Fall 2014
THE UPDATE
College of Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts Newsletter
You Have to Show Up
CoLLege of Humanities, soCiaL sCienCes and arts – faLL 2014
THE UPDATE contents
4
6
features
9
03
Guest Speaker: Jill Carol
04
Alumni Review: Ronnie Allman
06
Festival of Felt
08
25 Under 35
09
Professor Profile: Josephine Durkin
12
Graduate Profile: Mary Couzelis
13
NEH Seminar Series
13
Fulbright Award
13
Mural Dedication
14
Humor Encyclopedia
14
Getting Published
15
Upcoming Events
8 2 | College of Humanities, Social Sciences, & Arts Newsletter
Literature and Languages
Dr. Jill Carroll speaks at TAMUC
On April 4th, 2014, we were fortunate enough to receive the visit of a truly world-class speaker. Dr. Jill Carroll received a PhD in Religious Studies from Rice University in 1994 and directed the Boniuk Center for Religious Tolerance at Rice until 2009. Dr. Carroll’s numerous publications range widely from the hard-core academic prose of The Savage Side: Reclaiming Violent Models of God, based on her dissertation, to the romance novel Quail Fried Rice, passing by the self-help book Stop
the Crap: Six Lessons to Get Your Life Back. An engaging, lively and yet profound speaker, Dr. Carroll gave two lectures on our campus: first she addressed an audience of TAMUC students from the Gender Studies program and later she presented the plenary talk at the Model Arab League. Her message of tolerance and respect across religious philosophies, resonated well with both audiences, who were delighted by her presentations.
Texas A&M University-Commerce www.tamuc.edu | 3
art
The Storyteller Alumnus Ronnie Allman recently submitted a short film to Project Greenlight, the incredibly popular directing contest helmed by Oscar winners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Most people would be intimidated by the odds, but Allman is definitely not one of those people. He has every reason to be confident. Looking for inspiration, Allman ran across Ron Howard’s competition, Project Imaginat10n, and decided to enter. The result was “Filter,” a love story set in a post-apocalyptic world where everyone has to wear gas masks. With only a year and a half of filmmaking experience, Allman won. He was off to New York to meet Howard and a host of celebrities, pick up his prize and be christened a legitimate filmmaker. Allman’s “after graduation” story is something many of our students dream about. 4 | College of Humanities, Social Sciences, & Arts Newsletter
College of Humanities, Social Sciences and arTS – Summer 2014
Art
“I have a lot of ideas and not enough time to do them all.” He even admits it is a bit like a fairy tale. The Rowlett native took an internship in San Francisco straight out of his undergraduate program and translated that into a job as an art director for an advertising firm. “There are lots of characters here. Nobody is really from here like people are from Texas. Everyone seems to be passing through. I call it a transit city. And there are lots of stories to tell,” said Allman “I have a lot of ideas and not enough time to do them all.” But he certainly is going to try. In addition to his Project Greenlight film, Allman is working on music videos and writing short stories. Allman says that he would like to eventually open his own production company and change the industry. Ronnie graduated from the Texas A&M University-Commerce with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Direction. He currently works at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. View his award-winning film, “Filter,” and find out about his other upcoming projects at ronnieallman.com. Texas A&M University-Commerce www.tamuc.edu | 5
Mass Media, Theatre and Communications
University Hosts First Puppet Festival
A Festival of Felt
T
his spring the university hosted its first Puppet Festival, a 90-minute show featuring live puppet performances interspersed with video of puppet performances from earlier in the semester. The show, which was the brainchild of Kelly Switzer, assistant professor in the theatre department, was the final in her puppetry class. “I had no idea what to expect. As I told the students from day one, they had complete control—and complete responsibility,” Switzer said. “They pitched ideas, wrote the plays, built the puppets, designed the advertising, took care of all the technical and managerial needs and cleaned up each night.”
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Still, Switzer had high hopes for the class. Her syllabus explains that the class is an introduction to puppetry as a global art form.
“Puppetry, by its very nature, is global and ancient,” Students could expect to explore puppetry techniques and styles from around the world and to be challenged to see puppetry outside of the familiar.
