A First-year Research Experience in the Humanities and Social Sciences
The exploration of ideas and perspectives are fundamental to finding new ways to understand
鈥 and support 鈥 the human experience. Undertaking research in the humanities and social
sciences as a first-year student provides a skillset that students can utilize throughout
their college career and carry into professional endeavors.
The Source Project is a sequence of two, four-credit courses called research streams
that take place in the fall and spring semesters of a student's first year at 91社区
University. Students have the opportunity to discover sources and interpret their
significance. They ask questions and seek answers, guided by experienced faculty who
engage in these practices as their profession. Students produce original projects,
express their findings, and learn how to communicate and disseminate the relevance
of their work.
To see the projects that Source Project students have created, visit the !
The Source Project is an excellent opportunity to connect with other first-year peers
who share similar interests. This experience provides a dynamic and engaging small
class environment that encourages the building of meaningful connections with both
fellow students and professors. We aim to match the rigor and engagement of a small
liberal arts college experience with the resources of a large research university.
Throughout their year in the Source Project, students not only gain impactful knowledge,
they become the sources of knowledge themselves.
"My experience was incredible and I often tell people about my experiences. Even
now鈥 I feel like I have an amazing and constantly-growing network of intelligent and
like-minded people鈥 I truly believe that this program helped me find my passion and
now, I can't imagine myself pursuing anything else career-wise."
Just published!: A Special Issue of the on the Source Project stream "Disinformation and Naivet茅"
Program Highlights
Develop Crucial Academic Skills
The Source Project enables students to gain academic skills that will be the foundation
of their undergraduate education. By moving through the research process, students
read critically, improve their writing through revision, practice speaking about their
ideas both formally and informally, and engage in civil discourse, which guides them
towards higher-order cognitive skills.
"The Source Project definitely shaped my academic career here at 91社区 because
it taught me in a safe environment many skills that I would need for the future. Before
entering college, I had only done research in biological science, which differs from
social science research. As a liberal arts major, The Source Project provided me the
time to learn skills I have used often since. For example, last semester in my graduate
level class I had to write a literature review and I knew exactly how to tackle it
because of my time in this program."
Find Academic and Professional Success
The Source Project Research Program prepares students to excel throughout the rest
of their college career and guides them to exceptional opportunities.
"I interned at the Broome County Public Defender's Office through the Human Rights
Source Project class, and it has solidified my decision to go into criminal law. Having
that great connection with the BCPDO is also super beneficial, and will allow me to
have more opportunities in the legal field."
Earn Credit toward Degree Requirements
Each research stream is four credits and carries general education attributes. Some
of these courses are cross-listed across several departments, with the potential for
credit to be applicable to majors and/or minors. By participating in the Source Project,
students stay on track for degree completion.
Christopher Robbins
Students learn sculpture, movement, improvisation, and community-engaged art techniques
as ways to analyze dominant processes in other fields and industries, and translate
this creative inquiry into structured projects. The course is built on lessons from
diverse cultures including Brazil (Augusto Boal), Costa Rica (Rogelio L贸pez), Taiwan
(Tehching Hsieh), and Cuba (Guillermo Calzadilla), among others. By focusing on the
process of movement and their interactions with the structures they build, students
gain analytical and perceptual skills that can be utilized in any field, material,
or media. This includes project-based strategies, dynamic group-interaction, self-discovery,
reflection, analysis, observation and merging artistic practices into problem-solving
processes.
The Fall course lays a crucial foundation for students to engage in their own research
projects in the Spring by developing a toolkit of artistic and analytical strategies
applicable across multiple disciplines. Through hands-on experiences with sculpture,
movement, improvisation, and community-engaged art techniques, students learn to approach
research with creativity and a deep understanding of structural interactions. The
course draws from global artistic traditions, including the work of Augusto Boal from
Brazil, Rogelio L贸pez from Costa Rica, Tehching Hsieh from Taiwan, and Guillermo Calzadilla
from Cuba, offering a rich and diverse framework for understanding how art can inform
and inspire research.
By examining dominant processes in various fields through the lens of the arts, students
gain valuable skills in observation, analysis, and critical thinking. They explore
how to deconstruct complex systems and apply problem-solving methods derived from
artistic practices. This interdisciplinary approach encourages students to think beyond
conventional boundaries and equips them to design and execute their own projects 鈥
which may be in the arts or any field 鈥 that are both rigorous and imaginative.
