Current News

Michelle Herman, English, will present "Still Here: Repetition & Reinvention: A Writer's Life Cycle" in the College's first Inaugural Lecture of the year at 4:30 pm, October 30, OSU Faculty Club. The novelist Philip Roth once famously remarked on the great good luck of writers, claiming that "nothing truly bad can happen to us; it's all material." As usual, he was exaggerating. Of course plenty that's bad can and does happen, all the time--but it is still material, the stuff of life, which (while not making the bad less bad, or even more bearable) does gives us writers an endless supply of what it takes to make literature. A writer lives two lives at once: the life of experience itself, and the life spent turning experience into stories. Professor Herman has been mining "the stuff of life" to make stories for as long as she can remember, and more recently she has begun to write "true stories" (or as nearly true as her memory will allow) as well. She will talk about the process of life-into-art, both fictional and non-, and read from new work in progress. Free and open to the public. Contact: College of Humanities, 292-1882.

The Department of History is announcing the Goldberg MultiMedia Archive, a repository of over 9,000 images for educational use by our faculty and instructors. In addition to recent additions by members of the faculty, it also includes the entire media collection of eHistory. The Archive includes hundreds of maps as well as images, and new material is continually added. Easy search tools let you use words or phrases, as well as searches by keyword, location and period. The search box accepts boulean operators such as OR and NOT, as well as the 'sounds like' (tilde) operator. Visit the Archive http://goldbergprogram.osu.edu/gp_mmdb.cfm and use your OSU username and password to log in (the one with the 'dot').

Franco Barchiesi, African American and African Studies: "Commodification, Economic Restructuring, and the Changing Urban Geography of Labor in Post-Apartheid South Africa: The Case of Gauteng Province, 1991-2001," Urban Forum 17.2 (2006): 93-124.

Robert Davis, History: Esclaves chrétiens maîtres musulmans: L'esclavage blanc in Méditerranée, 1500-1800 (Éditions Jacqueline Chambon, 2006).

Carole Fink, History: paperback edition, Defending the Rights of Others: The Great Powers, the Jews, and International Minority Protection, 1878-1938 (Cambridge University Press, 2006).

Hannibal Hamlin, English: "'The highest matter in the noblest forme': The Influence of the Sidney Psalms." Sidney Journal 23.1-2 (2005, published 2006): 133-59.

John Hellmann, English-Lima: "Vietnam and the 1960s," The Cambridge Companion to Modern American Culture, ed. Christopher Bigsby (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,  2006): 295-313.

Michelle Herman, English: "What's Under the Surface?" Now Write!, ed. Sherry Ellis (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2006): 92-95.

Derek Thian Soon Heng, History-Marion: "Export Commodity and Regional Currency: The Role of Chinese Copper Coins in the Malacca Straits Region, Tenth to Fourteenth Centuries," in the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 37.2: 179203; and "Indigenising Singapore's Past: An Approach towards Internalising Singapore's Settlement History from the late Thirteenth to Twenty-First Centuries"; in Derek Heng Thiam Soon (ed.) New Perspectives on Singapore History: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach (Singapore: National Library Board, 2006).

Christopher Phelps, History: reprint of Chronicle of Higher Education essay on Herbert Aptheker, The Australian (October 11).

Graduate student Daniel Sarefield, History "Bookburning in the Christian Roman Empire: Transforming a Pagan Rite of Purification," in Violence in Late Antiquity: Perceptions and Practices, edited by H.A. Drake (Ashgate: Aldershot, Hampshire, England, 2006): 287-96.

Graduate student Elizabeth Zimmerman., English: "'It is Not the Deed but the Intention of the Doer': The Ethic of Intention and Consent in the First Two Letters of Heloise." Forum for Modern Language Studies 42 (2006): 249-267.

Adélékè Adèékó ( English), Kenneth Andrien (History), Gregory Jusdanis (Greek and Latin), and Brian Rotman (Comparative Studies) were named Humanities Distinguished Professors at the College's Faculty Recognition Reception, October 25. This award consists of an honorific title of Humanities Distinguished Professorship which recognizes senior colleagues who have earned distinction in all three areas of professional endeavor, and whose work, especially in professional service and scholarship, has earned them national and international recognition of the highest sort. Successful candidates also receive a one-time, one-course reduction, and $2,500 added to their base pay.

Robin Judd, History, received the Virginia Hull Research Award at the College's Faculty Recognition Reception, October 25. This award was established by Virginia Hull to support the research of female assistant and associate professors in the College of Humanities. Typically, one award of $1,500 is given.

