2016 ASAT News

ASAT NEWS AMERICAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION OF TEXAS

ASAT NEWS I ISSUE 1 | VOLUME 1 | FALL 2016

From ASAT President Barbara Miles At the 2014 post-conference officers’ meeting, we capitalized on the success of the event by pledging to promote our chapter and its annual meeting in as many ways as possible.

By post-conference 2015, we had expanded our website (thank you, David Sonenschein), begun using social media and updated our membership records.

This year we added an updated blog feature to our website, thanks to the efforts of Mia Moody-Ramirez (Baylor), who began the work on a chapter newsletter. This is our inaugural issue.

Sharon Gripp and her staff at Baylor continue to do an outstanding job of editing and publishing the Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas (JASAT) annually, which includes academic scholarship of the highest caliber.

Sean Ferrier-Watson (Collin College) joined the staff this year as book review editor, which can only mean good things for the journal.

This year’s goal, in honor of the chapter’s 60th anniversary, is to create a digitized archive of our conference history, beginning with the videoing of this year’s meeting.

Sam Houston State University, with the generous support of its Office of the Provost-Academic Affairs, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Honors College and English Department, has been honored to host the ASAT conference from 2014 to

2016. It has been my privilege to serve as the organization’s president and Conference Coordinator during that time. Whether our campus hosts the event again in 2017, or it is held at another Texas college or university, do not miss the opportunity to participate in future meetings. They offer a lively forum for discussion of diverse thought in the field of American Studies.

Other ways to support the organization’s efforts include membership in ASAT and submissions to both JASAT and this newsletter.

These publications offer opportunities to widely promote your academic efforts and those of your university’s AS programs and faculty.

For more information, visit www.asatexas.org.

Sincerely, Barbara Miles, Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas ASAT President & 2016 Conference Coordinator

Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D. ASAT News Editor Excitement is in the air as we prepare to attend the 2016 American Studies Association of Texas (ASAT) conference.

Members of the ASAT newsletter staff are looking forward to sharing the inaugural issue of the publication. ASAT President Barbara Miles has informed us it will be catalogued by EBSCO, which also catalogues issues of the Journal of the American Studies of Texas (JASAT).

This is great news for American Studies Association of Texas members as we continue to grow as an organization.

In this first issue of the newsletter, you will find highlights of the upcoming ASAT conference; tributes to Drs. Paul Ruffin and Dan R. Jones, two ASAT colleagues who passed away recently; a feature on JASAT editor Sharon Gripp; the bio of this year's ASAT conference keynote speaker and much more!

We are excited about the upcoming 60th Annual American Studies Association of Texas (ASAT) Conference, which will be held Nov. 1012 at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville.

This is my fifth year to attend the annual conference—two of which have been held at SHSU. It is always wonderful to catch up with colleagues.

As always, Barbara Miles, the 2016 ASAT conference coordinator and ASAT president, has done a wonderful job planning the event.

This year's conference theme, "Intersections of Innovation, Ideology, and Imagination in American Studies,” is ideal for the 21st Century since it exemplifies goals we strive for as educators in this discipline.

The keynote speaker for this year's

Keynote speaker for this year's conference, Dr. Carmen Tafolla, promises to be a treat. A writer, performance artist, motivational speaker, and university professor, she was chosen as San Antonio’s first Poet Laureate in 2012 and as Poet Laureate of Texas in 2015.

We are all excited about the opportunity to hear her share her experiences as a two-time Poet Laureate and hear her poetry.

I would like to extend a note of thanks to ASAT members and everyone who contributed to making this newsletter possible. Special thanks to Barbara Miles for her vision and ongoing support of ASAT. Secondly, I thank JASAT co-acquisitions editor Cassy Burleson for her continued support of ASAT and the organization in general.

Thanks to ASAT webmaster and photographer David Sonenschein for his dedication to documenting the history of organization. Thanks also to Treasurer Greg Giddings for being the glue that binds the organization together. I also want to thank Sean Ferrier-Watson for submitting several articles to this issue of the publication.

