UToledo CAL eNewsletter

CAL News and Events

October 2023 – Issue 28

NEXT ISSUE: November 2023

CAL HOMECOMING HIGHLIGHTS

Rocket Marching Band performing during the 2023 UToledo Homecoming Parade

UToledo's 2023 Homecoming festivities included a number of noteworthy items involving the College of Arts and Letters. This year's CAL Distinguished Alumni Award went to Patricia Levey (’72 English). She spent her career as a graphic designer and production artist, a creator of large-scale fabric hangings for public and corporate buildings, and as an active volunteer. Levey is currently the co-chair of the Art in Public Places Committee for the City of Toledo.

At the Homecoming Gala, Barbara Floyd, a CAL grad (’80 Journalism, ’82 History, ’89 Public Administration), received the Blue T Award for her outstanding service to UToledo and its alumni.

On Saturday, the Department of Geography and Planning held an open house with alumni to celebrate its 60th anniversary. More than 50 attended and several department alumni were feted. Visit the Geography and Planning website for highlights. Watch a video of GEPL photos from throughout the years.

See more University Homecoming highlights online.

MIKHAIL LECTURE TO FEATURE NPR'S LEILA FADEL

Lebanese American Journalist Leila Fadel, a host of NPR's Morning Edition and podcast Up First

Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.

UToledo Law Center, McQuade Law Auditorium

Join us also for a free, public reception before the lecture (5-5:45 p.m.)

Lebanese-American Journalist Leila Fadel served as National Public Radioʼs (NPR)

international correspondent based in Cairo, covering the wave of revolts in the

Middle East and their aftermaths. Fadel was awarded the Lowell Thomas Award

from the Overseas Press Club for her coverage of the 2013 coup in Egypt. In 2016, she was named the Council on Foreign Relations Edward R. Murrow fellow. Fadel's series "Muslims in America: A New Generation," in collaboration with National Geographic, won the prestigious Goldziher Prize in 2019.

NOTE: This event will also be livestreamed! Visit the website for details.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FACULTY PUBLISH TWO IMPORTANT NEW MONOGRAPHS

Two assistant professors in the English Department have recently published books with leading university presses. Dr. Joseph Gamble’s "Sex Lives: Intimate Infrastructures in Early Modernity" (University of Pennsylvania Press) explores some of the most ordinary but least discussed elements of everyday life: intimate encounters and experiences as represented in great literature and casual writing alike.

Dr. Joey S. Kim’s "Romanticism and the Poetics of Orientation" (Edinburgh University Press) treats lyric poems by William Blake, Lord Byron, Felicia Hemans, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and others in a startling new light, showing that the unstable conceptual relation between East and West pervades these works, pushing readers to think about familiar poems in entirely different ways.

Sex Lives:

Intimate Infrastructures

in Early Modernity

by Joseph Gamble

Department of English Language and Literature

Romanticism and the

Poetics of Orientation

by Joey S. Kim

Department of English Language and Literature

CAL PSYCHOLOGY B.A. ALSO NATIONALLY RANKED

The undergraduate degree in Psychology joins the program's graduate degree in clinical psychology as a nationally-ranked B.A. We are so proud of the faculty of the program whose hard work made this ranking possible.

UTOLEDO JAPANESE PROGRAM STUDENTS AWARDED NATIONAL BRIDGING SCHOLARSHIPS

UToledo Japanese program students Phoebe Buggy and Torrence Smith

Two students from the UToledo Japanese program, Phoebe Buggy, a political science major, and Torrence Smith, a university studies major, have been selected as the Bridging Scholar recipients for the 2023-2024 academic year. An Cheng Chung, chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures says, "This is an incredible achievement for them, as this is a highly competitive national scholarship offered by the US-Japan Bridging Foundation."

CAL STUDENTS' GLOBAL EXPERIENCES

If the student stories we have to share this month have one thing in common, the word would be "global." Two students had amazing study abroad experiences and a Libyan student compares and contrasts the rights of women in her country and the United States.