Irene Masing-Delic, Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures, received the Exemplary Faculty Award at the College's Faculty Recognition Reception, October 25. This award is given by the College of Humanities on an annual basis to a tenured faculty member in recognition of his/her distinguished and sustained achievements in the areas of teaching, research, and service. The purpose of this award is to honor those individuals who, over a period of years, have developed a noteworthy academic profile, with exceptional strength in research and/or teaching, and who therein serve as role models for students and younger colleagues. The award includes a $2,000 grant and one quarter of release time for professional development.

Maria Mazon, Undergraduate Studies Coordinator, History, has been nominated for the "Above and Beyond the Call" award sponsored by the College of Humanities Staff Advisory Committee.

Lucy Murphy, History-Newark, received the College's Diversity Enhancement Award at the Faculty Recognition Reception, October 25. This award recognizes innovative practices, policies, and programs that promote diversity. The recipient receives a plaque and $500 honorarium.

Chris Aldridge, Web Manager, History, presented "Demonstration of the Goldberg MultiMedia Archive as an Example of Collaborative Development" at the Visual Resources Association-Great Lakes Chapter Meeting, October 13.

Graduate student Gunhan Borekci, English, presented "17th century Sultans and Ottoman Royal Hunt," at the Symposium of "Arts, Artists, and Patrons in the 17th century Istanbul," Suna and Inan Kirac Foundation Pera Museum, Istanbul, October 6-7.

Jared Gardner, English, presented "Gutter Stories: Comics, Film and Modernity," International Comic Arts Festival, The Library of Congress, Washington, DC, October 14.

Harvey Graff, English and History, chaired a session and participated in a discussion of Architecture and Aesthetics in Urban Design at the biennial meeting of the Urban History Association at Arizona State University, October 19-22.

Timothy Gregory, History, presented with David Pettegrew, "Who are Our Students and Whatever Do they Want? An Examination of Information about Students in Online History Courses at the American Association for History and Computing Conference: Making History Online, OSU, April 24; "Landscape and Cultural History in Medieval and Early Modern Kythera," at the International Panionian Conference, Kythera, May 26-28; and "The Sea and the Land: The Shore and Islands of the Western Saronic Gulf in the Early Byzantine Period" at the Second International Conference on the History and Archaeology of the Saronic Gulf, Methana (Greece), June 28-30.

Hannibal Hamlin, English, presented "John Donne versus The Runaway Bunny," in "Donne in/for Our Times," a panel at the Annual Conference of the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics, San Francisco, October 14; and "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," an invited talk celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of L. Frank Baum, Massillon Public Library, Massillon, Ohio, October 8.

David Herman, English, presented "Beyond Voice and Vision: Cognitive Grammar and Focalization Theory," Symposium on "Point of View, Perspective, Focalization: Modeling Mediacy," University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, October 13.

Graduate student Rajiv Khanna , History, presented "Nehru and the Aftermath of Suez," at a conference called "The Global Impact of 1956: Race, Neutralism, National Liberation," held at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, October 13-15.

Graduate student Seth Reno, English, presented "A Poetics of Self-Consciousness: Medievalism and the Literary Heroes of Tennyson and Byron at the Twenty-first International Conference on Medievalism, Columbus, Ohio, October 13-14.

Randolph Roth, History, presented "How Homicidal Was Antebellum Florida?" at the Gulf South History and Humanities Conference, Pensacola, Florida, October 6, and "Why Is the United States a Homicidal Nation? A Political Hypothesis," Historical Approaches in the Social Sciences Series, State University of New York at Binghamton, October12.

Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, History, spoke about the connections between student activism and the development of Asian American Studies at Stanford University for a panel on "The Asian American Community at Stanford: Past, Present & Future," as part of Stanford University's Reunion Homecoming, October 12.

The Center for Folklore Studies (CFS) will hold its monthly Final Fridays event at noon, October 27, 308 Dulles Hall. This is an informal event where students, faculty, staff, and alumni can get together, eat good food, and talk to a bunch of fun-loving folklorists. Also, Dorry Noyes, English, will present "Finding Funding for Dissertation Projects" at CFS's first professionalization workshop of the year, 10:00-11:30 am, November 3, 311 Denney Hall. Contact: Center for Folklore Studies, 688-3629.

Singer, songwriter, and activist Holly Near will present "Protest Music as Responsible Citizenship," noon, October 27, 120 Mershon Center, for the Cultures in Disputed Territories Working Group. Contact: horowitz.36@osu.edu.

WOSU Television will present "Remembering David Citino" on the upcoming ArtZine broadcast. ArtZine will pay tribute to the late David Citino, The Ohio State University's Poet Laureate and Professor of English. In this program, clips will be from Citino's last reading at The Thurber House along with interviews of friends and colleagues. Lee Abbott, Steven Fink, Murray Beja, and David Frantz, as well as Mary Citino, will remember him and his influence on the craft and his generous character. "Remembering David Citino" will be aired on Sunday, October 29, at 12:30 pm; Monday, October 30, at 7:30 pm; and Wednesday, November 1 at 10:30 pm.