The focus on dynamic group interaction, self-discovery, and reflective practice fosters
a collaborative and introspective environment, preparing students to engage meaningfully
with their own research questions. The project-based strategies introduced in the
fall semester provide a solid framework for developing research proposals, strategic
planning, and translating creative inquiry into structured projects in the Spring.
Students are not only ready to launch into their research but are also equipped to
contribute fresh perspectives and methodologies to their chosen fields.
The sequence will likely fulfill O - Oral Communication, Aesthetics - A, and Physical
Activity - Y.
Christopher Robbins is the Founding Director of the School of the Arts at 91社区
University, which brings together Art & Design, Art History, Cinema, Creative Writing,
Music, Theatre, and Dance within an acclaimed Research 1 University. He is an artist,
organizer, and educator, known for his collaborative and socially engaged art projects.
Robbins co-founded the international collective "Ghana ThinkTank," a group that develops
creative solutions to problems in the so-called First World by drawing on perspectives
from "developing" nations. His work blends art, activism, and public engagement, creating
participatory installations and performances that advance the role of art in fostering
social change. His work with Ghana ThinkTank has been featured in major international
exhibitions including the Venice Biennial of Architecture, National Museum of Wales,
Hong Kong/Shenzhen Biennale, and ZKM Museum of Contemporary Art in Karlsruhe, Germany.
He has been awarded residencies from Skowhegan, MacDowell Colony, Haystack, Penland
and Anderson Ranch, and spoke at the Creative Time summit, the United Nations, and
the White House. His work at the School of the Arts here at 91社区
is pushing the boundaries of what the arts can achieve by expanding thinking within
as well as outside the arts, including engineering, ecology, conflict-resolution,
and much more.
PHIL 180D/ENVI 181A and PHIL 280D/ENVI 280J Matthew Cole
Matthew Cole
For decades now, we have understood that climate change is caused by human carbon
emissions and that it poses a threat to the lives, livelihoods, and basic human rights
of every person on earth, with the most severe and rapidly escalating consequences
for the inhabitants of the world鈥檚 poorest nations. Experts agree that a total elimination
of carbon emissions by 2050 is necessary to prevent devastating and irreparable damage
to the planet and the human communities that depend on it. The pathway to a secure
and livable future is narrowing, and realizing it poses considerable challenges: for
scientific and technological research, economic and industrial policy, democratic
politics and international cooperation.
It also raises numerous problems of justice. The ongoing effects of climate change
exacerbate existing problems of poverty and inequality and compound legacies of colonial
exploitation as well as long-standing disparities of race, gender, and class. Even
as it multiplies real injustices, climate change raises novel challenges to our ideas
about justice and to related ideas about responsibility, rights, and government. It
forces us to grapple with obligations that extend around the globe, forward in time,
and across a multitude of human and non-human beings 鈥 obligations that neither our
conventional wisdom nor our extant institutions are well-equipped to fulfill.
In this course, we explore the fraught politics of the climate crisis with an emphasis
on issues of justice. We examine the political and ideological forces that have entrenched
climate injustice, campaigns of resistance from vulnerable frontline communities,
and possibilities for a just transition advanced by activists and policymakers around
the world. Our course materials weave together the past, present, and future of life
on earth, highlighting the connections between climate justice and the regeneration
of democratic institutions, the repair of historical injustices, the rebuilding of
international solidarity, and the reimagination of global governance. Though our course
will be grounded in political theory and related social science disciplines, we also
converse with scientists, journalists, policymakers, activists, and artists who have
engaged the public to imagine the stakes of the crisis and the possible alternatives.
The fall semester introduces students to a range of key concepts, theories, and research
questions reflecting a range of disciplinary perspectives. Students engage closely
with both foundational and cutting-edge work in the social sciences and humanities,
discussing and responding to works addressing the social psychology of climate change
denial, policy designs for a just transition, the historical connections between colonialism
and the climate crisis, the philosophical case for climate reparations, and more.
