College of Humanities & Social Sciences |
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2007 SPOTLIGHTS: STUDENT,
FACULTY, STAFF & DEPARTMENTAL
HIGHLIGHTS |
| FACULTY |
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Dr.
Gary T. Edwards
Assistant
Professor
Department
of
History
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Dr.
Gary T. Edwards,
Assistant Professor
of History, earned
his Ph.D. from the
University of Memphis
in 2004. Edwards
has published multiple
essays and journal
articles. Tennessee
Historical Quarterly,
Agricultural History,
Encyclopedia of
the American Civil
War,
and The Southern
Historian are a
few of the publications
in which Edwards’ work
has appeared. His
academic research
interest includes
antebellum agriculture
and slavery
in the old South.
His article, “In
and Out of the
Chickasaw Cession:
Understanding Migrational
Pressure and Economic
Transition on Tennessee’s
Final Frontier,
1818-1860,” is
forthcoming in
Tennessee Historical
Quarterly.
According
to Edwards, coming
to teach
at Arkansas
State University
was not solely
influenced by
the fact that
a position
was available
in his field
of study.
He said that ASU
offers more
opportunities
for Assistant
Professors
than many other
institutions.
Edwards stated
he was also
particularly interested
in
coming to the
university because
he would be given
the chance to
teach about the
American
South and American
Civil War History. “I
am the envy of
my peers from graduate
school in that
respect,” he
said.
Edwards
is a native of
Murphysboro, Tennessee
and earned both
his bachelors and
masters degrees
from Abilene Christian
University in Abilene,
Texas. It was also
in Texas that Edwards
met his wife Michelle.
Michelle is originally
from Chicago and
currently teaches
ballet at the Foundation
of Arts in Jonesboro.
Edwards said that
he and his wife
are enjoying Jonesboro,
having recently
moved into a new
home.
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Dr.
Jon C. Lofton
Assistant
Professor with the
Department of Political
Science
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Dr.
Jon C. Lofton, Assistant
Professor with the
Department of Political
Science, received his
Ph.D. in Leadership
and Information Technology
in May 2005 and an
Ed.D. in Higher Education
Administration in December
1995, both from the
University of Arkansas
in Fayetteville. He
specializes in technology
and government, specifically
the application of
governance in an electronic
environment.
Dr.
Lofton, originally
from Chicago, has
worked in a variety
of jobs in the public
sector, giving him
practical knowledge
of what it means
to be a public administrator.
Prior to working
in higher education,
he has served as
the Director of Alternative
Energies in the Department
of Energy for Mississippi,
the Director of Business
Development for both
Mississippi and Wisconsin,
and as the Director
of Minority Business
Development for Wisconsin.
Lofton’s
philosophy of education
is that an open enrollment
institution has the
responsibility to
nurture students,
developing and supporting
them as they grow
intellectually. He
believes that every
student can reach
the benchmark expected
of them if given
the opportunity and
that everyone has
the capacity to learn.
Lofton said that
as an educator, it
is his job to find
student’s
strengths and build
upon them. He also
feels professors
must be demanding
but fair and that
in doing so, you
encourage the growth
required by students
to succeed.
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Dr.
Fiona Miller
Assistant Professor in Political Theory
Department of Political Science
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Dr.
Fiona Miller, Assistant
Professor in political
theory with the Department
of Political Science,
received her Ph.D.
from the University
of Toronto. She specializes
in the thought of Jean-Jacques
Rousseau and Friedrich
Nietzsche and has a
particular interest
in the era of Enlightenment
and its legacy. Some
of her publications
include an entry on
Rousseau in the second
edition of the International
Encyclopedia of the
Social Sciences and
a piece under review
titled “Rousseau’s
Solitary Will: Force
and Freedom in the
Rêveries.” Miller
has also delivered
papers at several conferences,
including the Midwest
Political Science Association,
the XIVth Biennial
Colloquium of the Rousseau
Association, and the
American Political
Science Association.
Born
in the UK and raised
in Canada, she is
currently striving
to become an “Arkansan.” Miller
said that the accent
was the biggest adjustment.
