Deadline for Papers: February 14, 2014 

predicate

(n.) - the part of a sentence or clause containing what is said about a subject

(v.) - to make an assertion; to postulate, suppose, assume

Produced by the Georgetown University English Graduate Student Association, Predicate aims to establish a forum for graduate students to share their research and writing: a place to work with other developing scholars.  

For this year’s issue, we invite submissions that investigate the act of reacting. What forms can a reaction take? How do time or historical context shape reactions to literature or events? How can a reaction impact the issue or event to which it responds? What motivates a reaction? Is reacting always a political act?

We encourage papers from all humanities disciplines including, but not limited to, philosophy, history, art history, theology, literature, women’s and gender studies, ethnic studies, and LGBTQ studies.

Submissions should be sent as Word document email attachments to Maria Vrcek (mev37@georgetown.edu) no later than 11:59 p.m. on February 14, 2014. All submissions should utilize Chicago style citation. Please do not include your name in the text of the paper. In the body of your email, include your name, your program affiliation, the title of your paper, and the subject of your paper. Papers should not exceed 6,000 words. Authors will be notified of acceptance and, if appropriate, suggestions for revision by the middle of March.

AFST Majors and Minors: PAID Spring Internships Available with MD Legislators

Maryland state legislators and state legislative candidates continue to
contact POLI and AFST staff about internship opportunities during the legislative session (January-April 2014) or on their campaigns (now until primary election in June or general election in November).

Through a new collaboration, AFST will offer up to three paid internships for AFST majors/minors interested in working for members of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. Juniors and seniors with GPAs of 3.0 and higher may be eligible for academic credit for such internships through the POLI internship program (requires spring enrollment in POLI 448) or through the AFST internship program (requires spring enrollment in AFST 490 for six credits).

The stipends are modest but the experience is invaluable. If interested, please contact Dr. King-Meadows (tkingmea@umbc.edu) or Dr. Hussey (lhussey@umbc.edu) as soon as possible.

·        TOEFL Board Grants

·        TOEFL International Speaker Grants

·        Library and Resource Center Award

·        TOEFL Outstanding Young Scholar Award

GSA annually funds more than 300 UMBC graduate students’ research and travel with an average of $140,000 expended. This graduate assistantship is the project manager for GSA Research & Travel (R&T) including upkeep of the R&T database, coordinating R&T processes, analyzing R&T data, and producing monthly, semester and annual reports which assist the GSA Executive Board’s strategic planning and budgeting processes.

This graduate assistantship requires knowledge of computer databases, website management, project management and systems processes. The position requires design, trouble-shooting, research, and analysis as well as the ability to work alone and on a team. Duties include database management and research on GSA R&T funding.

This position chairs the GSA Senate Travel & Research Committee, working in collaboration with GSA Senators and Executive Board members to create more efficient processes and effective reports. The GA will have a sense of project management to assist with events and long-term projects. The GA in this position should have a background in the following topics: database implementation, project management, decision technology, information management, emerging technologies.

Responsibilities: 65% database and R&T project management; 25% website management; 10% recruitment.

This is a 20-hour/week assistantship including tuition remission, stipend & GA health insurance. Stipends http://www.umbc.edu/gradschool/funding/minimum_stipend_levels.html

Send an application letter, CV, a copy of your UMBC unofficial transcripts, and contact information for 2-3 faculty/UMBC references to Dr. Jenness E. Hall hall@umbc.edu with the subject “R&T GA Position.”

Interviews will commence immediately. Position available January 6. 2014.

For almost a decade, the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) has been telling the stories of inspiring women from American history with its Empowering America program. In 2008, AWMF expanded the Empowering America program to share the stories of these women with middle schools across the country.

In partnership with the Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, AWMF developed educational collateral and put it in the hands of teachers to stimulate and enhance classroom conversations about these female icons, who have pioneered in fields such as science, social reform, public service, sports, journalism, music and aviation. Past subjects of Empowering America programs include Annie Easley, Gloria Estefan, Gabrielle Giffords, Barbara Jordan, Christa McAuliffe, Muriel Siebert, Sonia Sotomayor, and many more.

Submission Requirements: Please submit a proposed script for the video along with a sample of previous video work and letter of recommendation from a professor or media professional. The script must include and incorporate the competition theme, Blazing the Trail: Celebrating the Women of Empowering America, and feature at least four women from the 2013 Empowering America program (booklet available here). Here are some questions to consider:

In what ways have these women influenced the course of American history? What can we learn from them?