In the spring semester, students develop and pursue a unique research agenda extending
from their work. After learning the fundamentals of database research, they take an
important first step from reader to researcher by assembling an annotated bibliography
and critical literature review on the topic of their choice. From there, they have
the opportunity to try out a variety of qualitative and interpretive research methods,
and to learn key scholarly maneuvers such as testing a theory, constructing a case
study, and intervening in a debate. In addition to generating an original piece of
scholarship, students get to explore methods for sharing research with broad audiences
in engaging multimedia formats: curating a digital exhibit, creating a podcast or
explainer video, or exploring other creative applications of their research.
The sequence will likely fulfill G - Global Interdependencies, I - Information Literacy,
T - Critical Thinking, N - Social Science general education attributes in the fall
semester and C - Composition, O - Oral Communication, T - Critical Thinking, I - Information
Literacy, and N - Social Science in the spring semester.
Matthew Cole is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences.
He received his PhD in Political Science from Duke University and his BA in Political
Science from Carleton College. Before joining 91社区, he taught at Harvard University,
Emerson College, and Duke University, where his classes covered topics in political
science, history, ethics, interdisciplinary studies, and expository writing. His research
and writing in political theory address the question: how do visions of the future
shape the terrain of political thought and action? This question informs his forthcoming
book, Fear the Future: Dystopia and Political Imagination in the Twentieth Century,
as well as his work on topics such as George Orwell鈥檚 Nineteen Eighty-Four, climate
fiction, technocracy, 鈥渟mart democracy,鈥 and the Green New Deal.
PHIL 180A/ENG 180N/ECON 181A and PHIL 280A/ENG 280N/ECON 181B Will Glovinsky
Will Glovinsky
In the past decade, the idea that governments should give people regular, unconditional
cash payments has become an unexpectedly mainstream policy proposal. From Switzerland
to Stockton to Kenya, pilot programs and campaigns for universal basic income have
made headlines at a time of mounting uncertainty about the future of work in an age
of automation and artificial intelligence. What is less well known is that the idea
of basic income has been robustly debated for 250 years. In this research stream,
students will approach the concept of 鈥渋ncome for all鈥 from philosophical, economic,
literary, historical, and public policy perspectives. Our premise will be that we
cannot rigorously evaluate the potential effects of this compelling yet controversial
idea without understanding where it comes from, how it has been argued for, and why
it has repeatedly captured imaginations over centuries.
In the fall, students will explore primary sources related to the origins and development
of basic income. We will begin by immersing ourselves in the circle of late-eighteenth-century
English ultra radicals led by Thomas Spence, who first proposed an economic system
in which individuals will rent land from parish governments rather than private landlords,
with the rental income then distributed equally to all residents, male and female,
as a regular cash dividend. Students will examine Spence鈥檚 philosophical milieu as
well as the strikingly literary quality of his writings, which include a sequel to
Robinson Crusoe where the islanders implement a basic income and ballads sung in taverns
to spread his views among the London working class. Since these radical ideas were
inspired by colonial accounts of Indigenous resource sharing, students will then turn
to Lahontan鈥檚 1703 Dialogue with a Savage (adapted from conversations with the Wyandot
diplomat Kandiaronk) to trace the transatlantic intellectual exchanges that contributed
to Enlightenment egalitarianism. Later units will focus on documents relating to the
Jamaican abolitionist Robert Wedderburn, Henry George鈥檚 鈥渟ingle tax鈥 movement, Martin
Luther King, Jr.鈥檚 writings on guaranteed income, Juliet Rhys-Williams and Milton
Friedman鈥檚 鈥渘egative income tax鈥, and the Canadian 鈥淢income'' experiment run during
the 1970s. Over the semester, students will gain skills in using close textual analysis
to ask questions about historical documents while also locating individual works within
broader intellectual genealogies. Our guiding questions will examine how the divergent
philosophical premises鈥攔anging from socialism to neoliberalism鈥攗nderlying basic income
proposals have shaped their structures, justifications, and popular receptions. Is
basic income a political entitlement or something owed to people as a natural right?
How would it be funded, and who would be eligible? What would be its effects on labor,
family, and the environment?
In the spring, students will select a subset of disciplinary methods and formulate
a research project that explores one chapter in the history of basic income. A series
of workshops will introduce students to both archival resources and digital databases,
and they will present their works-in-progress throughout the semester. As part of
their final projects, students will publish from their findings by curating an entry
in a multimedia digital timeline providing accessible histories and analyses of basic
income鈥檚 sources.
