Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies Newsletter Fall 2023
Edited by Stacey Horton, MA-IS GA
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Fifth Annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference and Imani Perry: Remembering History, Writing about the Forgotten
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In the Fall Semester of 2023, ETSU hosted the 5th Annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference, the first in-person meeting since the 2020 pandemic. The conference was attended by over three hundred people, many attending events beyond the keynote speaker. The workshop activities and panels supported the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion by actively involving participants by inviting questions in open forums and encouraging a “listening” atmosphere.
After a brief introduction by former MA-IS student, Tolulope Adeusi, Dr. Imani Perry walked onto the Culp Center auditorium stage carrying her notes in hand. She looked at them infrequently, instead meeting the scrutiny of the audience without hesitation, drawing all of us with the lure only a master storyteller possesses. She carried the heart message of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the tale of a young slavegirl, a possible ancestor of hers, tying together the links of the American experience with the South and its tumultuous history and the totality of the human experience. From my own perspective, no one left the auditorium without reflective expressions or questions to ask the author who received all of them warmly.
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Were you able to attend the DEI Conference in September?
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SPRING 2024
- Anthropology 5037: Old World Archaeology
- Cross-Disciplinary Studies 5017: “Ecofeminism: Nature, Gender, Culture”
- Appalachian Studies 5907: Appalachian Foodways
- English 5957: Special Topics: The Origins of Fantasy Literature-- Romance Epic
- Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 5957: Special Topics: Performing Arts and Medicalized Bodies
- History 5957: Special Topics in History: Digital History
- Social Work 5347: Environmental Justice in Social Work
- Cross-Disciplinary Studies 5317: Applied and Professional Ethics
- Communication 5327: Popular Communication
- History 5030: Studies in World History - Women in Africa
- Public Management 5750: Public Financial Management
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Almost There: Exploring a Current Graduate Thesis with Lydia Githinji
Lydia Githinji
In going forward with the MA-IS newsletters, let’s take a moment to celebrate those who are on the cusp of their degree. Lydia Githinji, a current MA-IS student, has recently completed her thesis defense and graciously allowed us to share her topics. She writes this:
“Topic: The impact of entrepreneurial narrative and biblical women stories on formative education: a situated study of Kenyan women in the global diaspora.
“Motivation:
“The motivation behind my endeavor to pursue this topic is because my mother was an entrepreneur with no formal education. However, she managed to build a successful cereal business that served 4 generations even when the odds in the form of cultural barriers were against her. She practiced religion and faith in her entrepreneurial venture. She instilled and inculcated biblical principles in me such that they continue to shape my moral and career compass as they empower me to navigate difficult situations in my life. (Resilience, risk-taking, patience, negotiation, and leadership skills among others)
“It is a phenomenological study in a bid to understand the lived experiences of Kenyan and Kenyan-American female entrepreneurs and how biblical narratives and stories of strong female role models shaped the entrepreneurial journey of participants during their formative years.
“In my research study, I am exploring the influence of entrepreneurial narratives and biblical women stories on the formative education of Kenyan women in the global diaspora. By investigating the potential impact of these narratives, I am seeking to provide insights into how they may shape the educational experiences and aspirations of this specific demographic, contributing to a deeper understanding of the interplay between culture, entrepreneurship, and education.”
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How long did it take you to finish your thesis or special project?
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MALS No Longer-- Welcome to MA-IS!
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“So, what exactly is liberal studies?” A question every liberal studies degree holder has heard and has attempted to answer. In response to this, the Cross-Disciplinary Studies Department has decided to change the graduate degree name. Program coordinator and department head, Dr. Jill Leroy-Frazier (pictured, center front) says:
“As of Fall 2023, the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies name changed to the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. This is for two reasons: first, our recruiting research showed that in many cases, prospective students are unsure what "liberal studies" means, and sometimes do not realize that MALS is an interdisciplinary graduate program that allows wide flexibility in terms of how they can combine different fields of study to suit their academic, professional, and personal goals. (Many times we've heard potential applicants say, "I didn't realize ETSU had an interdisciplinary master's program.") Second, we have future plans to broaden the scope of the graduate program to enable students more easily to incorporate, for example, STEM and professional coursework into their programs of study as well. We'll begin the process of program revision very soon.”
