CAHSS

News and Updates about UMBC’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

New Play From Alumna Erica Smith ’03, Theater, Debuts

Jul 13, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

The Mobtown Players are producing the latest play by Laurel resident and alumna Erica Smith ’03, theater. The play is entitled Come Out and Say It, and was chosen from among three by local playwrights which were given staged readings last fall by the Mobtown Playwrights Group (MPG), according to theater website BroadwayWorld Baltimore. The synopsis given on The Mobtown Players’ website goes as follows: “Five people. Four pros. Three murderers. Two lovers. One miscalculation. As Vale deals with the aftermath of a heist gone wrong, he sees his plans—and his life—fall apart before his eyes. In Come Out and… Continue Reading New Play From Alumna Erica Smith ’03, Theater, Debuts

Dan Ritschel, History, on Maryland Morning

Jul 12, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

Dan Ritschel, professor of history and director of the Center for History Education, was a guest on Maryland Morning during a July 11th segment on Maryland’s newly-added government assessment test for high school seniors. The test, which will be first given in 2017, was part of a new law passed by the Maryland General Assembly this spring. Ritschel spoke of the importance of the test’s introduction, but noted also that other fields – including his own – remain somewhat neglected as the high school level. “There used to be a Maryland performance assessment in history until 2002, and following the introduction of the… Continue Reading Dan Ritschel, History, on Maryland Morning

Robert Provine, Psychology, on Irish Radio’s Moncrieff

Jul 9, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

Robert Provine, professor of psychology, appeared on the Irish radio station newsTalk’s Moncrieff program July 5th to discuss laughing’s purpose and its origins in human evolution. “Laughter is literally the sound of play,” said Provine. “In fact, the human ‘ha-ha’ evolved from the labored breathing of our rough-and-tumble primate ancestors, whereby ‘pant-pant’ became ‘ha-ha.’” You can listen to the discussion here, in segment 3 from the July 5th broadcast, beginning at 51:20 and continuing in segment 4.

Nicole King, American Studies, on WYPR’s The Signal

Jul 9, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

Nicole King, assistant professor of American studies, appeared on WYPR’s The Signal on July 6th to discuss her new book Sombreros and Motorcycles in a Newer South: The Politics of Aesthetics in South Carolina’s Tourism Industry King spoke with producer Aaron Henkin about the colorful history of the roadside attraction South of the Border and its owner and creator, Alan Schafer, as well as various issues of politics, commerce, and culture which revolved around South of the Border during its early years which coincided with the Civil Rights Era. “I think South of the Border – and recreation in general, especially… Continue Reading Nicole King, American Studies, on WYPR’s The Signal

Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun

Jul 9, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

Tom Schaller, professor of political science, filed his latest Baltimore Sun column from Harare, Zimbabwe. Schaller’s piece, “U.S. seeks to influence a youthful world,” focused on the need for the United States to continue reaching out to global youth around the world with outreach programs concerning issues involving women, technology, education, and health matters. Schaller concludes his column by noting the need for the United States to engage the world’s young on matters that go beyond the altruistic and into geopolitical necessity: “Why does any of this matter? Here’s why: At top diplomatic levels, the United States worries about resource-hungry… Continue Reading Tom Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun

Lauren Hussey, Political Science, and Donald Norris, Public Policy, in the Gazette

Jul 9, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

In a July 6 Gazette article entitled “Dream Act supporters take to the streets to win votes,” proponents and opponents of the Maryland Dream Act discussed the bill, which will be submitted to a referendum this November. The act allows undocumented workers to be eligible for in-state tuition if they have attended Maryland high schools for three years, then graduated and enrolled at a community college before transferring to a four-year state university, and whose parents have filed state income taxes during the period, among other benchmarks. Lauren Hussey, assistant professor of political science, said that one factor may be President Obama’s recent… Continue Reading Lauren Hussey, Political Science, and Donald Norris, Public Policy, in the Gazette

Lee Boot, Imaging Research Center, Mentioned In the Huffington Post

Jul 9, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

A June 29 Huffington Post blog post focused on Baltimore’s online magazine What Weekly. “The Baltimore Experiment: Getting Out From Under ‘The Wire’” detailed What Weekly‘s focus on more positive coverage as opposed to the more-or-less expected grim news dispatches so often associated with Baltimore, as well as its strong links with the city’s arts community who work and live there. Among the contributors listed was Lee Boot, associate research professor and associate director of the Imaging Research Center, whose column “Who We Aim” appears in the publication. Boot’s clog, also entitled “Who We Am,” focuses “on building a transdisciplinary, online discourse about human behavior.”