The sequence will likely fulfill H - Humanities, I - Information Literacy, T - Critical
Thinking, and W - Harpur College Writing general education requirements in the fall
semester and O - Oral Communication and W - Harpur College Writing in the spring.
Will Glovinsky is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities. Before arriving at
91社区, he was a lecturer in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University,
where he received his Ph.D. A specialist in 19th-century British literature, he is
revising his first book on the regulation of feeling in realist novels and imperial
culture. His next project explores how the idea of universal basic income鈥攐r giving
cash regularly to everyone鈥攅merged in 18th- and 19th-century tavern ballads, dialogues,
essays, and novels. In between, his essays and courses have explored topics such as
narrators who regret their treatment of villains, the role of liberation in the novel,
and the history of close reading.
Writers, theorists, filmmakers, and planners have long speculated about the shape
of things to come and asked how future developments might affect us. These predictions
have sometimes been uncannily accurate: space travel, climate change, television,
and even credit cards all appeared first in the pages of fiction. Other aspirations
and fears have not (yet) been realized but continue to guide political, social, and
ecological movements. In the fall semester of this stream, we will survey this fascinating
history of expectation, dread, and yearning for possible futures, focusing on British
and US cultural production since 1800. Our primary texts will include both canonical
and little-known works of speculative fiction, literary utopias and dystopias, and
science fiction novels and films; we will also consider political treatises and manifestos,
upstate New York鈥檚 prolific intentional communities, and modernist architecture and
urban planning. A selection of influential critical and theoretical works will provide
new vocabularies and methods to guide our discussions. As we investigate these strange
and prescient visions, we will ask how speculation about previous eras of change can
illuminate contemporary advances and challenges, from AI to genetic engineering to
the climate crisis.
In the spring, students will develop and complete independent research projects focused
on specific texts, social questions, technologies, or political movements of special
interest to them. Joining close textual analysis with original research into the reception,
adaptation, and afterlives of their chosen works, students will learn to use digital
databases and other archival resources to tell compelling, critically informed stories
about the futures of yesteryear鈥撯揳nd what they mean for us today.
The sequence will likely fulfill general education requirements in the fall semester
and in the spring semester.
Will Glovinsky is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities. Before arriving at
91社区, he was a lecturer in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University,
where he received his Ph.D. A specialist in 19th-century British literature, he is
revising his first book on the regulation of feeling in realist novels and imperial
culture. His next project explores how the idea of universal basic income鈥攐r giving
cash regularly to everyone鈥攅merged in 18th- and 19th-century tavern ballads, dialogues,
essays, and novels. In between, his essays and courses have explored topics such as
narrators who regret their treatment of villains, the role of liberation in the novel,
and the history of close reading.
Learning Law and Legal Studies PLSC Wendy Martinek
Wendy Martinek
Law as an academic field is often thought of as the study of legal doctrine and precedent,
guided by legal theory and the application of logical reasoning. While that is one
approach to the study of law, a multidisciplinary approach recognizes that law cannot
be fully understood in isolation from its larger societal context. It draws on the
methods and insights from a diverse array of academic disciplines, including anthropology,
economics, history, literature, political science, psychology, and sociology. For
example, anthropological frameworks can be used to parse the relationship between
law and culture. Economic concepts can be used to evaluate which legal rules are most
efficient. Historical analysis can be used to reveal the evolution of law and legal
norms over time. The tools of literary analysis can be used to understand the meaning
of legal texts. Political science theories can be used to explain how the law affects
the political and policymaking processes. Psychological models of decision making
can be used to inform our understanding of the decision making of legal actors. Sociological
perspectives can be used to show how social structures shape (and are shaped by) legal
norms.
The fall semester will introduce students to the theoretical frameworks and methodological
toolkits these disciplines leverage to analyze and understand the law. We will engage
with representative texts from each of the selected disciplines guided by the following
sets of questions: How is law conceptualized in each discipline? What are the distinctive
characteristics of each discipline鈥檚 conception of law? What are the kinds of questions
about law that are posed in each discipline? To what extent do the questions posed
in each discipline differ from or overlap with those posed in the other disciplines?
What are the methodologies used to address the questions posed in each discipline?
How can methodological tools from different disciplines be used to study the same
legal phenomena?
