SBS Newsletter – September 2007
In this issue
 Humboldt Fellow to Pursue Family Policy Research at Max Planck Institute |
 Alum Seche Appointed Ambassador to Yemen |
Attending UMass Amherst is Rewarding Experience |
 Reflections on Literary Journalism and New Media |
Faculty Notes Professor Donal Carbaugh (communication) has been appointed the Fulbright Foundation’s Bicentennial Chair and Distinguished Professor at the University of Helsinki for the 2007-08 academic year. The Bicentennial Chair is an important resource to other Finnish and European universities and has played a crucial role in developing the interdisciplinary approach to American studies found at the University of Helsinki and elsewhere. Read more... Assistant Professor Michael J. Constantino (psychology) has been selected to receive the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration’s (SEPI) 2007 New Researcher Award. The award will be presented at SEPI’s 24th annual meeting in May. Read more... A study by Sanjiv Gupta (sociology) has resulted in new findings on women's earnings and housework, says a briefing report by the Council on Contemporary Families. Gupta's study shows that on average the amount of housework a woman does doesn't have much to do with her husband's help or his earnings, but how much money she earns. The more she earns, the less housework she does. Read more... (please note: this link is live, but there have been some issues with the CCF server. If it isn't working, please try again later.) Richard D. Wolff (economics) is cofounder of a new international economic analysis website: www.globalmacroscope.com. The other is his son, Max Fraad-Wolff, who is currently completing his PhD in economics at UMass Amherst. Besides presenting continuously updated international economic news, the website includes original analyses of current issues. "Many of our postings are written by Max or me," writes the elder Wolff. "They have been reprinted around the globe in many electronic and print mass media ranging from the Asia Times to the Monthly Review website in New York. The site is free and open to the public." Lee Badgett (economics), director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at UMass Amherst and Research Director at the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law, testified before Congress on September 5 that the passage of HR 2015, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal nondiscrimination law including sexual orientation and gender identity, would benefit both LGBT people and employers. Badgett summarized findings from a recent Williams Institute study, Bias in the Workplace, which reviews 50 studies over the last decade and demonstrates a disturbing and consistent pattern: sexual orientation-based and gender identity discrimination is a common occurrence in many workplaces across the country. Read Badgett's testimony... [pdf] Jane E. Fountain (political science and public policy), director of the National Center for Digital Government, has joined two dozen prominent researchers, government officials, and business professionals to evaluate the federal e-Rulemaking initiative through the American Bar Association’s Committee on the Status and Future of Federal e-Rulemaking. Read more... Alumni News On September 18 former U.S. Rep. and current chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party Peter G. Torkildsen '80 (political science) spoke on campus, encouraging engagement in community activism and supporting local candidates. The event was sponsored by the UMass Amherst Republican Club. Read more about Torkildsen's speech in the Daily Collegian... Business partners Shawna Strachan '00 (journalism) and Audra Bodenstab '03 (political science) have opened Looc, a Boston South End women’s clothier featuring party, casual, and work wear. In a few short weeks, it’s become the most buzzed about boutique in town. Read more in the Boston Globe. Carlos Fierro '96 (political science) was awarded the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award for 2007 by the State Bar of New Mexico. Read more in the Santa Fe New Mexican. Do you have news you'd like to share? Send it to the SBS Newsletter. Upcoming Events October 1: Associate Professor Paula Chakravartty (communication) will discuss “Exclusion and Citizenship in the ‘Global Information Society’: Lessons from Feminist Transnational Activism.” 4:00, Five College Women’s Studies Research Center, Mount Holyoke College. Read more... October 3: The Center for Research on Families (CRF) presents “Taking Research on Families Outside of the Academy: How to Craft Effective Media Messages.” This is the first in a series of panels that CRF is organizing to bring together researchers with interest in taking their research outside of the academy and speaking about it to the media. Noon to 2:00 p.m., 803 Campus Center. Free and open to all. Read more... October 9: "Pre-law Workshop: The Law School Application Process." Sponsored by the Pre-Law Advising Office and the Department of Legal Studies. All UMass Amherst students welcome. 