In making the name change official, the department hopes to offer a greater number of students more opportunities to create degrees that will help them reach career and personal goals. Let us know what you think of the name change in the poll below!
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Do you think the name change will create better understanding?
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Research Showcase
To showcase our MA-IS student work, the Cross-Disciplinary department will be hosting a research showcase. This event will be hosted on Zoom on December 5th from 5 to 6 pm. If interested, please respond below and a Zoom link will be sent to you.
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Would you be interested in attending the MALS 5000 research showcase on December 5th from 5-6?
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Looking for books? Here’s what our staff and faculty suggest. |
Dr. Chad Harris
50 Concepts for a Critical Phenomenology by Gail Weiss. We are naturally predisposed to go through life not thinking much about what we take for granted and thematize for “easiest” access to the processes of daily life. Phenomenology “seeks to uncover the taken-for-granted presuppositions, habits, and norms that structure everyday experience” (back cover). When phenomenology is critical, it takes as its ongoing project intersubjectivity as it relates to power structures, and each of the 50 chapters in this edited volume takes up an aspect, term, or idea in critical phenomenology to both complicate and illuminate the relationships between the first-person and fact that none of us are constituted in a vacuum.
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Stacey Horton
Harlan Renaissance by William Turner. The book, in Turner’s own words, shifts away from the traditional “antiseptic” discourse concerning Appalachia. Turner’s dry wit and spot-on observational style of writing remained engaging throughout its entirety, giving a new perspective on the Black experience in Appalachia. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy cutting humor and who are looking to expand their knowledge concerning Black Appalachia specifically in the mid-20th century.
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Thomas Hilton
Looking for God in the Suburbs by James Hudnut-Beumler. This text explores how increasing white suburbanization during the 1960s forever changed American mainline Protestantism: attendance at older churches in city centers dwindled, and numbers at evangelical suburban Protestant churches eventually rose. This is a great book for anyone interested in U.S. religious history and how race and class dynamics play into Protestant denominational change over the years.
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Updates on our recent graduates!
Tolulope Adeusi has been admitted into the ETSU Applied Sociology Master's Program where she will continue her research.
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Job Opportunity
The Beck Cultural Exchange Center is searching for a full-time, temporary project archivist!
Description taken from Beck Cultural Exchange filing: “This full-time project archivist position is integral to the completion of Cherished Institutions
“Project: Digitizing the History of Education of the Black Community in Knoxville, Tennessee grant. Beck’s community-based archive of Black history and culture is irreplaceable and inhouse digitization is safer for our collection and its needs. The project archivist will oversee the project, preparing fragile objects for digitization and assist with the hands-on digitization work, including minor digital clean-up. The archivist will ensure data fixity, create derivative materials for online access, and add these materials to the online archival catalog as well as advise on any potential minor conservation work. Along with additional duties required within the archival collection and as assigned by the President with oversite by the Beck Archivist.”
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CALL FOR PAPERS
After leaving campus, the thought of searching out calls for papers or research can seem daunting. But your voice, your thoughts, and your opinions concerning your content area are still crucial! Only you are capable of adding your flavor of uniqueness to academic conversation, and in order to continue any sort of meaningful conversation, there must be multitudes of contributors. Linked below is a useful resource for a call for papers database from the University of Pennsylvania, helpfully recommended by Dr. Julie Fox-Horton.
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Focusing on Gender and Diversity Studies Concentration
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Are you an alum and want to have your profile included in our next newsletter? |
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Click any option below so we can email you and create a profile for our next newsletter!
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Contact Info
Dr. Jill LeRoy-Frazier, MA-IS Graduate Coordinator; Professor and Chair, Division of Cross-Disciplinary Studies; leroyfra@etsu.edu, (423) 439-5678
Dr. Julie-Fox-Horton, Archival Studies Graduate Certificate Coordinator; Associate Professor, Cross-Disciplinary Studies; foxhorton@etsu.edu; (423) 439-4223
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