CLA NEWS

American Indian Studies, Department of

Dr. Linda LeGarde Grover was awarded the Flannery O'Connor Short Fiction Award for her manuscript “The Dance Boots". The University of Georgia Press gives this award each year to a writer for "a superlative book-length collection of short stories."

Dr. Grover will read excerpts from her forthcoming book as well as some of her poetry at the Spirit Lake Poetry Series, 7:30 p.m., Friday, November 14, 2009 at Somers Hall, College of St. Scholastica. Ellie Schoenfeld will also read at this event. more...

CLA

UMD Undergraduate Research/Artistic Showcase

UMD takes great pride in the accomplishments of its undergraduates. Often these efforts are part of our Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). However in addition to this formal program, numerous undergraduates pursue independent studies on their own. Well over a decade ago, UMD started a spring showcase so as to afford our undergraduates an opportunity to present, in a public venue, these achievements.

Our 2010 showcase is scheduled for April 29, 2010 in the Kirby Ballroom. The program, which starts at 12 noon and which will continue until 4 pm, will feature both verbal and poster presentations.

All undergraduates who pursued some type of UROP/Independent studying during the 2009-2010 academic year are eligible to participate.
Please contact Nancy Burley (726-7103) to receive further instructions.

Please check out our CLA participants:
Student (Advisor)

Dayna Langrebe (John Hatcher)
Erica Whalen (Alexis Pogorelskin)
Katelyn Karlson (Chongwon Park)
Erin Peterson (John Arthur)
Grace Johnson (Vicki Hansen)
Mary Tennis (Rochelle Zuck)
Collin Tholl (Carol Bock)
Allie Krenz (Paul Cannan)
Sam Lobby (MikeMageau)

The Center for Ethics and Public Policy, the Commission on Women, and the Departments of Political Science and Women’s Studies are pleased to have hosted a talk by

Joan C. Tronto
Professor of Political Science
University of Minnesota Twin Cities

“Caring Democratic Citizens: From Personal Responsibility to an Ethic of Care”

Talk hosted on: Friday, April 23rd

Abstract: This paper argues for the need to incorporate a feminist ethics of care into current democratic theory. It does so by demonstrating the theoretical and political need for such an approach. It then describes some elements of such a feminist democratic ethic of care. A concluding section explores how relying upon “personal responsibility” to solve the problems of the inadequacy of current public education falls short. Professor Tronto has made a copy of her paper available; contact ashuster@d.umn.edu to receive a copy if you want one.

Joan C. Tronto is currently Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She received her A.B. at Oberlin College and her Ph.D. at Princeton University. Her scholarly work is in contemporary political theory, especially feminist political theory, the feminist ethic of care, and democratic political theory. She is also an expert on the women's movement in American politics. She has been Professor of Political Science and Director of Women’s Studies at Hunter College and was on the graduate faculty of the City University of New York. In addition, she has been a visiting professor at the University for Humanist Studies in the Netherlands, Yale University, the Institute for Humanist Studies in Vienna, and Goettingen University, and was a Laurence S. Rockefeller Visiting Fellow at Princeton's University Center for Human Values. In 2007, she was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Bologna. Tronto has authored numerous articles and Moral Boundaries: A Political Argument for an Ethic of Care (Routledge 1993). She is the co-editor of Women Transforming Politics: An Alternative Reader (NYU Press 1997). She received the 2008 Okin-Young Award for outstanding contributions to the field of feminist political theory for her co-authored article "The Genders of Citizenship" (APSR 2007).

'It had recently come to my attention that high school I had graduated from in Farmington, Minnesota was posing the idea of phasing out the German program. This language has truly become a part of me and I was not going to let this be taken away from other students. Our teach Cheryl Wason really dove into the culture and went beyond the language and this is something I wanted other students to experience. So I took it upon myself to write letters to the School Board. On top of that I created a Facebook group entitled "SAVE THE FHS GERMAN PROGRAM" and invited all my friends from Farmington Senior High School. Along with this we encouraged the members to write letters to the School Board as well. On Monday March 8th, 2010 the School Board ruled to take out German I in the 8th Grade level, but to offer it to the 9th Graders. So German continues to be apart of the Farmington High School experience and that made all the hard work worth it.'

-- Logan West

Gustaf A. Nordin Scholarship - This scholarship is given annually to two students who have demonstrated initiative and excellence in journalism. The award is in memory of Gustaf Nordin, a Duluth native who was a highly respected reporter, editor, political columnist, and radio show host.