4:30-6:00 pm, Thompson 102. October 9: An Evening Celebrating the Literary Genre of the Memoir, with Moderator Madeleine Blais (journalism) and Carole Gaunt '67 (history), author of Hungry Hill: A Memoir (University of Massachusetts Press, 2007), and John Hanson Mitchell, editor of Sanctuary: The Massachusetts Audubon Magazine and author of The Rose Café: Love and War in Corsica (Shoemaker & Hoard, 2007). 7–9:30 p.m, Memorial Hall. Read more... October 18-20: Homecoming. Read more... October 19: The Alice S. and Peter H. Rossi Annual Lecture Series. Inaugural event to feature Father Andrew Greeley, one of the country’s most prolific writers in the sociology of religion, on American Catholicism, and in the annals of popular fiction. Title of presentation: “The Great American Prayer Scandal: Why Americans Pray?” 4:00 pm, Fine Arts Center Lobby. A public reception will follow. Read more... November 15: The Economics Department presents its annual Gamble Lecture. Featured speaker: Dani Rodrik, professor of international economy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. 4:00 p.m., Gordon Hall. November 16-18: Unbroken Chain, the largest conference on the legacy of the Grateful Dead, and the first to be held by a major university. Scholars, artists, performers, students and members of the extended Grateful Dead family will gather for the event. Attendance is limited to 500. Sponsored by UMass Amherst Graduate School, the Department of History and UMass Amherst Outreach. More info and registration... SBS in the News Springfield Republican, 9/23/07. Nancy Folbre (economics) comments in a story about a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey that shows Springfield, MA has the sixth worst percentage of child poverty in the country. Read more... Boston Globe, 9/20/07. Raymond La Raja (political science) comments in a story about how presidential candidates in the United States are raising large amounts of money from expatriate donors in foreign countries. Read more... WFCR Public Radio, 9/17/07. Robert W. Paynter (anthropology) discusses ancient farming patterns in the region and how they changed based on market conditions and other factors. Listen to the program... (mp3) Boston Globe, 9/16/07. A study done by Naomi Gerstel (sociology) and Natalia Sarkisian of Boston College, finds that married couples spend less time socializing with friends, neighbors and extended families than singles, and they are less likely to give emotional support and practical help with chores. Critics of the research contend that married couples spend more time raising children and that accounts for the drop off in social interactions. Read the article... Salon.com, 9/14/07. Daniel Anderson (psychology) comments in a story about young children watching television. He says that at age 30 months, about the same time children will sit through a whole book or story, they also will sit through a whole television program and get upset if they are interrupted and don’t see the ending. Read the article... Asia Times, 9/14/07. Graduate student Max Fraad Wolff discusses the role of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in international trade. Read the article... Boston Globe, 9/7/07. UMass quarterback Liam Coen '09 (communication) is profiled before the game against Colgate (which the Minutemen won 35-17). The Colgate game two years ago marked the red-shirted freshman's unexpected debut. Read the article... Arizona Star (from AP), 8/26/07. Ervin Staub (psychology), who specializes in the prevention of youth violence, says a case where a 13-year-old boy was suspended from school for drawing a likeness of a gun shows that young boys are interested in guns but doesn’t necessarily reflect a tendency toward violence. He says the school officials went too far in this case. Read the article... A Word from SBS Gifts from alumni and friends are vital to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Your investment allows us to create remarkable opportunities for today’s—and tomorrow's—students. If you are already a donor, please accept our sincere thanks. If not, please consider a donation to SBS for your department, student financial aid, or a purpose that speaks to your personal experiences and priorities. To make a gift online, click here. Questions? Contact: We welcome feedback related to this newsletter, the college in general, specific concerns, or topics of interest. Please address all correspondence, including story ideas, to Sabine Cray, marketing and communication specialist. If you wish to add your name to the mailing list, or if you wish to unsubscribe, please write to the SBS Newsletter. If you have had a change of address, email or other personal information, you can update it online. The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences respects your privacy. Your contact information will not be shared with anyone unrelated to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. |