Over the course of the fall semester students will develop the skills necessary to
identify literature relevant to their interests from different disciplines, critically
analyze that literature on the basis of relevant disciplinary standards, and understand
the epistemological foundations on which disciplinary knowledge rests. These skills
will be developed with a portfolio of both oral and written work that allows students
to practice the various research methods, both individually and in teams.
The spring semester will afford students the opportunity to formulate a research question
related to their substantive interests in the law. They will then select a set of
disciplinary methods (drawing from two or more disciplines) to explore the answer
to their research question. For example, a student who is interested in free speech
might apply literary analysis techniques to U.S. Supreme Court decisions interpreting
the Free Speech Clause and then apply a political science model of judicial decision
making to the votes of the justices in those cases. As another example, a student
interested in tort reform might engage in a historical analysis of changes in tort
law over time and then rely on tools from economics to evaluate how various tort law
schemes compare on different economic dimensions. Though students will each pursue
their own individual research project, they will also work with their classmates (and
me) to workshop ideas, engage in project planning, conduct peer review of work in
progress, and prepare for presentations of their work in a poster session.
The sequence will likely fulfill T - Critical Thinking, I - Information Literacy,
N - Social Science, and W - Harpur College Writing general education attributes in
the fall semester and N - Social Science, O - Oral Communication, and W - Harpur College
Writing in the spring semester.
Wendy Martinek is Professor of Political Science. She earned a B.A. in political science
and philosophy from Lawrence University, an M.A. in political science from the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Ph.D. in political science from Michigan State University.
A former program officer for the Law and Social Sciences Program of the National Science
Foundation, she is particularly interested in multidisciplinary approaches to the
study of law. Her current research projects include an investigation of off-the-bench
appearances by U.S. Supreme Court justices to understand what motivates the justices
to engage in that behavior and what the effects of that behavior are on the legitimacy
of the Court. She is also engaged in one stream of research on the institutional design
of courts (with a focus on the Irish judicial system) and another stream of research
on interest group participation in state courts.
This course devotes two successive semesters to understanding migration in/from the
Middle East and North Africa through a historical and anthropological lens in collaboration
with the American Civic Association. The course will engage with a range of theoretical
debates, issues and concepts surrounding the phenomenon of migration; provide the
historical background and context for the waves of displacements and dispossessions,
which made the Middle East a producer of forced migrants in the 20th century and onwards.
It will focus on refugee resettlement processes and immigration into the US from the
Middle East. In doing so, the course is designed to study and assist in the work of
the American Civic Association (ACA). The ACA is a local non-profit community organization
that has assisted individuals and families with immigration services and refugee resettlement
in New York鈥檚 Southern Tier since 1939. The first semester introduces students to
the work of the ACA, including local, national, and global immigration and refugee
issues and needs. A particular focus will be on developing interdisciplinary knowledge
base, critical thinking and research skills related to immigration and refugees within
New York and the United States more generally. Additionally, students will work under
the direction of the course instructor to help process, preserve, and organize the
ACA鈥檚 extensive archive of case files, material culture, documents, programming, and
photographs related to local immigrant and refugee communities. During the 2nd semester
and under the continued guidance of the course instructor, students will continue
working with the ACA and develop research projects based upon the archival materials
and ethnographic knowledge about immigrant and refugee communities in Upstate New
York. The end goal is to complete their projects and present their findings to the
broader 91社区 and university communities.
The sequence will likely fulfill N- Social Sciences, CEL - Community Engaged Learning,
and J - Joint Composition and Oral Communication general education attributes.
New Authoritarianism PLSC 180C and 289C Matthew Cole
Matthew Cole
When an upset victory in the 2016 Election brought Donald Trump to the White House,
many observers sounded the alarm that America was lurching toward authoritarianism.
Four turbulent years later, Trump refused to concede defeat in the 2020 Election and
his supporters laid siege to the US Capitol in hopes of overturning the results, a
moment of crisis for American democracy unlike anything since the Civil War. But Americans
were hardly facing this crisis alone: in the last decade, many of the world鈥檚 democracies
have seen demagogues and would-be dictators ascend to power. It鈥檚 not just that Russia鈥檚
Vladimir Putin and China鈥檚 Xi Jinping wield nearly unchallenged power in their respective
nations, or that they increasingly exert that power on the world stage. In nations
with long histories of democracy, emergent leaders like Hungary鈥檚 Viktor Orban, Brazil鈥檚
Jair Bolsonaro, India鈥檚 Narendra Modi, Italy鈥檚 Georgia Meloni, and Argentina鈥檚 Javier
Milei have brought authoritarian politics crashing into the mainstream. Like Trump,
many of these leaders have stoked resentment toward minorities, especially immigrants,
while undermining or ignoring checks on power, threatening their opposition, mainstreaming
conspiracy theories, and establishing cults of personality.
In this course, we seek to understand the movements and leaders behind the authoritarian
turn, and we鈥檒l do so by drawing on perspectives from political science and political
philosophy, psychology and sociology, history and journalism, art and literature.
How do today鈥檚 authoritarians rise to power? What tactics do they use to solidify
control and suppress opposition? What leads ordinary people to support authoritarian
movements? What strategies can be used to resist authoritarianism and defend democracy?
What are the implications of authoritarianism for global issues such as immigration
and the climate crisis? Can the history of dictatorships and totalitarian regimes
provide us with any insight into the workings of authoritarianism today? Our wide-ranging
course materials will range from the classics of the twentieth century to the cutting
edge of contemporary research, as we reckon with the rise of authoritarianism in America
and the world.
The fall semester introduces students to a range of key concepts, theories, and research
questions reflecting a range of disciplinary perspectives. Students engage closely
with both foundational and cutting-edge work in the social sciences and humanities,
discussing and responding to works addressing the historical parallels between twentieth
century totalitarianism and modern authoritarianism, the social psychology of authoritarian
movements, the political science and strategy of civil resistance, and the policy
implications of authoritarianism for human rights, among other topics.
In the spring semester, students develop and pursue a unique research agenda extending
from their work. After learning the fundamentals of database research, they take an
important first step from reader to researcher by assembling an annotated bibliography
and critical literature review on the topic of their choice. From there, they have
the opportunity to try out a variety of qualitative and interpretive research methods,
and to learn key scholarly maneuvers such as testing a theory, constructing a case
study, and intervening in a debate. In addition to generating an original piece of
scholarship, students get to explore methods for sharing research with broad audiences
in engaging multimedia formats: curating a digital exhibit, creating a podcast or
explainer video, or exploring other creative applications of their research.
The sequence will likely fulfill I - Information Literacy, T - Critical Thinking,
N - Social Science general education attributes in the fall semester and C - Composition,
O - Oral Communication, T - Critical Thinking, I - Information Literacy, and N - Social
Science in the spring semester.
Matthew Cole is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences.
He received his PhD in Political Science from Duke University and his BA in Political
Science from Carleton College. Before joining 91社区, he taught at Harvard University,
Emerson College, and Duke University, where his classes covered topics in political
science, history, ethics, interdisciplinary studies, and expository writing. His research
and writing in political theory address the question: how do visions of the future
shape the terrain of political thought and action? This question informs his forthcoming
book, Fear the Future: Dystopia and Political Imagination in the Twentieth Century,
as well as his work on topics such as George Orwell鈥檚 Nineteen Eighty-Four, climate
fiction, technocracy, 鈥渟mart democracy,鈥 and the Green New Deal.
Roots and Routes in Sephardic Studies JUST Dina Danon and Bryan Kirschen
Bryan Kirschen
This interdisciplinary course foregrounds the language and history of Sephardi Jews,
or Jews who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492 and were later dispersed
across the Mediterranean and Atlantic worlds. From the perspective of language, Professor
Kirschen will guide students in learning Judeo-Spanish, commonly known as Ladino,
the vernacular used by Sephardi Jews in the lands of their dispersion until the present
day. Professor Danon will introduce students to the historical experiences of Sephardi
Jews, covering key topics spanning from the medieval 鈥淕olden Age,鈥 the Expulsion,
the reconstitution of Sephardi communities in Ottoman lands, the rise of new nation
states, and the Holocaust. Through this stream, students will gain not only proficiency
in an endangered language that spans the Jewish and Hispanophone worlds, but also
wide-ranging exposure to a rich and often-overlooked civilization that thrived for
hundreds of years.
During the fall semester, students will interrogate primary and secondary sources
in exploring the history and culture of Judeo-Spanish-speaking Sephardi Jews from
1492 to the present, while simultaneously acquiring the tools needed to decipher the
Judeo-Spanish language preserved and developed by Sephardim over that same historical
period. Most crucial among these linguistic skills is the ability to read various
scripts and develop basic communication skills that will help navigate oral and written
sources and the dialectology of the Judeo-Spanish-speaking world.