She said she finds
herself having to
ask students to repeat
themselves. Another
adjustment was the
concept of a “dry
county,” never
having known of a “dry” district
in Canada.
Miller’s
interest is in teaching
the classic books
of political philosophy.
She enjoys teaching
anything from Plato
to Nietzsche, stating “As
a political theorist,
I get to read the
best books of all
political science.”
In
regard to teaching
classes on American
politics and American
Government, Miller
notes that she has
different biases
than do others. Being
Canadian, she has “less
of a partisan charge.” She
did quickly point
out that she is not
without bias, but
that hers is different.
In
her spare time, Miller
said she enjoys long
walks at Craighead
Forest Park. She
also has become well
acquainted with the
international faculty
here at ASU. She
is married to Dr.
Ian Loadman, also
a political theorist,
who is teaching Intro
to Politics and American
Government here at
ASU.
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Dr.
Patrick Williams
Assistant Professor
Department of Criminology, Sociology
and Geography
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Dr.
J. Patrick Williams,
Assistant Professor
in the Department of
Criminology, Sociology
and Geography, earned
his Ph.D. from the
University of Tennessee
in 2003. Williams’ research
includes social psychology,
cultural sociology,
subculture theory and
identity. His specific
interests include youth
subcultures, gaming
cultures and identity
(video gaming), internet
cultures and computer-mediated
interaction, intercultural
interaction, and community
studies.
Some
of Williams’ publications
include: “Digital
Gaming and Social
Life in the Early
21st Century,” “Digital
Temporary Communities:
What Happens when
Internet Cultures
and Youth Subcultures
Meet,” and “Authentic
Identities: Straightedge
Subcultures, Music
and the Internet.” Williams
has been published
in several journals:
International Journal
of Deviant Behavior,
Symbolic Interaction,
Pedagogy, Culture
and Society, Urban
Affairs Review, and
International Education,
to name a few.
Each
summer, Williams
takes a group of
students to Hungary.
Students study Gypsies
in Europe, music
and popular culture.
During the study
abroad, the group
visits between seven
and nine countries
in both Eastern and
Western Europe. Williams
said that this allows
student to see the
different ways in
which people live.
Students stay in
the developed cities
but also spend time
in poor villages
with no running water
or electricity.
Not
only does Williams
enjoy studying gaming,
he is a gamer himself.
He enjoys playing
the popular “World
of Warcraft” game
online. He also does
contract work on
American youth culture
for UBISoft, a French
software/gaming company.
Some of his other
interests are outdoor
activities and biking.
Williams says one
of the nice things
about living in Jonesboro
is that he is able
to bike to work every
day.
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| STAFF |
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Laura
Surdyk
Administrative
Secretary
Department of History |
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| Laura
Surdyk, Administrative
Secretary for the
Department of History,
is the newest member
of the staff in the
College of Humanities
and Social Sciences.
Laura
comes to ASU from
Wisconsin, having
worked for the public
school system for
over twelve years.
When her husband
Robert decided to
retire, the couple
wanted to move south
to a warmer climate.
According
to Laura, they ended
up in Arkansas
because
her husband “fell
in love with a house
here.” He
actually picked
out the house and
bought
it with Laura still
in Wisconsin. Over
the past summer,
Laura, Robert and
their eight year
old son packed up
and moved to Jonesboro.
She left behind
most of her immediate
family, including
two adult sons.
Laura
said that some of
the biggest adjustments
moving to Jonesboro
are: only one Catholic
Church to attend,
the size of the town,
and the high summer
humidity.
She
came to work at
ASU because she
knew
she wanted to
stay within the
education
field. Laura is
a graduate of the
Office
Technology Academy
and has received
advanced training
in the secretarial
field. So far,
she said that she
has
enjoyed her time
here in Jonesboro,
crediting the
ASU and Jonesboro
communities
with being “much
more down to
earth, laid back
and calm.”
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| STUDENT |
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Dr.
Bob Franklin
Recent graduate, Heritage Studies PhD program
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Dr.
Robert A. Franklin,
station manager
at KASU, is a recent
graduate of the
Heritage
Studies doctoral
program. Born in
Jackson, Mississippi,
Franklin became
interested in the
Heritage Studies
program because
the degree addresses
issues he finds
particularly
interesting—the
Mississippi Delta,
oral history, and
ethnography. Dr.
