Boston College Professor to Discuss “Desiring Whiteness”
Professor Kalpana Seshadri-Crooks, assistant professor of English at Boston College, will discuss “Desiring Whiteness: Racializing Desire” from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 26 in the University Center Faculty Lounge.
Prof. Seshadri-Crooks is the author of Desiring Whiteness: A Lacanian Analysis of Race (Routledge, 2000).
“Reaching beyond the narrow boundaries of the constructionist problematic, Seshadri-Crooks brings fresh insight to the workings of race and racism, and—importantly—to the ways they negotiate the psychical and social disruptions introduced by sexual difference,” wrote Joan Copject in a review. “Historically and theoretically informative, this book aims to serve as a useful primer to various positions on race, even as it offers its own forceful correctives to them.”
Professor Seshadri-Crooks’s talk is being sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies in the Americas (CELASA), Latin American studies, the philosophy department, ethnic studies, the psychology department, the modern & classical languages department, and the politics department. For questions, contact Annmarie Belda at (415) 422-6543 or Eduardo Mendieta at (415) 422-6313.
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Conference Takes Unique Look at Race Relations
The conference, “Passions of the Color Line: Emotion and Power in Racial Construction,” will be held March 3-4 in the Handlery Room on the Lone Mountain campus.
“At the broadest level, the inspiration for this conference is W.E.B. DuBois’ claim that the problem of the 20th century will be the problem of the color line,” said co-organizer David H. Kim, an assistant professor in the department of philosophy. “While much has changed since DuBois’ prophetic utterance, race will nonetheless continue to be a complicated issue well into the 21st century. There are so many facets to this vexing problem, but this conference aims to examine head-on some of the difficult personal, existential, and spiritual problems involved in race relations.”
The conference, unique for its integration of race and emotion theories, will showcase the interplay between human emotions and political power in U.S. race relations. The hope is to spark discussion that may help to eliminate the problem of the color line, Kim said.
The titles of the four keynote presentations are: “On the Emotional Coolness of Reparations”; “Some Emotional Issues and Racism”; “The Very Idea of Ethnic Identity: Some Conceptual Problems”; and “Reason Beyond Rationality: Thoughts on Fanon’s Effective Affect.”
For more information, contact Kim at (415) 422-5067 or conference co-organizer Abrol Fairweather at (415) 422-5833.
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De La Soul Platinum Album Added to KUSF Collection
 KUSF 90.3 FM has been honored with a platinum record by Tommy Boy Records for support of the first De La Soul album, “3 Feet High and Rising.”
“It took the band a long time to get platinum status for their album,” said KUSF Program Director Lisa Yimm. “We are very pleased that they remembered KUSF for helping discover them and featuring their album.”
The platinum record includes a citation that reads “Presented to KUSF-90.3 FM to commemorate RIAA certified sales of more than 1,000,000 copies of the Tommy Boy Music album, cassette, and CD.”
KUSF adds the honor to a group of gold and platinum records from groups like the Bangles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the B-52s, and REM.
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USF Joins Effort to Recruit Science Teachers
The University of San Francisco has joined with San Francisco State University, the Exploratorium, and the Bay Area Teacher’s Center to provide resources to train and attract science teachers.
When the Glenn Commission issued the results of a year-long study of science and math education last fall, the report—titled “Before It’s Too Late”—confirmed that there is a significant need for more well-trained science teachers to work in grades K-12.
To help close that gap, the four Bay Area organizations have come together to address the need for qualified science teachers in California. The key to this effort is a science methods class to be taught at the Exploratorium, which is known for its innovative science exhibits and programs.
In an unusual arrangement, teachers in their final semester of training at USF and SFSU will take the course through San Francisco State but meet at the Exploratorium. Beginning in this month, the science methods course will help pre-service teachers learn how to teach science to middle school and high school students. It will be taught by SFSU professor of secondary education Kathleen O’Sullivan and scientist Linda Shore, PhD, adjunct faculty member at USF and head of the Exploratorium’s Teacher Institute.