Mass Media, Theatre and Communications
“Puppetry, by its very nature, is global and ancient,” Switzer said. “Yet I knew what most of my students would be familiar with was the work of Jim Henson and puppetry as educational entertainment for children. I wanted to shake them up a bit and show them how puppetry exists in different parts of the world and what puppetry can express.” Switzer says that she is proud of her students’ initiative and ability to work as a team. The Puppet Festival, which played for a full audience for each of its shows, is expected to return so that more students can have the experience. “The Puppet Festival will be back. This will become a two-year revolving course, and the festival, completely executed by the students from the ground up, will remain the capstone.” Switzer began dabbling in puppetry five or six years ago. Like many puppeteers, her background was in something completely different and, as she puts it, she “just got sucked in.” Switzer worked with Bobbindoctrin Puppet Theatre and Ornery Theatre, producing original works in Houston. She will be directing one of her original puppet shows, “Cthulu: A Puppet Play,” at A&M-Commerce in the fall.
Texas A&M University-Commerce www.tamuc.edu | 7
Mass Media, Theatre and Communications
Alumnus Nominated to “25 Under 35” In April 2014, Editor & Publisher recognized Tommy Felts as one of its “25 Under 35,” a list of young journalists reinventing the newspaper industry. Felts, the 2003-2004 editor of the university’s newspaper, The East Texan, is now the managing editor of The Ottawa Herald in Ottawa, Kansas. “My time at Texas A&M University-Commerce set the foundation for my work as a versatile journalist and editor and eventually helped lead me to being named to Editor & Publisher magazine’s list,” Felts said. “As editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, I was allowed freedom to grow, experiment and learn the ins and outs of a newspaper in the microcosm of a college environment. That meant writing news and sports stories, opinion columns, editorials and entertainment reviews, as well as editing other students’ articles, drawing editorial cartoons, shooting photos, designing pages, helping pull newspapers from the university’s press and even
8 | College of Humanities, Social Sciences, & Arts Newsletter
delivering copies around campus. The lessons of campus politics, group dynamics, crisis management, dealing with authority figures and related controversies, and handling unexpected and traumatic deaths in the community all served me well as a working editor today. “I also was fortunate to have the wisdom of numerous guides along the way. Fred Stewart shepherded me through my early leadership roles, tapping me to take the reins of The East Texan, as well as aiding me in my service as vice president of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, headquartered out of the Commerce campus. In addition, numerous ethical dilemmas faced during my post-college years have been solved, in part, thanks to what I learned in Dr. Lamar Bridges’ rather grueling journalism ethics and history courses. And Hannah Barton gave me priceless instruction on layout and computer graphics that helped fuel my passion for design.”
Art
Josephine Durkin
“You Have to Show Up” All of Professor Josephine Durkin’s students receive a list of galleries and museums they must visit. There is a simple lesson in her list: “You have to show up.” What she means is that becoming an artist is about becoming a part of a community. “Looking at art drives you to want to make art,” said Durkin. With training from the Lorenzo di Medici School of Art in Florence, Italy, and a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Yale University, Durkin came to teach in the A&M-Commerce art program in 2006. The budding designers and sculptors under her tutelage learn from her example. She shows up in a big way. “Every other Saturday there is a gallery opening somewhere in the Metroplex,” Durkin said. “I try to get out to an exhibit whenever I can . I’m
often supporting friends.” Sometimes those friends return the favor and show up as guest judges for her students’ 3-D Fashion Show here on campus. She knows it is not always what her students have in mind when they sign up for a 3-D design class. In one class she asks students to choose two objects to recreate in miniature using only white paper. The project is inexpensive, and it forces each student to focus on craft. “I’m interested in turning students into problem solvers,” Durkin said. In the fall Durkin will (continued on page 10)
Texas A&M University-Commerce www.tamuc.edu | 9
ART
“You Have to Show Up” turn her problem solvers to “The Rolling Dog Project,” initiated by Jerry West. “He creates these sort of wheelchairs for disabled dogs out of PVC, nylon straps and plastic wheels. I thought, ‘Here’s an opportunity for students to use shop tools and maybe figure out a better design in the 3-D class,” she said. In addition to her work with West’s project, she
supports Operation Kindness in North Texas and runs 5Ks that benefit animals. When Durkin needed an art assistant in her studio this summer, her connections in the local art community came through. John Frost, whom Durkin had been paired with at the Museum of Modern Art at Fort Worth, recommended one of his top students, Harrison Lin. As
“Looking at art drives you to want to make art,” 10 | College of Humanities, Social Sciences, & Arts Newsletter
Art
Highlighter 4a, 2014, Hollow plastic cast, paint, 14 x 16 x 4 in.
