Associate Professor Ryan Cragun co-edited Organized Secularism in the United States: New Directions in Research that has been published by independent academic publisher De Gruyter. Researchers from various fields contributed their answers to questions about the rise and structure of organized secularism in the United States. This book provides insights into organized efforts to normalize the nonreligious worldview and advocate for their equal treatment in society.

Assistant Professor of Sociology Maggie Cobb co-authored " Masculinity under attack: melodramatic resistance to women in combat" published in Critical Military Studies. The study examined narratives of masculinity and resistance to women’s presence in combat through online commentary by mostly men who self-identify as military past and present. 

On Monday, December 18, at Professor of History Terry Parssinen gave an introductory presentation at a special screening of the film "Darkest Hour" at AMC Westshore in Tampa, which occurred prior to the film's public release on Friday, December 22. The film deals with Winston Churchill's leadership of Great Britain from the day that he was appointed Prime Minister on May 10, 1940, through the next several weeks of the war, which included "the Miracle of Dunkirk," as well as Churchill's heated debate within his War Cabinet as to whether Britain should sue for peace with Nazi Germany, or fight on against seemingly impossible odds.

Associate Professor of History Spencer Segalla's book The Moroccan Soul: French Education, Colonial Ethnology, and Muslim Resistance, 1912-1956 is now available in paperback from the University of Nebraska Press. The book, which was first published in 2009, examines the history of the French education system in colonial Morocco, the development of French conceptions about the “Moroccan Soul,” and the effect of these ideas on pedagogy, policy making, and politics.

Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Kathryn Branch co-authored “A Feminist Analysis of Campus Assault Policies: Results from a National Sample (FR-0033-16.R2)” that was published in the Family Relations: Special Issue, Feminist Framing of Sexual Assault on College Campuses: Conceptual, Empirical, and Practical Innovations. 

Branch also participated in the “Campus Responses to Sexual Misconduct: Pausing to Consider the Implications” conference sponsored by the University of Kentucky Center for Research On Violence Against Women. The conference focused on emerging issues relevant to campus sexual violence, including campus climate assessment and investigation/adjudication of sexual misconduct cases.

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Sorle Diih who was honored to participate in the inaugural class of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Special Agent in Charge (SAC) office's HSI Tampa Citizens’ Academy. In September 2017, the ICE-HSI Tampa established a  Citizens' Academy Program to build a strong partnership between their agency and participants' organizations. Graduates of the Citizens' Academy are expected to serve as liaisons between their organizations and ICE/HSI. Diih said "I developed relationships during the training that will benefit UT, especially our students."

Assistant Professor Carly Hilinski-Rosick co-edited Contemporary Issues in Victimology that was published by Rowman & Littlefield. The text examines current topics in victimology and main issues surrounding them. Associate Professor Kaythryn Branch and junior Soriyah Khan contributed a chapter entitled "Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence." 

Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Cedric Michel presented "Cognitive Dissonance Resolution Strategies After Exposure to Corporate Violence Scenarios" at the American Society of Criminology conference in Philadelphia on November 15, 2017. This study used cognitive dissonance as a theoretical avenue to identify factors that might hinder the public’s acceptance of incontrovertible facts about corporate violence.  

Assistant Professor of Education Enilda Romero-Hall's latest publication entitled “ Examining Distance Learners in Hybrid Synchronous Instruction: Successes and Challenges ” is now available open access as part of the latest issues of Online Learning Journal. Romero-Hall co-authored this paper with UT Instructional Design and Technology alumna Cristiane Rocha Vicentini, a doctoral student specializing in literacy and language learning for ESL students in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami. Their paper reports on a case study investigating distance learners participating in graduate-level hybrid synchronous instruction. This research helps inform the design of hybrid synchronous instruction in which face-to-face and distance learners engage in class sessions.

Suzanne Ensmann, assistant professor of education, presented presented her work on “A Game for Change: A Way Home!” at the 2017 Association for Educational Communications and Technology International Convention on Leading Learning for Change in Jacksonville on November 6-10. Her presentation was accepted as one of the High Impact Talks offered for the first time at this conference. Ensmann designed A Way Home!, a game prototype, for teen and adult players to experience injustices children face while navigating a way home. Players learn about the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child Treaty delineating basic rights children should be afforded, like the freedom of expression, and that all U.N. nations have ratified this Treaty, but one. Using real-life difficult scenarios, players determine if it is necessary for that nation to ratify. Upon successful completion of the game, players master learning objectives aligned to national standards. Players earn assets as they improve self-efficacy and partake in civic engagement. Most importantly, Ensmann put the call of action out to move this prototype to the next phase to ultimately engage learners in positively impacting social change.

Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Studies William Myers presented "David and Goliath? A Test of Party Capability Theory in Lower Level Governments," co-authored with Davia Downey, at the Southern Political Science Association on January 4-7, 2018 in New Orleans, LA. He also served as a discussant on a panel entitled "Comparative Politics, Courts, and Democratization."

Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Studies Gyldas Ofoulhast-Othamot's was interviewed by Robbie Corey-Boulet, associate editor at World Politics Review for his piece entitled " Secretive Constitutional Revisions Could Harden Gabon’s Political Divisions." 

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Jonathan Lewallen for receiving a $10,000 grant from the Social Science Research Council for his proposal "Turnover, Agreement, and Dissent in Congressional Committees." Under this grant, Lewallen will collect and analyze data on congressional committee agreement and dissent as expressed in committee reports accompanying legislation from 1995 to 2016 in order to investigate a connection between committee agreement and turnover.

Lewallen's article "Congressional Attention and Opportunity Structures: The Select Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee.” was published in the Review of Policy Research.

Human Rights Day at UT

Associate Professor of Psychology Erin Koterba co-authored " Early Gesture and Vocabulary Development in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder" that was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. This study examined longitudinal growth in gestures and words in infants at heightened risk versus low risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Psychology professors Erica K. Yuen, Erin A. Koterba, Michael J. Stasio, Renee B. Patrick, and Cynthia Gangi co-authored " The Effects of Facebook on Mood in Emerging Adults" that was published in Psychology of Popular Media Culture. Their study examined how Facebook activity affects mood in a subset of emerging adults, specifically undergraduates attending a private 4-year university.