Thanks also to Mayra Monroy, the Baylor Journalism, PR & New Media graduate assistant, who designed and laid out this newsletter.

This issue would not have been possible without this group of people!

As always, I am grateful for Dr. Sara Stone and the Baylor Department of Journalism, PR & New Media for continued support of the American Studies Program.

And last but not least, I extend a special thanks to Doug Ferdon, a longtime ASAT mentor who introduced me to ASAT when I was a graduate student almost 15 years ago. It has been a great adventure. adventure!

ASAT

News

ASAT News Staff Barbara Miles Sam Houston State University, ASAT President Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D. Baylor University, Editor Cassy Burleson, Ph.D. Baylor University, Assistant Editor Mayra Monroy Baylor University, Editorial Assistant Sean Ferrier-Watson Collin College, Book Review Editor David Sonenschein Independent Scholar, San Antonio, Photographer

JASAT Editorial Staff Sharon J. Gripp, Baylor University, Editor Doug Ferdon, Ph.D., Editor Emeritus Barbara Miles, ASAT President, Sam Houston State University Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D. Co-Acquisitions Editor, Baylor University Cassy Burleson, Ph.D. Co-Acquisitions Editor, Baylor University Mayra Monroy, Baylor University, Editorial Assistant Sean Ferrier-Watson, Ph.D. Collin College, Book Review Editor JASAT Editorial Board: Barbara Miles, Sam Houston State University Debra D. Andrist, Ph.D. Sam Houston State University Doug Ferdon, Ph.D. President Emeritus, Baylor University Elisabeth-Christine Muelsch, Ph.D. Angelo State University John Tisdale, Ph.D, Texas Christian University Richard Tuerk, Ph.D. Texas A&M University–Commerce Larry J. Reynolds, Texas A&M University David Sonenschein, Independent Scholar, San Antonio Todd Giles, Ph.D., Midwestern State University

HOW TO SUBMIT TO JASAT: All manuscripts must conform to the APA (American Psychological Association) Style and should be submitted to the Editor, Sharon Griff, JASAT, Department of Journalism, PR & New Media Baylor University, e-mail to: Sharon_k_johnson@baylor.edu or co-acquisition editors: Cassy Burleson, Ph.D. or Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., Cassy_Burleson@baylor.edu, or Mia_Moody@baylor.edu.

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American Studies Association of Texas

Fall 2016

Dr. Carmen Tafolla, 2015 Texas Poet Laureate 2016 ASAT Keynote Speaker

San Antonio native and University of Texas alumnus Dr. Carmen Tafolla will be Keynote Speaker for the ASAT organization’s 60th annual meeting on Sam Houston State University’s campus Nov.

10-12. Dr. Tafolla is a writer, performance artist, motivational speaker and university professor.

She was chosen as San Antonio’s first Poet Laureate in 2012 and as Poet Laureate of Texas in 2015.

Her work appears internationally in textbooks, newspapers, journals and magazines. She is the recipient of the prestigious Americas Award (2010), five International Latino Book Awards, two Tomas Rivera

Book Awards and a Charlotte Zolotow Award for her children’s literature.

Tafolla is also the recipient of the Art of Peace Award, sponsored by St. Mary’s University, for writing which promotes peace, justice and human understanding.

The National Association of Chicana and Chicano Studies recognizes her work as “giv[ing] voice to the peoples and cultures of this land.”

JASAT Excerpts The Love Song of Larry J. McMurtry: The Last Picture Show Full Text Available By: Giddings, Greg; JASAT (Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas), 2013 Nov; 44: 57-64. (journal article), Database: MLA International Bibliography Subjects: alienation; film adaptation; Bogdanovich, Peter.

Wounds of Imperfection: Spirituality and Syncretism in Rilla Askew’s Fiction Full Text Available By: Hada, Kenneth; JASAT (Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas), 2013 Nov; 44: 45-56. (journal article), Database: MLA International Bibliography Subjects: religious beliefs; religious syncretism.