Richard Davis, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures; Snjezana Buzov, Near Eastern Languages and cultures; Nina Berman, Germanic Languages and Literatures; and Kai Hammermeister, Germanic Languages and Literatures, will participate in Orhan Pamuk: A Nobel Prize Roundtable, 5:30 pm, October 31, 180 Hagerty Hall. Contact: Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, 292-6985.

Judson Jeffries, African American and African Studies Community Extension Center, will present "Why Ken Won't Win: Black Gubernatorial Candidates Have Tough Road to Hoe," 6:00 pm, November 1, Community Extension Center, 905 Mt. Vernon Avenue. Contact: Community Extension Center, 292-3922; visit: http://aaascec.osu.edu.

Lee K. Abbott, Pablo Tanguay, and Jesse Quillian will give a Student/Faculty Reading, 7:00 pm, November 1, 311 Denney Hall. Contact: Creative Writing Program, 292-2242.

Frederick Aldama, English, will present "Your Brain on Latino Comics," 11:30 am, November 2, George Wells Knight House, 104 East 15^th Avenue, for the Horizons Lecture Series. Lunch by reservation only. Contact: zacher.1@osu.edu, Institute for Collaborative Research and Public Humanities.

Debra Moddelmog, Humanities and English, will chair the keynote address of the Asian American Studies' East of California Conference, 6:00 pm, November 3., Ohio Union. Contact: ponce.8@osu.edu; visit the Asian American Studies Web site.

Peter Platt (Barnard College) will present "Wondering About the ‘Wondrer': Paradox, the Marvelous, and Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale," 3:30 pm, November 3, 090 Science and Engineering Library, in The Marvelous Lecture Series. Contact: Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 292-7495.

Neil G. Jacobs, Germanic Languages and Literatures, will present "Jews, Ethnicity, and Languages, in the College's second Inaugural Lecture of the year at 4:30 pm, November 6, OSU Faculty Club. The past two-plus centuries have witnessed numerous and ongoing attempts at the transformation of traditional Ashkenazic society into constituencies of emancipated (full) citizens of Jewish religion within the paradigm of the modern nation state. However, the continued presence of a distinct Jewish ethnicity remained a thorny issue to be dealt with - conceptually, and as played out in everyday life. While precise definitions of ethnicity can evolve or shift - often reflecting the needs or agendas of time, place, and ideology - attempts to define modern Ashkenazic Jews in western society solely in terms of religion (whether by non-Jews or Jews) have always come up short. The present talk examines some of the ways in which insights from linguistics can shed new and different light on Jewish ethnicity. Data will be drawn from post-Yiddish Jewish ethnolects (e.g., Jewish English, Jewish Dutch, Jewish German), and from examination of Jewish speech in American popular culture (film, television). We will look at a number of seeming paradoxes. For example, in post-World War II American popular culture, Jews were typically described in de-ethnicized terms, while at the same time, a watered-down version of stereotypical Jewishness served as a place-holder for generic American immigrant ethnicity. Free and open to the public. Contact: College of Humanities, 292-1882.

William Labov (University of Pennsylvania) will present "Sociolinguistics and Education," 4:40 pm, November 8, 1180 Postle Hall. The Literacy Studies Working Group of the Humanities Institute and the Gladys Foster Anderson Fund in Teaching & Learning are co-sponsors. Contact: Marcia Farr, farr.18@osu.edu, or Lisya Seloni, seloni.1@osu.edu.

Greg Esser (Public Art Network of Americans for the Arts) will present "On Public Art," Columbus Public Art Summit, 9:00 am, November 9, King Arts Complex, 827 Mt. Vernon Avenue, in the Building Public Space Initiative. Contact: Livingston.28@osau.edu.

Novelist Jean Thompson will give a Reading at 7:00 pm, November 9, 311 Denney Hall. Contact: Creative Writing Program, 292-2242.

Rafael Saumell (Sam Houston State University) will present "José Maria Heredia: A Poet Without a Homeland," 3:30 pm, November 10, George Wells Knight House, 104 East 15^th Avenue, for the Narrative and Cognition Working Group. Contact: aldama.1@osu.edu.

The African American and African Studies Community Extension Center will host a presentation to commemorate the 65^th anniversary of the founding of the Tuskegee Airmen, noon, November 11, Community Extension Center. Contact: Community Extension Center, 292-3922; visit http://aaascec.osu.edu.

Jesse Matz (Kenyon College) will present "Temporal Cognition and Narrative Engagement," 3:30 pm, November 13, George Wells Knight House, 104 East 15^th Avenue, for the Narrative and Cognition Working Group. Contact: aldama.1@osu.edu.