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A&S featured in UK at the Half for this Saturday's Game

 

Carl Nathe recently interviewed one of our own faculty members for his UK at the Half segment, which airs during each UK football game. He spoke with Ann Kingsolver, Director of the UK Appalachian Center and anthropology professor, about her work in the area. Kingsolver is excited to be part of the Center and the Appalachian Studies Program and is busy exploring ways to become more involved in the community – for the university, faculty, and students. She stresses the importance of interdisciplinary work and research at the Appalachian Center in looking at complex issues throughout the region. Her hope is to build strong partnerships with local communities which would also allow students attending classes at UK to work in their local communities in the region.

Look for the interview during the UK at the Half segment during this Saturday’s UK vs. Mississippi State football game!

Internationally Renowned Filmmaker Comes to Campus as part of Year of China

 

As part of the College’s Year of China events, A&S is excited to welcome internationally renowned filmmaker Carma Hinton to campus this week. Keiko Tanaka, sociology professor and Director of the Asia Center, will show the documentary, “Morning Sun,” in her class, “Passport to China: Global Issues & Local Understanding.” "Morning Sun" is a psychological history of China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which took place from 1964-1976. The film provides a multi-perspective view of a tumultuous period as seen through the eyes — and reflected in the hearts and minds — of members of the high-school generation that was born around the time of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Hinton was born and lived in China until she was 21. She received a doctorate in art history from Harvard University and has lectured on Chinese culture, history, and film at various educational institutions around the world.

The film will be shown on October 25 at 5:00pm in room 118 of the Whitehall Classroom Building. The discussion of the film with Hinton will be held on October 27 at 5:00pm also in room 118 of the Whitehall Classroom Building.

The film showing and discussion are free and open to the public. This is a great opportunity to not only see a powerful film but to also get insight into the importance of these events in Chinese history from the filmmaker herself.

To learn more about Year of China events, please visit http://china.as.uky.edu.

 

Outstanding A&S Professors Nominated for Awards for Latest Works

It has been a banner week for humanities in the College of Arts & Sciences. Both Nikky Finney of the Department of English and Jeremy Popkin of the Department of History were nominated for outstanding scholarship in their latest books.

Nikky Finney’s book is a finalist for the 2011 National Book Award in Poetry. National Book Awards are conferred in four genres: fiction, nonfiction, children's literature and poetry.  Five finalists are named in each genre, with this short list establishing the five most notable books in that genre for that year. Finney’s “Head Off & Split” has been named one of the year's five best poetry books.

The National Book Awards Finalists announcement is one of the most anticipated events in the publishing world – the winners will be announced on November 16. The five most notable books — “Head Off & Split” being one — have already earned a medal for their authors.  Finney will receive a medallion this November in New York.

Jeremy Popkin has been named as one of six finalists for the 2011 Cundill Prize in History for his recent publication of “You Are All Free: The Haitian Revolution and the Abolition of Slavery.” He will compete for the world‘s largest non-fiction history book award, which offers the winning author a $75,000 grand prize.

The book, released by Cambridge University Press, is based on extensive archival research that provides an extensive account of the dramatic events that led up to the revolution and the abolition of slavery in Haiti.

These are wonderful accomplishments by outstanding A&S faculty members – congratulations!

Ramesh Bhatt Awarded NSF Grant to Study Autism

Congratulations are in order for Ramesh Bhatt, who has recently won a three-year National Science Foundation grant worth $432,751. Bhatt, a professor in the Department of Psychology, will use the support to expand his research on the development of social functioning in infancy. For example, Bhatt will analyze how infants from 3 to 9 months of age react to systematic changes to body and face images, documenting which aspects of bodies and faces infants scan. The results will help Bhatt determine whether babies know as much about bodies as about faces.

In addition to supporting the university’s mission to contribute to basic scientific knowledge, Bhatt’s NSF grant may also help answer questions about Autism, a developmental disability that has had a great impact on our society.

Endless Possibilities Studying Abroad

The College of Arts & Sciences encourages our students to learn, grow and challenge themselves studying abroad. Education Abroad at UK offers students the opportunity to choose from dozens of programs - and to go almost anywhere in the world. No matter the continent or country, education abroad is the experience of a lifetime. There are programs to match every personality and budget, too. Traveling abroad has had a profound impact on my life, and I know that exploring the world will do the same for our students. 

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A&S Graduate Works to Combat AIDS in Zimbabwe

A recent article released by the Associated Press and featured in the Lexington Herald-Leader highlights the work of Dr. Bill Jansen and the United States Agency for International Development in Zimbabwe. Dr. Jansen, an anthropology graduate and A&S Hall of Fame inductee, is currently working as a senior American advisor in Africa to combat the AIDS epidemic. A growing problem in both Zimbabwe as well as South Africa, Jansen’s group is part of a program funded by the United States which is promoting circumcision to reduce the number of new AIDS cases.
 

Jansen’s work is a prime example of the social responsibility we hope to instill in future A&S graduates – both to their local communities and beyond – as they move forward in their own lives and careers. To read more about the Zimbabwe program and Jansen’s work, click here.

 

Advice from Alumni

This semester, distinguished alumni from the College of Arts and Sciences shared their thoughts on how current and prospective UK students can get the most out of their college experience. To hear what they have to say, listen to their podcast on our Envision 2020 website.

Homecoming Success and News Coverage

Thanks to faculty, staff, alumni and students who helped to make the last week a grand success, from the Distinguished Scholar lecture, to the Hall of Fame ceremony, to our A&S Homecoming festivities.
 

Our South Africa Initiative was featured in an article in the Lexington Herald-Leader on Sunday. The film series has a few more exciting installments to show, including speaker Eddie Daniels.
 

Homecoming 2010

Homecoming weekend festivities are on the horizon, and a variety of opportunities to show pride in A&S and UK are coming up.

To begin, on Wednesday, October 20th, Distinguished Professor Ernie Yanarella will be giving a lecture. The following Friday, October 22nd, marks the annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which celebrates the accomplishments of the A&S family.

Finally, A&S is hosting a Tailgate party before the kickoff against the Georgia Bulldogs. Join us for food, fun, and live music as we mark the midpoint of another productive semester.

"Road to Resistance"

I had the honor of introducing the first installment of "Have You Heard From Johannesburg," a seven-part documentary that is showing one installment a week during this semester.

The first installment was called "Road to Resistance." To listen to my speech, click here.