“Where Do We Migrate To?” Travelling Exhibition Reviewed in Art in America

Jul 2, 2012 / 2 minutes of reading

“Where Do We Migrate To?”, a national touring exhibition organized by the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC), was reviewed for the June/July issue of Art in America. The exhibit was curated by Niels Van Tomme, director of arts and media at Provisions Learning Project in Washington, DC, and features 19 internationally-recognized artists and art collectives. The works exhibited deal in various mediums with the subject of migration, ranging from the two video pieces by Kimsooja and Julika Rudelius which anchor the exhibition, to more sculptural and installation-oriented work by Blane De St. Croix and the French collective Claire Fontaine, and… Continue Reading “Where Do We Migrate To?” Travelling Exhibition Reviewed in Art in America

Alumnus Erick Sahler ’89, Graphic Design and Art History, in Delmarvanow.com

Jul 2, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

Alumnus Erick Sahler ’89, Graphic Design and Art History, was featured on the news site Delmarvanow.com on June 28th, with a focus on his latest silkscreen print for purchase. The piece, entitled “Summer of ’61,” is based on a photograph of the time, depicting the Chincoteague, VA’s Island Theatre with its marquee featuring the 1961 film adaptation of Misty of Chincoteague, and a ’55 Ford in the foreground. Sahler, who worked for Salisbury, MD’s The Daily Times as managing editor from 1989 to 2011, currently sells his artwork and screen prints under his “Erick Sahler Serigraphs” moniker, which was launched… Continue Reading Alumnus Erick Sahler ’89, Graphic Design and Art History, in Delmarvanow.com

Shana Palmer ’15, MFA in Visual Arts, Exhibits in Finland

Jun 29, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

Shana Palmer, an MFA candidate with Visual Arts for 2015, is participated in the Invisible Time exhibition at the MUU Gallery based in Helsinki, Finland. Palmer contributed to the track “Lunar Storm” from her band Secret Secrets’s latest album Chiromagica, to the “Wall of Sound” portion of the exhibit, alongside ten other track by other participating artists. Secret Secrets is a duo of Palmer on vocals and electronics with drums provided by Melissa Moore. Invisible Time opened at the MUU Gallery on June 8th and closed on June 21st. More information on the exhibit and its participants can be found… Continue Reading Shana Palmer ’15, MFA in Visual Arts, Exhibits in Finland

Dance Piece by Josephine Kalema ’13, Dance, Performed in D.C. in July

Jun 29, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

Josephine Kalema, a senior dance major, will have her piece Past, Present, and Future performed at the Washington, D.C. performance space Dance Place as part of the annual New Release Choreographer’s Showcase this coming July. It will feature dancers Arnesha Reives, Jonique Holcomb, Alexis Renee, Candice Grace, and Jasmynn Speight, and mixes traditional and modern African dance. Kalema dedicates Past, Present, and Future to her Ugandan family, as well as “every culture that has gone through life changing barriers,” according to Dance Place’s website. The dates for the New Release Choreographer’s Showcase are July 7th at 8 p.m., and July 8th at… Continue Reading Dance Piece by Josephine Kalema ’13, Dance, Performed in D.C. in July

STEP T for ELLs Program Awarded Additional Year of Funding

Jun 27, 2012 / 1 minute of reading

UMBC’s Secondary Teacher Education and Professional Training for English Language Learners (or STEP T for ELLs) program has been awarded an additional year of funding by the U.S. Department of Education. The program is funded through the Office of English Language Acquisition. The STEP T for ELLs Program helps secondary teachers of math, science, and social studies to provide effective instruction to ESOL students. This program provides professional development in areas such as teaching strategies and cross-cultural communications. The program has surpassed its original goal of training 880 in-service teachers and 60 teacher leaders in the state of Maryland. The… Continue Reading STEP T for ELLs Program Awarded Additional Year of Funding