What positive qualities do these women possess that could speak to students or future leaders?

How do these women leaders and their legacies continue to impact us today?

We encourage you to look at the 2013 Empowering America booklet to get a sense of the featured women, their accomplishments and their journeys. You are not required to focus on all of the women featured in the booklet, but must include a representative sample.

You must be full‐time undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university. Please include with your submission the following information in its entirety:

Name

College or University, Expected Year of Graduation

Contact Information (mailing address, phone, email)

Copy of a valid student ID

A proposed script/outline for the two to three‐minute video, as described above

A sample of previous video work

A letter of recommendation from a media professor or media professional

Prize: AWMF and Ford Motor Company Fund will select one student winner to receive $5,000, payable to the winning student’s educational institution upon completion of the video. All production expenses are incurred by the student.

Selection: The script, sample video and recommendation along with any collateral are due December 16, 2013. A panel consisting of representatives from AWMF and Ford Motor Company Fund will choose the winning student. The winning student will be notified by December 20, 2013 with production to occur in December 2013/January 2014. The final video must be completed and received by February 20, 2014 and must include an AWMF‐provided tag line. The video must be cleared for the uses noted below. We will launch the video as part of our Women’s History month initiative.

The winning video will be posted on the AWMF web site for use by middle schools across the country, as well as incorporated into the Empowering America program wherever possible.

The video will be prominently distributed and displayed on AWM’s and social media outlets.

Determinations of appropriateness will be made in the sole discretion of AWM and Ford Motor Company Fund.

Application materials will not be returned to the student.

Employees of Ford Motor Company (sponsor), their subsidiaries, affiliates, and immediate family members are not eligible for the contest. Void where prohibited.

• Presents information on Asian Americans and individual Asian ethnic groups that provides comprehensive overviews of the respective groups
• Includes special topic entries that contain source information regarding major historical events
• Comprises work from a truly outstanding list of contributors that include scholars, journalists, writers, community activists, graduate students, and other specialists
• Expands the boundaries of Asian American studies through innovative entries that address transnationalism, gender and sexuality, and inter- and cross-disciplinarity

• Alien Land Laws
• Asian American Gay and Lesbian Movement
• Asian Americans and Affirmative Action
• Asian Americans in Hollywood
• Asian Indian Women in America
• The Chinese Confession Program
• Chinese Railroad Workers in America
• Japanese American Transnational Families
• Korean Cuisine in America
• Multiracial Asian American Families
• Multiracial Coalition after the Los Angeles Civil Unrest of 1992
• Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
• Parachute Kids
• Ronald Takaki
• The Yellow Brotherhood

Dr. Christine Mallinson has recently co-authored a new book, We Do Language: English Language Variation in the Secondary English Classroom (Teachers College Press, 2014).
 
The publisher’s website notes, “We Do Language builds on the authors' highly acclaimed first collaboration, Understanding English Language Variation in U.S. Schools, and examines the need to integrate linguistically informed teaching into the secondary English classroom. The book meets three critical goals for preparing English educators to ensure the academic success of their students. First, the book helps educators acquire a greater knowledge of language variation so they may teach their students to analyze the social, cultural, and linguistic dimensions of the texts they read in class. Second, the chapters provide specific information about language varieties that students bring with them to school so that educators can better assist students in developing the literacy skills necessary for the Common Core State Standards. Third, the text empowers educators to build their linguistic awareness so they may more fully understand, respect, and meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. We Do Language features concrete strategies, models, and vignettes, as well as classroom materials developed by English educators for English educators. It is essential reading for anyone interested in learning about the role that language plays in the experiences of students, both in secondary and postsecondary environments.”
 
Professor Shirley Brice Heath of Stanford University writes in an endorsement to the book, “Full of advice and support for walking hand-in-hand with students into imaginative ways of understanding the realities of language variation, this book is pure joy for teachers and college counselors. Even more important is the guarantee that when these educators embrace the humanity and philosophy so touchingly illustrated by the authors, the intrigue of thinking deeply about speaking, writing, and reading is sure to follow for students." 

To find the book on Amazon, please visit: http://amzn.to/1cZY0fH