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American Studies Association of Texas

Fall 2016

Paul Ruffin Dead at 74 Compiled from Staff and Collected Reports…

Paul Ruffin, 2009 Texas State Poet Laureate, Texas State University System Regents’ professor and Sam Houston State University’s distinguished professor of English, died at his home in Montgomery County on Wednesday, April 13. He was 74.

Ruffin was founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Review, an international literary journal, and Texas Review Press.

He was a member of the Texas A&M University Press Consortium.

He was also active in TACWT and other creative writing organizations.

His career included the publication of more than 1,500 poems, 100-plus stories, and more than 90 essays in magazines and journals. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and textbooks. He wrote a weekly column that appeared in several newspapers in Texas and Mississippi.

His most recent book, published last November, is “The Time the Waters Rose and Stories of the Gulf Coast.” An article in SHSU’s 2009 alumna magazine, Heritage, described Ruffin as loving football, shooting, riding his tractor, maintaining his truck

Press Awards for ‘Her Texas’ Her Texas: Story, Poems, Images & Song includes the work of 60 contemporary Texas women songsters, poets, creative writers (fiction and nonfiction), artists and photographers. In late March, Texas Press Women awarded the anthology first place in "edited work." The 2015 anthology later won second place in the National Federation of Press Women competition.

Congratulations to co‐editors Donna Walker-Nixon, Cassy Burleson, Rachel Crawford and Ashley Palmer, publisher Bryce Milligan of Wings Press, and all of the contributors who shared their work in the anthology, including Dr. Carmen Tafolla, ASAT’s 2016 keynote speaker.

and doing his own carpentry, electric, and plumbing work.

Former SHSU English Department Chair Bill Bridges said the substantial work Ruffin did in building The Texas Review and Texas Review Press from the mid’70s made them a well- respected cache of literary work.

“His contributions as an editor, publisher, writer and poet will be missed in Texas and throughout the South,” Baylor ASAT member Dr. Cassy Burleson said.

Sarah Cortez, author of "Vanishing Points" (2016), added that Ruffin was a champion of literary writers with polished voices and stylistic integrity within genres.

“Once Paul. trusted your 'writerly' judgment, he trusted your judgment,” she said. “Many people chose to dislike Paul.”

Cortez added, “That's too bad because he had flawless taste and was a brilliant writer in his own right."

Ruffin is survived by his wife Amber and his three children.

American Studies Association of Texas

Fall 2016

JASAT Seeks Book Reviewers As the new book review editor for Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas (JASAT), I would like to invite any interested scholar to write a review.

If you have a particular book in mind, please let us know.

We are willing to consider any book that explores a topic with an emphasis on American history, literature, journalism and/or culture.

Recommended length of book reviews for the publication is roughly 350 words.

JASAT’s current list of books covers many topics, including pop culture, literature, film, history, philosophy, politics, journalism, pedagogy, composition, and cultural issues. It is our hope that this comprehensive list covers a topic ASAT members are researching or might have an interest in studying.

Please share this list with your colleagues and graduate students. As many of you know, book reviews are a great way for graduate students to get their first publication.

Please visit this link to review our book review guidelines: http://asatexas.org/bkreview.html.

Basic membership in ASAT is required to write a review ($25 per year). The deadline each year for committing to writing a review is Feb. 22.

JASAT editors will need completed drafts by April 1.

If you would like to complete a review this year, please email your top three picks to JASAT Book Review Editor Sean Ferrier via sferrier-watson@collin.edu.

-Dr. Sean Ferrier-Watson JASAT Book Review Editor

you would like to Meet JASAT BookIfcomplete Review Editor a review this year, please Ferrier-Watson email your top three picks to sferrierwatson@collin.edu.

Dr. Sean Ferrier-Watson

(Collin College-Plano) was named as JASAT's new book review editor. Ferrier-Watson teaches classes for the Department of English at Collin College’s Spring Creek Campus.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Master of Arts in English from the University

of North Texas. His doctoral degree in English was completed at Texas A&M University-Commerce in December of 2013.