On the basis of this strong foundation in both historical knowledge and linguistic
training developed in the first semester, students will be well-positioned to pursue
original and independent research projects within the dynamic field of Sephardi studies.
If pursuing historical research, students will be able to draw on their new paleographic
skills to consult primary sources in the original Judeo-Spanish. Among them is the
expansive range of periodicals published in the language from the late nineteenth
to the mid-twentieth century. Crucially, some of the most renowned and enduring of
these periodicals have been digitized and are easily accessible to undergraduate students
through the 鈥淗istorical Jewish Press鈥 online repository, housed on the site of the
National Library of Israel. Additionally, students might choose to consult primary
source materials in our own collections at 91社区. If pursuing linguistic
research on the ways in which Judeo-Spanish has evolved, students may utilize online
corpora of oral and written content in the language or choose to work with native
and heritage speakers to examine sociolinguistic features of Judeo-Spanish, patterns
of intergenerational transmission, as well as topics related to language endangerment
and revitalization. Further, students will explore initiatives, especially digital
ones, in regard to the documentation of the language. While some students may develop
papers on areas of historical significance on the populations in question, others
may develop projects within the Digital Humanities to further document and analyze
the language; such projects may result in a series of interviews with speakers of
the language today or examination of works that have not been previously transliterated
on translated.
Bryan Kirschen is chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, where
he is associate professor of Spanish and Linguistics and holds a joint title with
the Linguistics program; he is also affiliated faculty of the Translation Research
and Instruction Program and the Department of Judaic Studies. Kirschen is a sociolinguist
specializing in the Spanish language and has published on Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) and
the use of Spanish, particularly in the United States. Additionally, he has served
as co-director (along with Dina Danon) of 91社区's Ladino Collaboratory
and as co-director of the American Ladino League, a nonprofit organization supporting
educational initiatives related to Judeo-Spanish.
Amber Simpson Image Credit: Jonathan Cohen.
How do students learn? What are students鈥 attitudes and beliefs regarding the teaching
and learning of a particular discipline? How do educators and parents affect students鈥
opportunities to learn? How do students鈥 social identities (e.g., gender, ethnicity,
sexual orientation, religion, etc.) affect their learning? How do students become
interested in literature and engineering? These are examples of questions that are
of interest to educational researchers in a range of disciplines. Likewise, these
questions are not limited to any particular age group or educational setting as these
questions are of concern in classroom settings, museums, libraries, after-school programs,
summer camps, and home environments to name a few. In the first semester, students
will be introduced to various research methods common in educational research studies.
They will also gain experience in collecting and analyzing data in the form of surveys,
observations and video recordings, interviews, photographs, and drawings. At the conclusion
of the first semester, students will have designed an initial research project based
on a topic of interest and gaps in the current literature base. In the second semester,
students will carry out their research study and disseminate findings through an appropriate
outlet. In the second semester, students will develop and carry out a research study
in collaboration with a local institution such as a school district, a public library,
or a children's museum.
This sequence will likely fulfill the Composition (C) and Oral Communication (O) general
education requirements.
Amber Simpson joined the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership
in 2017. She received her undergraduate degree in Mathematics, Secondary Education
from East Tennessee State University, and her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction
and Educational Specialist degree in Education Administration and Supervision from
Lincoln Memorial University. Simpson spent five years as a high school mathematics
teacher in Tennessee before returning to Clemson University to receive her PhD in
Curriculum and Instruction, Mathematics Education.
Stereotypes and Stuttering SLP 180 and SLP 280 Rodney Gabel
Rodney Gabel
Before Super Bowl LIII began, famous quarterback Peyton Manning was featured in a
short video-skit pitching an idea for an extremely costly and extravagant cinematic
opening to the game. In the video, the committee was very concerned with the cost
and plan, and questioned the importance and feasibility of such a production. In his
angry response to his committee, Manning became condescending to the board and said
sarcastically, 鈥渨as I stuttering earlier?鈥 This derogatory comment about stuttering
represents how much of society views stuttering, in a manner that demeans and belittles
the presence of such a difficult condition. There was little to no public outcry about
this demeaning comment and these types of comments are all too common about the condition
of stuttering. Stereotypes are representations that individuals hold toward a group
of people or a concept. In some cases, stereotypes can be positive and lead to benefits
for the target group of people or concepts. For many groups who are marginalized,
stereotypes or the threat of being stereotyped can lead to limitations in social,
educational, economic, and vocational opportunities. This is especially true of people
with disabilities. Stuttering is a disability that is often not understood by members
of society and this misunderstanding often leads to significant negative beliefs about
stuttering and stereotypes. For more than 50 years, research on stereotypes of people
who stutter has explored the complexity of stereotypes related to people who stutter.
