapanesehavebeenaddedtothecur-riculumincooperationwiththeCollegeofBusinessAdministration. Oneimportantaspectofourmissioninnon-Westerneducationisachievedbyourstudy-abroadprograms.ForvirtuallyeverylanguagetaughtinourDepartment,thereisastudy-abroadprogramtogainfirst-handexperiencesinthetargetlanguageandcul-ture.OurstudentsaresenttoChinaandTaiwanforMandarinChinese,toJapanforJapanese,toIsraelforHebrew,toMoroccoforArabicandtoTanzaniaforSwahili.Thestayintheforeignculturevariesfromasummerorsemestertoayearortwo.Whilestudyingabroadisnotrequiredbecauseofthehighcostsinvolvedinsomeprograms,itishighlyencour-aged,andmostofourmajorsspendatleastasummerorasemesterabroad.Someofthemgobacktheretopursuetheircareerdreams.
Onthebasisofitsundergraduatemajorandnon-majorprograms,AALLisplanningtoexpandintotheofferingofaMaster’sdegreeinthenearfuture.Atpresent,manyofitsfacultyparticipateinothergraduateprograms,andallfacultyconductresearchprojectsintheirownfields.Inthisrespect,theyhavebeenreasonablysuccessfulinattractingexter-nalgrantsdespitethefactthatresearchsupportinhumanitiesishardtocomeby.Justastheirstudents,thefacultyoftenspendtheirresearchtimeabroadandtheirproductivityhasbeenquitevisible. Astheonlyteachingunitcompletelydevotedtonon-Westerncivilization,AALListryingtotipthescaleofanotherwiseheav-ily-biasedWesterneducationatUF.IbelievewearedoingsomethingtrulymeaningfulfortheUFcommunityandthehumanitiesprofes-sion.✎
andinformstudentsabouttheopportuni-tiesandpersonalgratificationthatteach-ingcanbring.Interestedstudentswillbegivenavenuetomeetandinteractwithotherswithsimilarinterests.Wealsohopethatthecombinedeffortsofthetwocollegeswilladdadditionalprestigetotheprogram.Byemphasizingtheimportanceandsignificanceofteaching,facultyandadvisorsshouldattractmoreenrollees. ThisventurehasbeenledwithhighenergybyAssociateDeanCarolMurphyinCLASandbyEducation’sBenNelms,whoalsohappenstobethenewInterimDeanofthecollege.CarolandBenhavereceivedstrongsupportfromotherfaculty,whichwillberequiredforthisprogramtosucceed.Tocelebratethenewprogram,areceptionwasheldafewweeksbackintheKeeneFacultyCenterwhereparticipantsandsupport-ersoftheprogramgatheredtocelebratewhattheyhavebroughttofruition.Iwasimpressedbydiscussionstherewithmanyfacultywhoobviouslybelievestronglyinmakingthiswork. Thatitwillsucceedisnotasurething.ThisissurelynotthefirsttimethatEducationandArts&Sciencespro-gramshavecometogether,andnograndsuccessrecordisoutthere.Inter-collegeprogramsrequireconstantoversightandanabundanceofgoodwillonbothsides.Thereis,however,goodreasontobelievethatboththesecriteriamaybemetthistime.Giventhegreatneedsinourpublicschools,failureshouldnotbeanoption. Andnomatterhowsuccessful,inno-vativeacademictrainingalonecannotsolvetheteachingcrisisinourpublicschools.Wecanattempttodrawthebestandmostdedicatedstudentsintotheprofession,butuntilwedecidetorewardteachersinamannermorecloselyrelatedtotheircriticalimportanceinsociety,ourhopesforeducationenhancementwillnotberealized. SomeverygoodpeopleinCLASandEducationaregoingtodotheirbesttomakeadifferenceindeliveringahighqualitystudentproducttoourschools.Ifyouwishtohelp,callDeanMurphy.Pathways to Teachingiswellworthourbesteffort.
12
Musings, continued from page 1
Will Harrison, Dean
CLASnotes is published monthly by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to inform faculty and staff of current research and events.
Dean: Will HarrisonEditor: M. Jane GibsonContr. Editor: John ElderkinGraphics: Jane DominguezCopy Editor: Bill Hardwig
A Note From the ChairChauncey C. Chu, Acting ChairAfrican and Asian Languages and Literatures
As the only teach-
ing unit completely
devoted to non-
Western civilization,
AALL is trying to
tip the scale of an
otherwise heavily-
biased Western edu-
cation at UF.