Jenna Pittman majoring in history and education at UToledo

Undergraduate Research in Action

Jenna Pittman, an undergraduate student majoring in history and education, received a UToledo undergraduate research grant. This summer, she used it to conduct primary research in Berlin, Germany for her honor’s thesis. The working title of her thesis is: "Echoes of Freedom: Bruce Springsteen's 1988 Concert in East Berlin and its Impact on the Social and Political Climate of the GDR." She will receive her master’s degree in spring 2024 and plans to start graduate school for history beginning fall 2024.

Finding Community Abroad

As part of the UToledo Rocket Kids Program, English major Allyson Givens taught the children of U.S. military stationed in Brunssum, Netherlands. Allyson is majoring in English and Young Adult Education. She says her community overseas included more than just the other UToledo students. "The children I took care of surprised me with their unique and vibrant personalities every day,” Allyson said. “Outside of work, I found a home in my placement community and made connections with locals I will never forget.”

Women's Rights in Libya vs. US

Nabaa Ali, a dual major in women's and gender studies and in biology, is interning with local women's advocacy group Women of Toledo. Recently she shared her story and experiences on the organization's blog. She shares how her internship has had a huge impact on her. Her story is worth a read.

Ali's Women of Toledo blog

UPCOMING EVENTS

Did you know the University has a new calendar system? The University-wide calendar is being phased out in favor college-specific calendars. The College of Arts and Letters has its own calendar. It is available online at utoledo.edu/al/calendar. Please bookmark it! If you have a CAL event to share, you can also share it there by clicking on the Submit Event link on the page.

Each event below links to its calendar event online when you click the event's title.

THURSDAY

OCT. 05

BANNED BOOKS VIGIL

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Health and Human Services Bldg. Room 1711 A-B

FRIDAY

OCT. 6

BLAZE PIZZA FOR CAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Enjoy delicious, made-to-order pizza to support the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) Alumni Affiliate Scholarship Fund.

2 - 9 p.m at Blaze Pizza

3332 W. Central Ave

SATURDAY

OCT. 07

BANDS OF AMERICA (BOA) REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

All Day, UToledo Glass Bowl Stadium.

Tickets required

SATURDAY

OCT. 07

FILM SCREENING "STONE STREET"

by late filmmaker Elspeth kydd, a former UToledo film professor

7:30 p.m. in the Center for Performing Arts Center Theatre. Tickets Required

MONDAY

OCT. 09

GREAT DECISIONS IN FOREIGN POLICY: LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS

Speaker: Charles Beatty-Medina

5:30 p.m.

Toledo Lucas County Public Library, Main Branch in Downtown Toledo

WEDNESDAY

OCT. 11

UTOLEDO WIND ENSEMBLE

7 p.m.

University Hall, Doermann Theatre

THURSDAY

OCT. 12

MARYSE AND RAMZY MIKHAIL LECTURE

Featuring NPR's Leila Fadel

5 p.m. Reception, Law Center

6 p.m. Lecture, McQuade Law Auditorium

THURSDAY

OCT. 12

OPENSPOT THEATRE

Written by and Starring Actors with Developmental Disabilities

5:40-6:40 p.m.

Center for Performing Arts, Room 1043

THURSDAY

OCT. 12

UTOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

7 p.m.

University Hall, Doermann Theatre

FRIDAY

OCT. 20

FILM SCREENING "ALLER TAGE ABEND"

(End of Days) by guest filmmaker Simon Huber

7:30 p.m.

Center for Performing Arts Room, 1039

SATURDAY

OCT. 21

FALL CHORAL CONCERT: Reflections on Mental Health

7 p.m.

University Hall, Doermann Theatre

MONDAY

OCT. 23

GREAT DECISIONS IN FOREIGN POLICY:

WAR CRIMES

Speaker: Megan Mattimoe

5:30 p.m.

Toledo Lucas County Public Library, Main Branch in Downtown Toledo

TUESDAY

OCT. 24

RESERVOIRS OF SPOONS: DISABILITY AND ACCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

with Guest Disability Studies Speaker,

Darcy Furlong

4:30 p.m.

Carlson Library, Room 1005

WEDNESDAY

OCT. 25

WOMEN AND GENDER STUDIES (WGST) STUDENT RESEARCH SHOWCASE

“Crisis Pregnancy Centers: A Liberal Feminist Analysis” with Stormy Hogle

“Socioeconomic Impacts on Abortions in Egypt” with Sarah Atallah

3 p.m.

