Radical art: art historian looks at activist prints of the ’30s

Author of ‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’ speaks of literature as resistance

Exchange agreement signed with Japan’s Waseda University

Forced labor and slavery are topics of WCL conference

SIS grad students host workshop for teens interested in peace

Consultants dispense advice during SIS Career Week

Business students compete to save imaginary firm

Panel analyzes upcoming Nigerian elections

Kogod professors Mazis, Hastak find that when it comes to consumer testimonials—results are typical

Movie magic created on campus

CAS conference explores sexuality from many perspectives Photo by Jeff Watts Speakers at the 14th annual Lavender Languages and Linguistics Conference took on everything from South Park to Operation Iraqi Freedom as they explored issues of homosexuality and gender last weekend. Sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the country’s longest-running, gay-lesbian studies conference gathered anthropologists and linguists from across the country to probe how homosexuals use language and how it is used against them. Presentations, such as “From the Mouths of Babes: Anti-Gay Epithet on South Park” and “Linguistic Representation of Masculinity: the Case of Men’s Magazines,” highlighted popular culture’s role in shaping thought on sexuality. Others, like Air Force officer Edith Disler’s “‘And They Damn Sure All Die the Same’: Gay Men Serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom,” explored the issue from a political and historical perspective. The University of Sheffield’s Lucy Jones, pictured above, presented “Lesbian Identity Construction through Interaction: Preliminary Findings.” —MG

Performances/Media Productions/Exhibitions
Daniel Abraham, performing arts, CAS: was the chorus master for the TV show “Christmas in Washington,” nationally broadcast on TNT throughout December.

Sandy Cannon-Brown, SOC; Larry Engel, SOC; Olivia Yeo, MFA, SOC; and Michelle Williams, MFA student, SOC: worked on the DVD American Prairie Reserve, a fund raiser produced for the American Prairie Foundation, December.

Honors/Awards/Appointments
Vladimir Kvint, Kogod: was elected chairman of the Supervisory Board of the St. Petersburg Passenger Terminal, the largest passenger seaport in Russia.

Barry McCarthy, psychology, CAS: his coauthored book Coping with Erectile Dysfunction: How to Regain Confidence and Enjoy Great Sex, New Harbinger Publications, 2004, received the 2007 SSTAR Consumer Book Award, January.

Lectures/Presentations
Philip Brenner, SIS: panel presentation, “Ambassador’s Forum: Unfinished Business—U.S. Foreign Policy in the Closing Bush Presidency,” Tel Aviv University, January.

Daniel Dreisbach, SPA: “The Righteous Ruler in Late-Eighteenth-Century New England Election Sermons,” King’s College, New York City, January.

Todd Eisenstadt, SPA: “The Mexican Electoral Crisis: A Challenge to the Rule of Law,” Georgetown Law School, Washington, D.C., October.

Consuelo Hernández, language and foreign studies, CAS: keynote speaker and invited poet at the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Virginia Chapter, Richmond, November.

Julie Mertus, SIS: “Too Civil? Social Wrongs, in the Age of Rights,” conference titled “Terrorism and Human Rights,” City University of New York, October.

Published Works
Mohammed Abu-Nimer, SIS: coauthored “Peace Education in a Bilingual and Bi-ethnic School for Palestinians and Jews in Israel: Lessons and Challenges,” in Educational Response to Conflict: Systemic Issues, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Ethan Burger, SIS: “Why the Private Sector Is Likely to Lead the Next Stage in the Global Fight Against Corruption,” 30 Fordham International Law Journal, 45, 2006.

Jack Child, language and foreign studies, CAS: wrote articles for Wikipedia, the open-source, on-line encyclopedia, on Latin America, Antarctica, and translation, December.

Stephen Cohen, SIS: Multinational Corporations and Foreign Direct Investment—Avoiding Simplicity, Embracing Complexity, Oxford University Press, December.

Ira Robbins, WCL: Habeas Corpus, Thomson-West, 2007.

Richard Sha, literature, CAS: “Othering Sexual Perversity: England, Empire, Race, and Sexual Science,” in The Cultural History of the Body in an Age of Empire, Berg Publishers.

Howard Wachtel, professor emeritus, economics, CAS: “Global Taxes,” in Encyclopedia of Globalization, Routledge, 2006.

Media
Abdul Karim Bangura, SIS and the Center for Global Peace: discussed the state of Muslims in the United States five years after the Sept, 11, attacks, Al Jazeera Television, Washington, D.C., Bureau, September.

Naomi Baron, language and foreign studies, CAS: was interviewed by the online technology news service CNET on future trends in the use of abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons in computer-mediated communication, November.

Curtis Gans, director, Center for the Study of the American Electorate, and SPA: predicted that turnout on Nov. 7 would exceed 2002 totals and maybe even the 42.1 percent voter turnout in 1982, USA Today, November.

Joshua Goldstein, professor emeritus, SIS: was interviewed by USA Today on how female soldiers are making history and headlines for their heroic deeds as part of the U.S. military, December.

Allan Lichtman, history, CAS: was interviewed regarding Gerald Ford’s presidency by Bloomberg Television, Canadian Television Network, CNN Headline News, and MSNBC, December.

Pamela Nadell, history and Jewish studies, CAS: was interviewed by the New York Times regarding the vote by the highest legal body in conservative Judaism to allow the ordination of gay rabbis and the celebration of same-sex commitment ceremonies, December.

Gemma Puglisi, SOC: discussed the Jon Benet Ramsey story, Fox News Channel’s The Big Story, August.

Jeffrey Schaler, SPA: was interviewed by Agence-France Press about American smoking regulations and policies, December.

Richard Semiatin, Washington Semester Program: spoke about voter turnout in the midterm elections on WAMU, November.

Christopher Simpson, SOC: was interviewed regarding the reason for the relative safety of American journalists compared with many of their peers throughout the world, Voice of America News Review, December.

Leonard Steinhorn, SOC: was interviewed by WTTG Fox 5 News regarding the importance of President Gerald Ford during the Cold War, WTTG Fox 5 News, December.

James Thurber, director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, and SPA: discussed issues facing the new Democratic majority and congressional relations over the next two years, WAMU’s The Diane Rehm Show, November.

Shalini Venturelli, SIS: participated in a State Department international Web chat “Role of Information Technology in Development,” November.

Emilio Viano, SPA: was interviewed on the 2006 congressional elections on CNN; NBC; Voice of America; Telemundo; and on Radio City, (Quito, Ecuador); Radio Sur, Radio Mitre, Radio 10, Radio La Red (Argentina); Canal RCN Noticias and Noticiero TV Hoy, (Bogota, Colombia); Noticiero Latino Atlantico, Radio Guado, Horizonte Latino Radio Network, and Hispanic Talent, U.S.A., November.