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American Studies Association of Texas

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Professor’s Collaborative Book Wins Big Award

A book edited by Dr. Debra Andrist, Sam Houston State University professor of Spanish, has been selected to receive the South Central 2016 Modern Language Association’s Book Award.

The Body, Subject & Subjected: The Representation of the Body Itself, Illness, Injury, Treatment & Death in Spain and Indigenous and Hispanic American Art & Literature was conceptualized, edited and introduced by Andrist.

The book examines how the body is used as a subject in art and literature by using the “selfie” craze as a metaphor. It is explored through a collection of critical essays on those topics from the Iberian Peninsula, preColumbian American and Hispanic American cultures.

“Hominids have always been obsessed with representing their own bodies,” Andrist wrote for the book’s back cover.

“The first ‘selfies’ were prehistoric negative hand images and human stick figures, followed by stone and ceramic representations of the human figure. Thousands of years later, moving via historic art and literature to contemporary social media, the contemporary term ‘selfie’ was self- generated.”

She and colleagues from SHSU’s Department of Foreign Languages also authored chapters in the book, including faculty members Enrique Mallén and Montse Feu as well as

graduate student Jorge Chavarro, and former pool faculty Norma Mouton.

“The essays reveal critics’ insights when ‘selfies’ are examined through a focused ‘lens’ over a breadth of cultures,” Andrist wrote.

“The result, complex and unique, is that what is viewed— the visual art and literature under discussion, becomes a mirror image, indistinguishable from the component viewing apparatus, the ‘lens.’”

Since 1992, the SCMLA Book Award has annually recognized the best book by a member of the association with a $500 prize.

The book is available in both print and electronic form.

Other books by Andrist and other SHSU collaborators include “Insult to Injury,” which will appear in December, and “S/He: Sex and Gender in the Spanish, Hispanic American and Mesoamerican Worlds,” which will appear in mid-2017.

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American Studies Association of Texas

Fall 2016

ASAT Welcomes New Editorial Assistant The ASAT News staff is excited to have on board Mayra Monroy, who serves as editorial assistant for our new newsletter. Monroy is a first-year graduate student in Baylor’s Department of Journalism, PR & New Media and is new to the Central Texas area.

Monroy graduated from Aquinas College, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a bachelor's degree in communication and journalism/publication studies.

Monroy has interned at Michigan’s No. 1 rated news station, Wood TV 8, and served as editor-in-chief of Aquinas College’s collegiate newspaper, The Saint.

Monroy now works as a digital content producer at Waco KXXV-News Channel 25. She enjoys social media studies and communication theory.

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American Studies Association of Texas

Southwest Popular/ American Culture Association 2016 Conference

Drs. Cassy Burleson and Mia Moody/Ramirez represented the Baylor University American Studies Department at the 2016 Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference.

Burleson presented “Apples Don’t Fall Far from the Tree: Tracing the Trail to ‘Her Texas: Story, Image, Poem & Song.'”

Moody- Ramirez presented “Discourse Analysis of the Top Rachel Dolezal Internet Memes.”

The four-day 37th Annual Southwest Popular/American Culture Association Conference was held Feb. 10-13 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Conference Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The mission of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (SWPACA) is to promote an innovative and nontraditional academic movement in the Humanities

Fall 2016

Midwestern State University Presenters at ASAT

Hannah Redder (right), a Midwestern State University graduate student, presented at the 2015 ASAT conference.

Midwestern State University faculty members and graduate students were active at the 2015 ASAT conference, held Nov. 13-15 at Sam Houston State University. Presenters from the university were:  Hannah Redder, a graduate student in the English program, presented “River Stories: The Brazos and Cultural Identity in Knox County, Texas.”  John Schulze, assistant professor of English, presented his paper titled “Fertile Ground: An Exploration of the German-American Internment Experience during WWII.”  Todd Giles, assistant professor of English, presented “Space Monkeys, Haiku, and Emptiness: The Misguided Zen of Fight Club.”  Greg Giddings, assistant professor of English, resented “Larry Brown’s Joe vs. David Gordon Green’s Film: A Contrast in Masculinities.”