University Hall, Room 4280

SATURDAY

OCT. 28

2023 UTOLEDO HIGH SCHOOL CHORAL FESTIVAL CONCERT

5:45 p.m.

University Hall, Doermann Theatre

SUNDAY

OCT. 29

DOROTHY MACKENZIE PRICE PIANO SERIES with Sylvia Wang

3 p.m.

Center for Performing Arts, Recital Hall

WEDNESDAY

NOV.1

WOMEN AND GENDER STUDIES (WGST) FEATURING FEMINIST FACULTY SERIES

"Women’s Activism in Developing Countries and the International Women’s Movement"

Faculty Presenter: Asma Abdel Halim, Ph.D.

"Legal Issues Facing Transgender People"

Faculty Presenter: Jessica Knouse, JD, LL.M.

4-5:30 p.m.

Carlson Library, Room 1005

PARKING

A visitor parking permit is required to park on campus for most events. Check event details. Visit parkutoledo.com to purchase a parking permit.

MORE EVENTS

CAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

PUBLISHING AND CREATIVE WORK

Jim Ferris (Disability Studies Program) co-edited the recently published "Palgrave Handbook of Disability and Communication," examining the interconnection between disability and the discourse that makes it meaningful.

Mysoon Rizk (Department of Art) presented a lecture at the close of the exhibition "Friends, Neighbors & Distant Comrades: Selections from the Moore Collection of ’80s NYC Art" at the Frederick Layton Gallery in Milwaukee, WI.

Eric Zeigler (Department of Art) had an essay published by the Dark Mountain Project. He co-authored the work with fellow photographer Aaron M. Ellison. In the essay, "After the Fire," the pair document their travels to Nevada's Great Basin. According to the Dark Mountain Project website, they sought "to gain a deep time perception into the effects of fire on the natural world. Crossing fire-scarred lowlands and snow-shrouded passes, they contemplate how photographic processes old and new might grant us access to the perspectives of birds, insects, and ancient trees."

Dan Compora (Department of English Language and Literature) published a journal article, "Michigan's Monsters" in Contemporary Legend, and a book chapter, "Nowhere Is Safe: Suburban Terror in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street,' 'Shocker,' and 'Scream,'" in "A Critical Companion to Wes Craven" (Rowman and Littlefield). https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666919073/A-Critical-Companion-to-Wes-Craven

Andrew Mattison (Department of English Language and Literature) published a journal article, "Shakespeare, Steevens, and the Fleeting Moon: Glossing and Reading in Antony and Cleopatra," in Shakespeare Quarterly. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/8/article/902095

"Resisting Anti-Asian Racism in Public-Facing Work and Teaching," a chapter by Joey Kim (Department of English Language and Literature) was published in "Scholars in Covid Times," edited by Melissa Castillo Planas and Deborah A. Castillo (Cornell University Press).

Dustin Pearson (Department of English Language and Literature) gave a reading at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center.

AWARDS

Jeanne Kusina (Department of Women's and Gender Studies) has been named a 2023 Donald H. Wulff Diversity Fellow by the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education. In awarding the fellowship, the committee noted that Kusina "demonstrated potential for innovation and excellence in DEI-related work.

CONGRATULATIONS

Dan Hammel (Department of Geography and Planning) has accepted the position of acting vice provost for graduate affairs at UToledo.

For a complete list of recent achievements, visit our website.

MEDIA APPEARANCES

WTOL 11: Experts Weigh in on Potential Economic Effects of Unprecedented Big Three Strike

David Black (Department of Economics) explains how a prolonged strike against Stellantis, GM and Ford could impact the local economy.

Washington Post: How Protesters Bake Political Rebellion Into Mooncakes

Chelsea Griffis (Department of History) explains how bake sales were used to fund the suffrage movement as early as the 1860s.

The Blade: Under Pressure: Many Factors Can Induce a Panic Attack. Here’s How to Cope

Peter Mezo (Department of Psychology) explains panic disorders.

WTOL 11: How Will the Shutdown Impact Americans?

Sam Nelson (Department of Political Science and Public Administration) discusses the potential effects of a looming government shutdown, which was averted with a last-minute deal.

For more faculty media appearances, visit our website.

UTOLEDO COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS