Kudos to Arts and Sciences Faculty, Students and Staff!

Wanda Rushing, Sociology

Dr. Rushing was an invited speaker at the Global American South Conference held April 13-14 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She presented "Cotton Fields, Cargo Planes and Confucius: The Future of Economic and Cultural Partnerships between Memphis and Beijing in 'The Chinese Century.'" The theme for this year’s conference was Beyond the Sunbelt: Southern Economic Development in a Global Context. It was supported by the UNC Center for Global Initiatives, Center for the Study of the American South, Office of Economic and Business Development, and by Quintiles Transnational Corp.

She was also invited to serve as a panelist in an author meets critic session at the Southern Sociological Society meetings held in Richmond, VA April 9-12, The panel critiqued Giovanni Arrighi's book, Adam Smith in Beijing. The panel also included Giovanni Arrighi, Johns Hopkins University; Harry F. Dahms, University of Tennessee-Knoxville; Wilma A. Dunaway, Virginia Tech; and Francois Nielsen, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Students present research papers

Graduate Students in the Women's Studies Program attended the Southeastern Women's Studies Associate conference (SEWSA) held April 3-5 in Charlotte, NC.

They presented research papers based on their thesis projects in a session titled: Gender Dynamics Viewed in Community Resistance, Class Distinctions, Family Expectations, and Adolescent Sexuality. Participants included:

• Alesha Istvan and Rebecca Boucher, Women's Studies MA students;
• Lisa Winters and Jessica Abernathy, Women's Studies Certificate students.

Rhonda Charnes, History

Rhonda Charnes, doctoral candidate in the history department, former Teaching Assistant, and now instructor with St. George's Independent School, has been chosen to attend a seminar with Dr John Demos at Yale University during the period 22-28 June 2008. The seminar, entitled "Everyday Life in Early America," is sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. According to the description furnished by the Institute, "The seminar will explore the lived experience of ordinary Americans during the colonial period of history. Topics will include: family and household, community organization, making a living, religious belief and practice, witchcraft and magic, and shared patterns of human psychology. Material culture will also receive considerable emphasis: domestic architecture, furnishings, the natural environment. Mornings will be devoted to lectures and discussion; afternoons to field trips and library work."

Josh Gorman, History

Josh Gorman doctoral candidate in the Department of History, addresses Phi Alpha Theta in the Graduate Student Research Forum Series sponsored by Phi Alpha Theta, the national honorary for history students. His topic was "The Chicksaw Nation 1890-1907/1990-2007: The Built Environment of Nation, Sovereignty and Heritage." The research forum presentations are part of the pizza luncheons sponsored regularly by Phi Alpha Theta, with additional funding from the Student Event Allocation.

Brian Fouche, History

Brian Fouche, doctoral candidate, won the prize for the best paper in post-war American history at the regional meeting of Phi Alpha Theta, the national honorary for history students, held 5 April at the University of Tennessee at Martin. His topic was "From Tragedy to Triumph: The Apollo 1 Fire and the Successful Failure of Apollo 13."

Awards made at 2008 History Honors Gala

The Department of History held its third annual History Honors Gala on April 12 at the Fogelman Executive Center, with Dr Suzanne Onstine, Assistant Professor and faculty advisor to Phi Alpha Theta, presiding. After announcing the awards that faculty members have received recently, she presented the following awards to students:

• Major L. Wilson paper prize Undergraduate: Cameron W. Harvey and Graduate: Shawn A. Fisher
• Tennessee Historical Commission Prize to History major graduating with the highest GPA: James Patrick Graves
• Ruth and Harry Woodbury Graduate Fellowship in Southern History: Shawn A. Fisher
• Best Part-time Instructor Award: Dr Jim Johnson
• Best Graduate Student Teacher Award: Reginald Ellis