dedicated as his mentor, Lin drove from Dallas to Commerce every day for two weeks and worked in the studio for seven hours—without pay. Still, the 18-year-old was compensated with a whole new skillset and a piece of art, making him a better artist and collector. Durkin is tireless in her own artistic contributions. Her work has appeared in a steady stream of solo and group exhibitions Harrison Linn from Canada to Austria to Italy to London and all over the United States. Her recent work with the Dallas Contemporary—including her sculpture “There Within Reach”—garnered the attention of director of exhibitions, Erin Cluley, who recently announced her departure from the Dallas Contemporary to open her own gallery in Trinity Groves in Dallas. Durkin is among the first artists to exhibit in the new gallery. “This is the kind of opportunity I’ve been working toward,” said Durkin.
Flora 5, 2013, sewn digital prints on photo rag, Color-Aid paper, latex, acrylic and pastel on paper 43 x 49 in. (unframed), 48 x 54 x 2.5 in. (framed)
Chit Chat: Lavish Design in Dallas, Panel Discussion on Art, Fashion and Design at the Dallas Contemporary. (Feb. 22, 2014) Artists Josephine Durkin, Angella Scott and Megan Adams Brooks. Moderated by Maxine Trowbridge of PaperCity Magazine.
The Erin Cluley Gallery will open to the public with a reception on Sept. 13, 2014, from 6-8 p.m. Find out more at erincluley.com. Learn more about “The Rolling Dog Project” by searching on Facebook. Operation Kindness is online at operationkindness.org. Durkin currently teaches 3-D Design, Sculpture, Contemporary Issues in Art and Video in Art. View more of her work and find out about her upcoming events at josephinedurkin.com.
Texas A&M University-Commerce www.tamuc.edu | 11
Literature And Languages
Mary Couzelis Part of Literature and Languages’ 100%
comparable programs around the country. “One of the big draws for me was the concentration on children’s literature. The focus on ideology was really important in my scholarship and in my teaching.” Couzelis says that doctoral students are pushed by the faculty to get involved in their fields of research. Those same faculty members also go a long way in making graduate students feel like they are valued as a part of a community. She was able to sit in on presentations of several new faculty candidates and was asked for feedback from the search committees. “You’re not ‘just a grad student,’” Couzelis said. “You are a colleague.” Though Couzelis has a strong resume, she recognizes how fortunate she was not only to secure a job straight out of her program, but to get one teaching in her specialty. To encapsulate her experience in the program, she said, “Four years can go by fast in a place that you love.”
Even in an extended recession, the university’s literature and languages department can claim a 100 percent placement ratio for doctoral students. Mary Couzelis, who defended her dissertation this spring, was hired as a tenure-track professor of children’s literature at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md. “In our program, we get exposure and experience. We get to work with a diverse range of students, including many who are non-traditional. We also get to teach both composition and literature courses,” said Couzelis, noting that this is not typical of
Mary Couzelis (center), her dissertation advisor, Professor Susan Stewart (right) and one of her dissertation committee members, Professor Karen Roggenkamp (left)]
Music
Music Graduates Accept Positions Four of the music department’s fall 2014 graduates have accepted positions and assistantships in some of the most prestigious music programs in the country: • Bret Ryan, trombone, Southern Methodist University • Alex Castro, bass trombone, Texas Christian University • Dorian Scott, euphonium, University of Arkansas • Carlos DeLeon, euphonium, University of North Texas Congratulations to all of our Lions! 12 | College of Humanities, Social Sciences, & Arts Newsletter
College of Humanities, Social Sciences and arTS – Fall 2014
NEH Seminar Series
Professor Ford Selected Dr. Judy Ford, professor and head of the history department, has been selected to participate in the National Endowment for the Humanities seminar series. Ford will attend “Tudor Books and Readers: 1485-1603,” a five-week program held at the PlantinMoretus Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, the University of London’s Senate House Library and the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Library. The seminar will be co-directed by Drs. John N. King, of The Ohio State University, and Mark Rankin, of James Madison University. The 16 teachers selected to participate in the program each receive a stipend of $3,900 to cover their travel, study and living expenses.
