The first Brown Bag Lecture in the College of Arts & Humanities for the new academic year at SUNY Fredonia will explore the university’s ongoing commitment to civic engagement with a panel discussion devoted to the topic, “Integrating Scholarship, Teaching and Public Service,” on Wednesday, Oct. 7, noon, in room S121 of the Williams Center.
Three SUNY Fredonia professors will comprise the panel, including: David Rankin, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, and new director of the Fredonia Academic Community Engagement (FACE) Center; Emily Straus, assistant professor of History; and Emily VanDette, assistant professor of English and coordinator of Service Learning.
Dr. Rankin will discuss research and programs that address civic engagement, along with strategies to develop and facilitate related initiatives across the campus community. Dr. Straus, who is preparing a book manuscript, “Race, Schools, and the Death of the Suburban Dream: Compton, California, 1933-2001,” will offer research findings related to her book project. Dr. VanDette will speak about the intersections of service-learning and academic inquiry, paying special attention to the possibilities and implications of integrating research, service and student learning in the Humanities.
In addition to focusing on their respective areas of interest, each panel member will explore theories and practices of engaged scholarship, drawing upon examples from their research and classrooms, and also discuss his or her own participation in service-related initiatives and the Fredonia Academic Community Engagement (FACE) Center.
Dawn Eckenrode, reference/instruction librarian at Reed Library and a participant in many civic-engagement projects, will moderate the discussion.
The Brown Bag Lectures, sponsored by the College of Arts & Humanities and supported by the Convocation Committee, feature new creative and scholarly work by SUNY Fredonia faculty and are held on the first Wednesday of the month, October through May. Each program is free and features a 30-minute presentation and brief discussion, followed by refreshments. All campus and community members are welcome.