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Students Launch Web Magazine
 After a semester of learning the ropes of publication and design, communication studies students have launched the first issue of LIT magazine on the Web. The magazine is a creation of the publication design and editing class, which seeks to teach students the steps in creating a magazine, from formulating story ideas to conceptualizing layout and design. The finished product includes stories on Internet pornography use, a profile of a heroine addict, the latest technology on e-books, and the effects of hate crimes on homosexuals. You may review LIT magazine online.
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Center for Pacific Rim Sponsors “Gateways of Power”
The Center for the Pacific Rim has assembled an internationally acclaimed group of East Asian scholars and religious leaders for a March 2 symposium titled “Gateways of Power: 21st Century Religion and Ritual in China, Tibet, and Japan.”
The event is co-sponsored by the theology and religious studies department, the UC-Berkeley Institute of East Asian Studies, and the Japan Society of Northern California.
“This symposium will bring together scholars and representatives from several major religious traditions in East Asia,” said symposium chair John Nelson, associate professor of theology and religious studies. “Our attention will be focused on the ways in which some of East Asia’s most long-lived religious traditions are actively engaged in the contemporary moment, both adapting to and even influencing both subtle and dramatic sociocultural change.” Following the panels and keynote address, the symposium will close with a series of ritual performances. There will be a Shinto ritual of purification, a Tibetan Buddhist blessing, a prayer/chant to Amida Buddha from within the Japanese Pure Land tradition, and a prayer or rite widely practiced within China’s Christian communities—all open to audience participation. Each ritual will be conducted by one of the invited priests or ministers serving as panelists.
“With these representative rites, we hope the ‘Gateways of Power’ symposium can go beyond being merely an academic enterprise,” Nelson said. “The closing session will attempt to evoke a spirit of tolerance and pluralism, providing a first-hand encounter with some of the ways in which religious traditions are practiced, as well as the influences they can exert, in contemporary East Asian societies.”
For more information, contact the USF Center for the Pacific Rim at (415) 422-6357.
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New Edition of Peace Review Released
The latest issue of Peace Review, an international journal edited by University of San Francisco faculty, was completed this winter.
Lois Ann Lorentzen, professor of theology and religious studies, and Eduardo Mendieta, assistant professor of philosophy, served as special editors for the issue, titled “Biopiracy and Biotechnology and Other Features.”
The contributions range from “The Role of Genetic Reductionism in Biocolonialism” by Stuart A. Newman to “Globalization and the Social Control of Genetic Engineering” by Manuel Poitras.
Politics Professor Rob Elias serves as editor of Peace Review; Associate Dean for Arts and Sciences Jennifer Turpin is the senior editor. The associate editors are Bernadette Barker-Plummer, Davis Batstone, Ange-Marie Hancock, Susan Katz, Lorentzen, Esther Madriz, Scott McElwain, Mendieta, Stephanie Vandrick, Michael Webber, and Stephen Zunes.
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Call for Nominations for Teaching Award
The USF Administration and Faculty Association are seeking nominations for this year’s Distinguished Teaching Award. Any member of the university may submit nominations, and self-nominations are accepted. Recipients receive a $2,500 stipend.
The committee chooses recipients based on the quality of the materials submitted for a nomination, not the quantity. Nominees must be USFFA members. As the award is a USF Distinguished Teaching Award, the materials should include achievements at USF and not at other universities. The following materials will be used in determining the award recipient.
— One page personal statement, specifying concrete efforts to advance the university mission directly related to teaching.
— A current copy of the nominee’s resumé.
— Student evaluations and summary analysis.
— Letters and/or testimonials from present or former students, faculty, and administration colleagues (maximum six letters).
— Samples of course outlines, exams, or other pertinent materials (including creative aspects of the nominee’s teaching) from up to three courses. Please select courses to cover the scope of teaching activities.
— Evidence of professional and/or community service relating to teaching.
Materials should be organized according to the categories above and limited to one binder. A loose-leaf binder with tabs denoting these categories is required. Nominations should be sent to Luis Murillo, McLaren 212. Murillo can also be reached at (415) 422-6283, or by email at murillol@usfca.edu. The deadline for applications is March 23.
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