News from the School of IAS
Jennifer Atkinson presents at Washington Climate Assembly
IAS faculty member Jennifer Atkinson presented her work on climate anxiety at the Washington Climate Assembly. Washington state residents are taking climate matters into their own hands as 90 members of the public join the country's first climate assembly to develop a comprehensive community-based climate plan. Representing every congressional district in the state ...
March 4, 2021
Becca Price receives PALM Network fellowship
IAS faculty member Becca Price and her colleague Christina Morra (University of Alabama) have received a fellowship from the PALM Network, an NSF-funded community that promotes teaching with a evidence-based, inclusive practices. Price will be mentoring ...
March 2, 2021
Helen K. Thomas: Young adult books connect Black girls globally
A fan of young adult fiction, Helen K. Thomas explored the genre in the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies program and now is researching the books' global appeal with a Fulbright in Nigeria. Although the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, Thomas plans to start her nine-month Fulbright this spring, leading reading circles with teen girls in Lagos, Nigeria. “My goal is to see how these books create a greater sense of agency in the Nigerian girls’ sense of their future, and then also to see how reading these books creates a stronger sense of community and interest in other Black girls around the world,” Thomas said.
March 1, 2021
Karam Dana on “Learning Matters: A Bridge to Practice” podcast
IAS faculty member Karam Dana was a guest on the “Learning Matters: A Bridge to Practice” podcast hosted by Scott Macklin from Trinity Western University in British Colombia. In the podcast episode addressing global connections, Dana describes his research, and its power in transforming our understanding with regard to studying Palestine and Palestinians, and with regard to the study of American Muslims ...
February 26, 2021
David Nixon’s class inspires students long after it ends
Students recall lifelong inspiration from the Discovery Core course Music and Philosophy taught by IAS faculty member David Nixon since 2008. Over the 13 years, Nixon’s course has undergone many changes, but it has always been about assisting students in personal growth by teaching skills rather than facts. Alumni Sarah Park and Kyle Piper discuss the course’s impact on their lives...
February 25, 2021
Becca Price publishes annotations to biology education research
IAS faculty member Becca Price and her colleague Clark Coffman (Iowa State) have published another set of annotations that introduce scholars to biology education research. The original paper (by Sana et al.) tests the effect of presenting learning objectives to students before they begin to study new material. The annotations ...
February 24, 2021
Cultural Studies prepare diversity officers
Graduates of the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies (MACS) program lead cultural change — a skill more organizations are seeking after witnessing widespread protests against racial injustice. Many employers are now looking for diversity officers to lead that change, and hiring for such positions increased more than 90% since 2019, LinkedIn reported. “What’s strong about the Cultural Studies preparation is that it understands this is long term social and cultural change — changing the way people work and do things,” Bartha said. “The curriculum of the Cultural Studies program thinks about the dynamics of organizational change as well as community accountability and helps people know that ground.” Along with the position of diversity officer, MACS graduates carry out similar work as artists, educators and activists.
February 23, 2021
David Goldstein awarded Fulbright to teach in Japan
IAS faculty member David Goldstein is headed to Japan. Goldstein received one of eight Fulbright awards given to U.S. scholars to teach U.S. studies in Japan for the 2021-22 academic year. He will teach four American studies courses in fall semester and ...
February 23, 2021
Learning about lakes prompts public action
Why study a lake? Information lends important insights into ecological and human health. Students in IAS faculty member Avery Shinneman’s course on inland waters partnered with King County and Lake Advocates to make changes in the world — despite having to do the work remotely. Supported by a grant from WaterWorks, the students were able to create educational tools designed to inform the public on what they can do and what they should refrain from doing to help improve water quality.
February 23, 2021
Ching-In Chen’s “Asking for Blue” inspires new single by Claire Michelle
IAS faculty member Ching-In Chen’s hybrid work, “Asking for Blue,” inspired a new single by singer-songwriter Claire Michelle as part of the Bushwick Book Club Seattle, which matches musicians with writers. Chen and Michelle’s work was featured as part of this ongoing collaborative series, in which Bushwick Book Club Seattle musicians create original music inspired by the writers’ work published in the 2020 Jack Straw Writers Anthology. You can listen to “Asking for Blue” and ...
February 22, 2021