History Professor Awarded Fulbright Congratulations to Dr. William Kuracina, professor of history, who has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct research in India. Kuracina joins a prestigious roster of Fulbright Scholars who travel abroad to increase mutual understanding of the citizens of the United States and other countries.
MURAL DEDICATION
The university’s art students are adding a little more beauty to a few of the walls in downtown Commerce. Through a partnership between the university, the City of Commerce and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, downtown Commerce will receive three custom murals.
The first (pictured above) was dedicated on July 25, 2014, with more than 200 in attendance for the ceremony. Dr Pepper Snapple Group also surprised one of the student artists, Suzanne Miller, with a $500 tuition scholarship.
Texas A&M University-Commerce www.tamuc.edu | 13
Literature And Languages
Encyclopedia of Humor Studies by Christine Sheehan
Generally, when one thinks of “humor” one thinks of clowns, comedians such as George Carlin or Robin Williams, or of practical jokes and slapstick. Seldom does “Dean” come to mind. In this respect, CHSSA own’s Dean Attardo is the exception. Dr. Salvatore Attardo, recently edited the Encyclopedia of Humor Studies, published this year by Sage Publishing. Almost one thousand pages in length, the two-volume opus was authored by more than two hundred contributors, world-wide experts on topics ranging from musical humor to satire, and from parody to the humor of different societies (from the Ancient Greeks to the Chinese, from the American Indians, to the Ancient Babylonians). Attardo is no stranger to being quoted in the press, but even he has to acknowledge that the recent mentions of his work in the Chronicle of Higher Education, in Slate, and in the New Yorker’s blog (which labeled the Encyclopedia a “sledgehammer” of a work) are a pleasant surprise. “Humor research has matured into a respectable field” said Attardo, contrasting this to his own start in the field 30 years ago, when young scholars were discouraged from pursuing an interest in humor studies. “Nowadays, there are several journals and books series for scholars to publish in,” said Attardo. But when I asked if he himself is funny, Attardo paused before saying that he thinks he is, but everybody else disagrees.
Author Pat Carr
Workshop on Getting Published “I write to get published. I don’t write for pleasure,” author Pat Carr told a group of faculty members and students at The Mayo Review’s annual writing workshop coinciding with the launch of the journal. Having written more than a dozen books and over 100 shorter works, Carr was not emphasizing the joylessness of writing. Instead, she challenged the workshop attendees to consider the business of writing as something that is done with an audience in mind. Carr led the group of writers in creating the bones of a publishable story—one that they could possibly send to each of the publications on the list Carr provided to them at the end of the workshop. “The story you begin today, you will be able to publish,” Carr said. “If you want to get published, you have to send out your work.” Every year the editor of The Mayo Review invites one or two writers to read their work during the launch party for the literary journal. Invited authors also present creative writing workshops and contribute work for the journal. To find out more about The Mayo Review, log on to themayoreview.com or search for it on Facebook. Learn more about Carr’s work at patcarrbooks.com. 14 | College of Humanities, Social Sciences, & Arts Newsletter
College of Humanities, Social Sciences and arTS – Fall 2014
Upcoming Events 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, 2014
The Royal Roar Union Station in Dallas
The Royal Roar is an annual gala to honor our most generous benefactors. The evening includes the induction ceremony for the Donors Giving Society. To find out more, please contact the Texas A&M UniversityCommerce Office of Institutional Advancement at 903-886-5712.
7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, 2014
Music Concert Finney Concert Hall
Music Building A&M-Commerce The concert will feature the A&MCommerce University Singers, Chamber Singers, Chorale, and Men’s and Women’s Chorus. Laura Maxwell will provide piano accompaniment, and Dr. Randall Hooper will direct. To find out more, please contact Hooper at Randall.Hooper@tamuc.edu.
3rd Annual
Veteran Appreciation
6 p.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014 Rayburn Student Center This year’s veteran appreciation event will be in conjunction with the Alumni Association’s Air Force ROTC Reunion. It is designed to be a celebration of all of our veteran students, faculty, staff, alumni and their families. It is open for everyone to attend! If you would like to know more, contact Veterans and Military Services at veteransservices@tamuc.edu. Texas A&M University-Commerce www.tamuc.edu | 15
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THE UPDATE
College of Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts
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