Franklin’s
dissertation, a video
documentary entitled
Reconciliation and
the Elaine, Arkansas
Race Riot of 1919:
Forgive or Forget,
developed from an
audio documentary
he completed about
Elaine, for which
he received the “2003
Certificate of Commendation” from
the American Association
for State and Local
History and the “2004
Best Documentary
Award” from
the Arkansas Society
for Professional
Journalists. In his
own words, Dr. Franklin
explains that “the
complete story of
the riot has not
been told on public
television; therefore,
this documentary
serves as a catalyst
to explore the social,
political, religious,
and economic challenges
that may be preventing
reconciliation among
Elaine residents
after more than eight
decades since the
riot.” The
documentary features
original music from
Di Anne Price and
Her Boyfriends of
Memphis, and Kimberly
Washington of Seattle.
Now
that Dr. Franklin
has completed his
degree
in Heritage Studies,
he plans to showcase
his documentary
at various film festivals
and public viewings
in the region, and
will make the film
more accessible
by
providing a copy
to the Butler Center
in
Little Rock. He
also hopes to begin
working
on a video documentary
of the Omaha, Nebraska
race riot of 1919,
and to eventually
develop a series
investigating
the 25 race riots
that occurred in
the summer
of 1919, known as
the Red Summer.
Reconciliation and the Elaine, Arkansas Race Riot of 1919: Forgive
or Forget, may be checked out at the Dean B. Ellis library.
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| DEPARTMENTAL
HIGHLIGHTS |
Department
of Criminology,
Sociology, and
Geography
Dr.
Andrew Knight,
Sociology,
and Dr.
Patrick A.
Stewart published
a refereed
article titled
Trends Affecting
the
Next Generation
of U.S. Agricultural
Biotechnology:
Politics,
Policy and
Plant Made
Pharmaceuticals
in “Technological
Forecasting
and Social
Change."
Wienke, Chris 2005 "Sex the Natural Way: The Marketing
of Cialis and Levitra" In Medicalized Masculinities Edited
by Dana Rosenfeld and Christopher Faircloth Temple University Press.
Wienke, Chris 2005 "Male Sexuality, Medicalization,
and The Marketing of Cialis and Levitra" Sexuality and
Culture 9:4.
Wienke, Chris "Sexual Orientation, Union Status,
and Personal Well-Being: A Comparison of Attached and Unattached
Heterosexuals and Homosexuals" Paper read at Southwest Social
Science Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, March 2005
(With Dr. Gretchen Hill).
Drs. Rebecca Allen, Terry Gingerich, James
Conser, and Gregory Russell co-authored Law
Enforcement in the United States, Second Edition, Jones and
Bartlett Publishers (in press).
Dr. Ellen C. Lemley, and James Conser (Youngstown
State) co-authored “Police and Corrections
Systems of the United States,” in the World Encyclopedia
of Police Forces and Correctional Systems, Gale Press (in press).
Dr. Doris Chu and Hung-En
Sung “Does Participation
in the Global Economy Reduce Political
Corruption? An Empirical Inquiry,” International
Journal of Comparative Criminology,
2004.
Dr. Lawrence M. Salinger served
as the general editor for the Encyclopedia
of White-Collar and Corporate Crime (2004).
Department
of English
and Philosophy
Dr.
Eric Cave, “Harm
Prevention
and the Benefits
of Marriage,” Journal
of Social
Philosophy
35:2, Summer
2004.
Dr. William Clements is
selected to edit The Encyclopedia of
World Folklore.
Dr. Gregory Hansen assisted
with the production of “The Florida
Music Train,” a teaching resource
on Florida folk music created by the Florida
Folklife Program.
Dr. Cyndy Hendershot’s documentary
entitled “Curses of the Brown Recluse
Spider” was screened at the Hot Springs
Documentary Film Festival.
Dr. Rick Lott’s poem “My
Father’s Garden” was published
in Working the Dirt, an anthology
from New South Books (2004). Dr. Lott also
has seven poems anthologized in Snakebird:
Thirty Years of Anhinga Press (2004).