Continued on next page…

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American Studies Association of Texas

Fall 2016

Meet the JASAT Editor

Sharon Gripp JASAT Editor and Social Sciences and to celebrate America’s cultural heritage. The organization aims to provide an outlet for scholars, writers and others interested in popular and American culture, to share ideas in a professional atmosphere, and to increase awareness, and improve public perceptions of America’s cultural traditions and diverse populations.

Several Baylor professors and students from various disciplines attended the conference.

Conference presentations were educational, entertaining and enlightening.

“Attending the conference was a great experience for me,” Moody-Ramirez said. “I hope to return each year.”

Burleson agreed.

“I was particularly impressed with the 19th anniversary of Grateful Dead scholars, who presented many serious academic papers and drew large crowds throughout the conference.”

Sharon Gripp, editor of the Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas, is going on her 11th year of service for the American Studies Association of Texas. She has served as JASAT’s managing editor since 2006.

Gripp is a senior lecturer at Baylor in the Department of Journalism, PR & New Media, which houses Baylor’s American Studies Program.

Gripp is the department’s director of undergraduate studies and director of curriculum. She teaches courses in PR, Editing and Writing for Media Markets.

Gripp is previous managing editor of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice journal, the leading

scholarly journal in entrepreneurship published by Baylor University, 1994-2006.

She also served as editor of two national trade publications in health care for Stevens Publishing (19911994), and as a PR consultant and freelance writer for Ernst & Young and AT&T. She has written numerous articles for national health care publications and continues to work in the health care field. Locally, she publishes Waco Health & Wellness magazine through her company, CBM Publishing.

Gripp’s accomplishments include working at Raytheon Technical Services Company on a multi- billion-dollar government proposal and completing the book, Historic McLennan County: An Illustrated History in 2014.

Gripp is interested in animal rights issues and has assisted in writing grant applications and coordinating efforts among groups to better serve the community. She enjoys reading and writing.

Prepare to attend ASAT 2017 Details posted in www.asatexas.org in January!

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American Studies Association of Texas

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JASAT’s 2017 Call for Papers The deadline to submit a paper or book review to JASAT is April 1-July 31. If your presentation was well-received at this year's conference, please consider submitting it. This is a great way to promote our chapter.

The Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas (US ISSN 0587 5064) is a peerreviewed journal published annually by the American Studies Association of Texas. The purpose of JASAT is to focus interdisciplinary attention on the most important thematic, methodological, and pedagogical issues in American culture. JASAT welcomes manuscripts 15-25 pages long on various aspects of American culture—e.g., history,

literature, popular culture, critical theory, technology, race and ethnicity. We welcome manuscripts 15-25 pages in length on various aspects of American culture, preferably with an emphasis on Texas, the South or Southwest.

ASAT members receive the annual journal as a benefit of their membership. For others, annual subscription rates in U.S. postal zones are as follows: institutions $25; college and university libraries $20; and secondary school libraries $15, students enrolled in appropriate courses, $10 per issue. Teachers should endorse subscription requests. Single back issues, if available, are

$25. Other countries should add $5 for postage. Manuscripts will be accepted at any time, but be aware of issue specific deadlines, usually at the end of April for the November issue. Manuscripts must be sent as an e-mail attachment in Word format.

All manuscripts must conform to the APA (American Psychological Association) Style. They should be submitted to Editor Sharon Griff, JASAT, Department of Journalism, PR & New Media, Baylor University, e-mail Sharon Gripp at sharon_k_johnson@baylor.edu or Mia Moody-Ramirez at Mia_Moody@baylor.edu.

2015 ASAT Conference Baylor University faculty members Macarena Hernandez. Drs. Cassy Burleson, Mia Moody-Ramirez, and Liz Fassih, a 2016 American Studies graduate, presented the following research papers at the 59th Annual American Studies of America (ASAT) Conference, held at Sam Houston State University Nov. 12-14, 2015.    

