Monday, February 2, 2009

Events, Meetings, Opportunities, OH MY!

Welcome to Spring 2009 Semester at SF State University!
There is a lot going on already! I will be updating this post with events for the month of February. Items listed here are also on the Fledgelings Calendars.

First up, this Thursday there are two important meetings:
  • The Linguistics Program Meeting – for all new and returning graduate students, takes place this Thursday, Feb 5, from 12:00 - 12:45 in Humanities 203 (the Graduate Reading Room).
  • Immediately before the Linguistics Program Meeting this Thursday, the LGSA will be kicking off the semester with its first public meeting, from 11:30 - 12:00, also in Humanities 203. We will get to know each other, discuss our plans for the semester, as well as schedule fun events with the first one to be happening very soon! This meeting is for all Fledgelings, anybody interested in linguistics, or if you just want to drop in and say hi and see what we're all about. You do not need to be in the Linguistics program or an LGSA member to attend! Future LGSA meetings will be occuring on the first Thursday of each month, from 11:00am, - 12:00pm, in HUM 203.

Some great entertainment happenings as well:

  • A ONE NIGHT ONLY Special Performance: Word For Word's More Stories by Tobias Wolff. This Sunday, February 8, starting at 7:00pm, at the McKenna Theater (Creative Arts building). Discount rate for students! $10 tickets can be purchased by stopping by the Box Office (in the Creative Arts building). $12.50 per ticket online, here.
  • Special potluck dinner, immediately before this Sunday's performance. The Lit/Comp dept will be hosting this event, from 5:30pm - 6:45pm in Humanities 294. Afterwards, we will all walk to the theater together to enjoy the 7:00pm Word for Word performance. Special dinner guests James Boyd (former chair of the GLA!) and the rest of the Composition instructors, as well as Harriet Rafter, whom so many of you have turned to for help in the English department. This is a GREAT opportunity for linguistics, composition, and literature students to meet and mingle! If you are interesting in attending and contributing, please let us know – leave a comment here or drop us an email at fledgelings at gmail dot com.
  • Drinks + BATS Improv, with English Department's very own Dr. Whalley! On Sunday, February 22, starting at 5:30pm at the Horseshoe Tavern at 2028 Chestnut St. for drinks and conversation. This will be a great time to chat with MA TESOL students and faculty. After drinks, we will walk together to BATS improv to see Dr. Whalley and the rest of the troupe preform in a comedy improv performance! $5 at the door with student ID. BATS Improv is at Ft. Mason, starting at 7:00pm-9:00pm. For more information or to RSVP, send an e-mail to Keith Anderson at keith-and at hotmail dot com.

Conferences and other Academic Opportunities:
  • One of our own, Chris VanderStouwe, will be presenting his paper, "Restoring Tradition or Protecting Civil Rights: The Media's Discursive Role in the De-legitimization of Same-Sex Marriage through Coverage of Proposition 8" at this year's Lavender Languages and Linguistics Conference. On February 13th, Chris will also be attending the special seminar "Is 'Hope' Enough? Anticipating the LGBTQ Discursive Landscape of the Obama Administration." The goals of this discussion panel are to identify how the Obama administration is constructing its queer-related policy arguments vs. its campaign trail rhetoric, and to discuss effective ways to invoke those arguments and address issues such as: employment rights and ENDA, the "marriage" issue, "Don't Ask Don't Tell," to develop a research agenda for lavender language inquiry that will allow scholars/activists to speak more directly to LGBTQ issues under the new administration, as well as many other issues. If you have feedback, comments, questions, or concerns that you would like Obama's team to address in regards to LGBT Discourse, Chris will be glad to bring these to the discussion at American University. You can send him an email at chrisv at sfsu dot edu.
  • There is a Pre-Doctoral Program Workshop for junior, senior, and grad students. It will be held on Friday, Feb. 27th, from 2:00pm - 3:00pm, in Humanities 587. Campus coordinator Dr. William Christmas will be presenting this opportunity. The California Pre-Doctoral Program supports the doctoral aspirations of CSU students, particularly those who have had educational and economic disadvantages, and aims to increase the diversity of the pool from which the CSU draws its faculty. Each applicant selected as a Pre-Doctoral Scholar will work closely with a faculty sponsor to develop a plan that leads to preparation for and enrollment in a doctoral program. If you are interested in attending the workshop, please RSVP by emailing Dr. Christmas at xmas at sfsu dot edu. Final application deadline is March 30th, 4pm, Humanities 289. More info about the Pre-Doctoral Program can be found here: http://www.calstate.edu/PreDoc/
  • The University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies is pleased to announce the Garifuna Language Summer Institute to be offered in La Ceiba, Honduras from May 10 - June 19, 2009. The Garifuna Summer Institute provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to acquire proficiency in Garifuna, an endangered Afro-Indigenous and Caribbean language. This six-week intensive immersion course will familiarize students with modern Garifuna language and culture through classroom study and excursions to local sites. Students will take 6 credits of Beginning Garifuna (LAS 4956) and 3 credits of Garifuna Culture (LAS 4956/LAS 6938). The Institute is a FLAS-approved program. The application deadline is March 16, 2009. Non-UF students are encouraged to apply. Additional program details, as well as information on how to apply online, can be found at: http://www.latam.ufl.edu/academic/Content/GarifunaSummerInstitute.pdf.
  • The Graduate Research Competition deadline is coming up! February 18th is the last day to submit your entry. Click here for more information about the Graduate Research Competition.
  • Registration and Fellowship Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 LSA Linguistic Institute, this summer at UC Berkeley. Click here for more information about the 2009 Linguistic Institute.
There's a lot of opportunity out there folks! If you have anything else to add, please let us know. Thanks!

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