Congratulations to our faculty for their recent publications and achievements.
Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies Dr. Douglas Cremer鈥檚 essay, 鈥溾�榃alking Together鈥�: Can Racism Be Overcome by a Post-Secular Spirituality?鈥� was recently published in . The article is a preview of the book he鈥檚 completing, Antiracist Leadership: A Spiritual Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to be published by Palgrave Macmillan. In his essay, Dr. Cremer contends that 鈥渢he continuing power of racist ideology threatens liberal democracy鈥� and explains that we need to 鈥渟ee this ideology clearly in order to choose a proper response and then act accordingly.鈥� He lays out a four-point approach to dismantling racism, including 鈥渢he reimagining of 鈥榖lackness鈥� as a source of life and spirituality鈥� and engaging a 鈥減ost-secular spirituality鈥攂ased on the work of Pope Francis鈥攖hat emphasizes the importance of protecting our common human dignity, of caring for each other, and of 鈥榳alking together.鈥欌��
Adjunct professor of Writing and Political Science Dr. Laila Dahan had her chapter accepted for publication in , edited by Chris Shei and James Schnell. Entitled 鈥淣ostalgia as False Commemoration: How US Conservatives and White Supremacists Mind Engineer through Dog Whistle Politics,鈥� the chapter focuses on the messages that U.S. politicians and white nationalists convey to their supporters through dog whistles. Because the propaganda effect of the dog whistles appeals to people’s subconscious anxieties and desires, this type of coded language has the effect of brainwashing or mind-engineering its listeners. The chapter advances the concept of nostalgia, using research from the social sciences and psychology, to show how dog-whistle politics is a tactic used by both conservative politicians and white supremacists to garner support and power. By applying a simplified form of critical discourse analysis, the study evaluated speeches, tweets, media recordings, and publications. The results shed light on how dog-whistle politics operate in the current political climate and the tactics employed to further its objectives.
Dr. Sam Sambasivam, chair and professor of Computer Science in Data Analytics, was appointed to the editorial/review team for the聽聽and as an Editorial Board member of Mathematics and Computer Science at聽. Always looking to聽enhance聽his own professional development,聽Dr. Sambasivam聽is also participating in the “Self-Awareness as Your Superpower: A Certificate Program for Department Chairs” facilitated by . This program emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in effective leadership, an invaluable skill he is eager to develop further. Additionally, he has聽recently completed the Deep Learning Professional Development Intensive for Educators course in collaboration with Stanford University, , and . This course covered a range of topics including deep learning fundamentals, advanced architectures, and discussions on AI ethics and policy.
Public Safety and Administration adjunct faculty Dr. Paul Chavez will be presenting two proposals at the American Probation and Parole Association’s (APPA)聽national conference in February 2024 entitled 鈥淚mproving Employee Retention in the Law Enforcement Workplace鈥� and 鈥淧olicies Impacting Officer Wellness.鈥� He is also awaiting a publication for APPA on 鈥淧olicies Impacting Officer Morale.鈥� Dr. Chavez says these are important topics because 鈥渓aw enforcement wellness is a major issue that increases their workload while impairing their long-term health. Besides physical injuries, officers also face emotional trauma when their workdays are done.鈥�
Participating adjunct faculty of Writing Dr. Linda Dove recently won the 4th American Literary Award from Miju Poetry & Poetics, a bilingual Korean-American publication from the Korean Poets Society of America. Dr. Dove鈥檚 poem 鈥淭he Lark鈥� was selected through a competitive submissions process to win a cash prize as well as publication in the journal.
聽鈥淭he Lark鈥� is based on a line from the poem 鈥淟ullaby of the Onion鈥� (鈥淣anas de la Cebolla鈥�) by mid-20th-century Spanish poet Miguel Hern谩ndez, whom Dr. Dove first learned about from her friend, the Los Angeles-based artist Enrique Mart铆nez Celaya, which she credits as an example of how the cross-pollination of the arts should ideally happen.
Dr. Dove will read her winning poem at the journal release event in Koreatown in May, along with a speech about poetics and the creative process.
Last Updated February 13, 2024