“Contextualizing Creative Research” by Burleson “Discourse Analysis of the Top Rachel Dolezal Internet Memes” by Moody-Ramirez “The Connotative Differences between Iranians and Persians in the U.S.” by Fassih “Spanning the Decades: An Analysis of Monica Lewinsky’s Image Restoration Strategies during a 2015 TED Talks Appearance” by Moody-Ramirez, Fassih and Macarena Hernandez.

Liz Fassih, is a 2016 Baylor American Studies graduate. Fassih is now enrolled in the Pennsylvania State University Law program.

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In Memory of Dr. Dan R. Jones most natural food

By Sean Ferrier-Watson is fruit” Weekly Newsletter This past April Dr. Dan R. Jones, President of Texas A&M University-Commerce from 2008 to 2016, tragically passed away in Commerce, Texas, to the shock and dismay of his friends and colleagues. Not only did his passing leave a deep void in Texas higher education, but his unexpected death affected my life and my family’s profoundly. Dan was my father-in-law.

He was also my role model in higher education, exemplifying the values I hold dear as a young educator and scholar, particularly his great love and respect for the teaching of literature, history, and writing. Dan was a consummate scholar of American Studies, dabbling in a wide array of subjects, from journalism and history to music and literature. He earned his Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Iowa. He also held an M.A. in English from Rice University and another in American Studies from the University of Iowa.

His love for American Studies knew few bounds and his appreciation for the American Studies Association of Texas is one of the reasons I pursued a role in the organization. ASAT was one of the first true connections I made with Dan. When I presented at my first ASAT conference back in 2012, Dan supported and encouraged me, touting the organization’s reputation for friendliness toward new scholars. When I had an article published in the 2013 issue of JASAT, Dan expressed to me his sense of indebtedness toward the organization and its journal. Before becoming an administrator, Dan taught as an assistant professor at the University of Houston-Downtown, where he published two articles in JASAT and held regular membership in the organization. These articles were

critical in gaining his tenure and by extension establishing his career in higher education.

When going through a few boxes from his office this summer, I found his contributor copies from JASAT and had a chance to read over his articles — “The Fiction of Fact: Journalism As American Art” (1988) and “Madness, Mayhem, and Mystery: the Story of Murder in Texas” (1992). His voice felt remarkably familiar—his choice of diction, the crispness of his phrases, his subtle but strangely direct manner of presenting his points. I knew it so well. It was a voice I loved and admired—the voice of my wife—who is now close to finishing her own Ph.D. in creative writing at University of North Texas.

When reading his article “The Fiction of Fact,” I also realized just how strong a focus we shared in our scholarship. I knew Dan had an interest in New Journalism and the writings of Tom Wolfe and Truman Capote, but I never realized that both of us shared in a mutual fascination with their ability to blur the lines between the real and the fabricated, the expected and the unexpected.

If I had read these articles earlier, before Dan had passed away, I might have asked him about his feelings on the Beats, whether he liked the writings of Jack Kerouac, a contemporary of Capote’s, and a writer that set the stage for New Journalism, but these are conversations Dan and I will never share.

In reading these articles, I discovered a part of Dan I never knew and missed a conversation we never had with each other. I am grateful to JASAT for preserving his ideas in the pages of their journal, and I am glad to serve within an organization that publishes articles by scholars like Dan Jones.

ASAT 2015

American Studies Association of Texas 59th Annual Conference Highlights Speakers, Panels and Musicians Contextualizing Conflict, Culture, and Community was held Nov. 12-14, 2015, at Sam Houston State University.

ASAT 2015 conference attendees had a wonderful time participating in panel sessions and attending special events organized by the ASAT conference committee.

We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the following sponsors: Sam Houston State University Office of Academic Affairs/Office of the Provost SHSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences SHSU English Department SHSU Honors College SHSU Office of Graduate Studies

Contextualizing Art Drs. Cassy Burleson, Cheryl Clements and Tannie Shannon served as panelists for “Contextualizing Art.� They are pictured here with Faculty Sponsor James Duban and his University of North Texas students.