Scholarship insight from Dayna D. Landgrebe, Political Science major, Journalism and Foreign Studies double minor:
Upon coming to UMD in 2005, I felt as though I was only another face in a 12,000-person crowd. But receiving the Gustaf A. Nordin award pulled me from that crowd and gave me a niche in the journalism department and a home in the College of Liberal Arts. This scholarship gave me the confidence to pursue my dream of becoming a professional journalist. I feel privileged to have received this award.

In December of 2007, UMD alumnus James E. Jernberg established the Sally B. and James E. Jernberg Reaching Higher Scholarship.

This scholarship supports political science majors with financial need, demonstrated academic and campus leadership. Pictured here with Professor Jernberg is his scholarship winner Jacob Loesch.

The College of Liberal Arts remains committed to a high quality liberal arts education. CLA offers small classes, excellent professors, undergraduate research opportunities, and community engagement experiences. Join Professor Jernberg and help CLA fulfill its mission by giving to scholarships, program support, or faculty enhancement funds. At the college level, consider supporting the Liberal Arts Scholarship fund or the Dean's Excellence Fund. Alumni & Friends...

Geography, Department of

Mike Mageau, Jon Morales, Luke Selness and Baylor Radtke from the CSCD have been working with communities on the north shore to develop their wind resource. This story was recently covered by MPR’s “All Things Considered”.

more at Center for Sustainable Community Development (CSCD)...

Political Science, Department of

The UMD Mock Trial Team won second place at the Hatting Invitational Mock Trial Tournament at St. Thomas Law School.

UMD won the second place trophy at the Hatting Invitational Mock Trial Tournament. There were 18 teams from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. UMD took second place with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses. First place went to Macalester with a record of 6 wins, 1 loss, and one tie. Like the trophy UMD won at the Hatting last year, it is etched curved glass, and quite handsome. more..

St. Olaf Mock Trial Tournament Report

Two teams from UMD competed at the first annual “Ole Open!” at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, on November 21, 2009. There were ten teams from Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Competition included teams from the University of Minnesota, Macalester, St. Thomas, and St. Olaf. All of those schools have strong mock trial programs. more..

Sociology/Anthropology, Department of

Assistant Professor Melissa Walls recieves prestigious Grant-in-Aid award. The Grant-in-Aid received is entitled "Contemporary North American Indigenous Families: Conceptualization and Measurement Issues."

The proposed research focuses on a critical measurement issue in cross-cultural research: measuring family influence on children within cultures where extended families are the traditional family form. European measure tends to be parent-centered and miss the potential influence of extended family, including its inclusion in prevention and intervention programming. This proposal seeks funding to better understand Indigenous extended family influence and create a culturally-specific, adaptable measure of the construct(s) for use in translational/applied research settings.

Melissa L. Walls (PhD) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology/Anthropology at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Her research interests include American Indian/First Nations behavioral health, community based participatory research, the sociology of mental health and deviance, substance use/abuse, and quantitative methods. Inspired in part by her own heritage and familial enrollment in the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe in northern Minnesota, Melissa is working on several National Institute of Mental Health sponsored projects and applications for funding. Her most recent activities include collaborative efforts to fund culturally specific Indigenous youth suicide prevention programs. In addition, she is PI/co-PI on two recently submitted NIH grant applications aimed at understanding how mental health factors impact self-care behaviors among North American Indigenous diabetic patients. Melissa’s collaborative research includes work with several regional reservation/reserve communities, the Center for Rural Mental Health Studies at the UMN School of Medicine (Duluth Campus), and researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Women's Studies, Department of

Women's Studies major, Eleni Johnson, just received a great honor, the YWCA's Emerging Leader Award.

Each year the YWCA honors three "Women of Distinction" and one "Emerging Leader" in the Twin Ports who have made significant contributions to our community. The event promotes the YWCA's mission: The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. The event also raises funds for the Spirit Mountain Young Mother's Program.

Full story in the women's studies newsletter http://www.d.umn.edu/ws/main/NSV%20Fall%2009.pdf

Writing Studies, Department of

UMD graduate wins New Journalist of the Year honor

Chris Olwell, a 2008 graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth won first place in the New Journalist of the Year category in the annual Minnesota Newspaper Association's awards competition. The award is given to the best new journalist in the state based on the writing produced during the previous year. more...