Dr. Robert Schroer, “Environmental
Representationalists on Afterimages and
Phosphenes: Putting Our Best Foot Forward,” forthcoming
in The Southern Journal of Philosophy.
Department
of Heritage
Studies
Banta,
Brady, “The
Mike Beebe
Papers,” presented
at Annual Meeting
of the Society
of Southwest
Archivists,” Baton
Rouge, LA,
May 27, 2005.
Banta, Brady,“Permanent Loans: Inheriting an Unintended
Consequence,” presented to Acquisitions and Appraisal Section
at 69th Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists, New
Orleans, LA, August 19, 2005.
Dr. Brady Banta presented “An Elusive Equilibrium:
Agricultural Labor in Eastern Cross County, Arkansas, 1949-1970,” presented
at 70th Annual Meeting of The Southern Historical Association,
Memphis, TN, November 6, 2004.
Milner, Clyde A., “Working the
Land: From Slavery to Sharecropping and Beyond in the Arkansas
Delta.” Project received a $1,000,000.00 Challenge Grant
from the National Endowment for the Humanities, June, 2005. Co-director
with principle investigator, Dr. Ruth Hawkins, of an integrated
program for students and the public centering on two restored historic
sites: the 1930s headquarters of the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union
in Tyronza, AR and the antebellum Lakeport Plantation near Lake
Village, AR.
Milner, Clyde A., OAH
Magazine of History. Guest editor with
Anne M. Butler of special issue on the history
of the American West. Anticipated publication
date, late 2005 or early 2006.
Milner, Clyde A., Organization
of American Historians Conference, San Francisco,
CA, Apr. 2, 2005. Proposer of session and
commentator, “The
Blues as Metaphor and Reality: Historical
Connections.”
Dr. Clyde A. Milner II and Dr.
Carol O’Connor were named
the Organization of American Historians Distinguished
Lecturers for 2004-2007.
Dr. Milner has also organized
a session for the annual conference of
the OAH that will take place March 31-April
3, 2005, in San Francisco
Department
of History
Dr.
Michael Dougan recently
finished a
book entitled
Community Diaries
and his book Arkansas
Odyssey is
on display
at the Clinton
Library.
Dr. Erik Gilbert recently
published Dhows and the Colonial Economy
of Zanzibar 1860-1970 (2004) and Africa
in World History (2004), co-authored with
Jonathan Reynolds.
Dr. Clyde A. Milner and Dr. Carol
O’Connor have recently
written the introduction to Forty
Years on the Frontier as seen in the
Journals and Reminiscences of Granville
Stuart, Gold Miner, Trader, Merchant,
Rancher, and Politician (2004).
Department
of Languages
Dr.
Scott Darwin has
just completed
a translation
of a Swiss
article for
publication
in the Folklore
Journal at
Arkansas State
University.
Dr. Ernesto Lombeida was
awarded an NEH grant to participate in
the National Endowment for the Humanities
Institute on Diversity and Debates
on Contemporary Islam, organized by
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
Dr. Ruth Owens recently
published in the Northeast Conference
on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Review.
Her article is entitled “Nontraditional
Undergraduate Students: Who Are They and
What Are They Saying about Foreign Language
Learning?”
Dr. Warren Johnson presented “Terre
des Prodiges: The Imaginary America of
Gustave Aimard,” (St. Louis, October
2004) and “Stereotype et Identite
dans Nulle part au Texas de Francoise
Barcelo,” (Quebec City, November
2004).
Department
of Political Science
Dr.
Carl D. Ekstrom recently
chaired a panel
on “Risk,
Safety and Terrorism” and
presented a paper
titled “Public
Administration and
Homeland Security:
A Search for the
Relevant Issues
in the Midlands” at
the Region IV American
Society for Public
Administration Conference
in October 2004.
Dr.
Russell Arben Fox’s book
review on J.G. Herder appeared in The Review
of Politics, Summer 2004.
Dr. Charles Hartwig was one
of three foreign policy experts featured on a
one-hour panel called “Bringing US Foreign
Policy Home,” on AETN
Dr. Ross Marlay, “Filipino
Muslims and Global Jihad” the
Association for Third World Studies | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