Thank you to the following conference supporters who helped make the conference a success: Dr. Ralph Pease Dr. Jeff Littlejohn Dr. Bob Donahoo Dr. Diane Dowdey Eric Clum Dr. Gene and Maryell Young

Etc. (Photos by David Sonenschein and Mia Moody-Ramirez)

Other activities included ASAT's opening coffee and officers' closing meeting (above right). Jeffrey Littlejohn (left), Associate Professor of History and Director of Graduate Studies at Sam Houston State University, presented the keynote presentation on WWII POW Camp Huntsville.

ASAT 2015 Highlights Continued... e

ASAT Webmaster David Sonenschein documented each conference session and special event.

Attendees enjoyed the “Contextualzing Rhetoric” panel.

Panelists (left to right) James Adams, Ruth Massingill,Tracy Bilsing (Moderator) and Peter Anderson discussed "Meaning from Conflict: International War Poetry.

s

Drs. Cassy Burleson, Tannie Shannon and Cheryl Clements served as panelists for “Contextualizing Art.”

Ruth Massingill participated in the “Contextualizing Gender” panel.

Conference Highlights Continued…

ASAT 2015 included several sessions, a breakfast, evening social and luncheon. Abbey Zink (right), Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Sam Houston State University, welcomed guests.

ASAT 2015 Conference attendees listened to presentations on “Contextualizing Landscapes.”

Abbey Zink spoke at the 2015 ASAT luncheon.

Undergraduates and Faculty Sponsor James Duban from the Honors College at the University of North Texas also attended and presented at ASAT 2015.

UT Austin American Studies Symposium The American Studies department at UT-Austin celebrated its 75th anniversary with a symposium Nov. 3-4.

The keynote address by Maurie McInnis titled, “The Shadow of Slavery in American Public Life,� offered an exploration of this era and its local resonances of slavery.

McInnis addressed the role historical scholarship still can play in public conversations about race today.

She also discussed two projects in Virginia that seek to make visible the history of enslavement, where it had been previously erased from the landscape.

Long-Time ASAT Member Dr. Jerry Hopkins Retires Long-time ASAT member and 2015-2016 ASAT Vice-President Dr. Jerry Hopkins (East Texas Baptist University) has retired in favor of pursuing other life interests.

Jerry was a valued ETBU colleague and was instrumental in the success of the East Texas Christian Writers Conference for many years.

We hope you will enjoy this new chapter of your life, Jerry, but please stay in touch with your ASAT friends!

Long-Time ASAT Member Dr. Jerry Hopkins has retired, but is coming back to ASAT.

American Studies Association of Texas

Fall 2016

EBSCO to Include ASAT Newsletter are currently available as full text.

EBSCOhost is a premium database platform that services the research needs of millions of users at thousands of academic, governmental and military institutions around the world.

Please submit your articles, photos and links to video clips if you would like to be included in the next issue of the ASAT newsletter.

Thank you!

Thanks to ASAT President Barbara Miles, EBSCOhost, a division of EBSCO Industries, has selected the American Studies Association of Texas newsletter (editor Mia Moody-RamirezBaylor) to be included in its database.

Issues of the publication will appear as full text.

Issues of The Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas (JASAT) (editor Sharon Griff-Baylor) from 2006 to present

--Barbara Miles, ASAT President

American Studies Association of Texas Membership There are four classes of individual membership, and one for institutions.

[Street Address] [City], [State][Postal Code]

  

Basic Membership is $25 per year.

Sustaining Membership is $50 per year.

Student and Retired Memberships are $15 per year.

Institutions may join and support ASAT at $50 per year.

Make checks payable to ASAT. Dues can be paid at the annual meeting or by sending a check to...

Greg Giddings, Secretary/Treasurer Department of English Midwestern State University Wichita Falls, TX 76308

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