Research on this topic is necessary to develop programs that can lead to better understanding,
treatment, and advocacy for people who stutter. SLP 180 and 280 explores the importance
of understanding societal stereotypes and the negative impact on all aspects of the
lives of individuals with disabilities. Stereotypes of stuttering offers an important
opportunity in this line of research. Through readings of texts and primary research
articles, students will develop the background understanding for considering stuttering
and disability related stereotypes. Additionally, students will review critical thinking,
as well as the use of survey and qualitative designs. Each student will complete an
independent research project that addresses stereotypes of people who stutter.
Rodney Gabel joined Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences in July 2020. He
is the founding director of the Speech-Language Pathology Division and a professor
in Decker's School of Rehabilitation Sciences. He is a speech and language pathologist
and holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech, Language
and Hearing Association and a New York State Licence. He is Fellow of the American
Speech, Language and Hearing Association Gabel has been an active researcher during
his career, publishing more than 75 articles and presenting more than 100 papers at
professional conferences, all exploring different aspects of stuttering.
Aiden Gajewski
Aidan Gajewski, a double major in economics and environmental studies, completed the
People, Politics, and the Environment research stream in Spring 2021. His research
focused on the impact of food insecurity in Broome County on adolescent academic performance,
using data from standardized testing scores and interviews with local counselors and
teachers. His work was published in the 91社区 Undergraduate Journal.
Following the Source Project, Aidan was invited to serve as a research assistant
where he collaborated with 91社区 professors to study food councils
in the eastern U.S. He presented his research at a conference in Santa Fe, NM. Aidan
says the Source Project taught him to craft insightful interview questions, distill
large data sets into key conclusions, and present the bigger picture effectively.
Additionally, being in a small classroom environment as a first year student helped
him navigate social life at 91社区 and find people in his stream that he is still
friends with to this day. He values the mentorship he received from his professor
in terms of both research opportunities and career advice.
Kate Langsdorf
Kate Langsdorf
Kate Langsdorf, a double major in Asian studies and philosophy, politics, and law,
completed the Thinking Through Painting research stream in 2022. Her analysis of a
painting created by a Japanese American Immigrant, which explores the recognition
of immigrants amid U.S. Nationalism themes in art, is now part of 91社区鈥檚
permanent art collection.
Kate says the Source Project gave her the confidence, skills, and knowledge to participate
in higher level research. After completing a seminar in Asian Studies, she was chosen
to speak about her research on the transmission of Buddhism鈥檚 effect on women in South
Korea at a SUNY Oneonta philosophy conference. She is currently participating in a
Capstone Project after studying abroad, where she is further anticipating to use the
research and writing skills she learned through the Source Project.
Kate is a recipient of the US Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS
Spark Award for Chinese).
Robert Rose
Robert Rose, a philosophy, politics, and law major, completed the Human Rights research
stream in Spring 2023. His topic of research was the systemic limitations of public
defense and the protection of human rights in law. Robert interned at the Public Defender鈥檚
office in 91社区 to gain direct insight into the roles of public defenders and
social workers as well as obtain courtroom experience. His research paper, centered
on improving the quality of service provided by public defenders to their clients,
earned him an award for research in Human Rights. His favorite part of the research
experience was visiting the Broome County Jail and witnessing firsthand the interactions
between prisoners and their attorneys. He and his partner also had the opportunity
to share their research at both the Source Project and the Community and Civic Engagement
Research Days.
The Source Project honed Robert鈥檚 ability to craft a workable question and navigate
the 91社区 library resources. Over the summer, he delved into legal research on
changing abortion laws while working at a Public Defense office. Robert鈥檚 involvement
in an appeal under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act resulted in a successful
outcome, showcasing his dedication to justice reform. Addressing a domestic issue
where the victim committed a crime against her abuser, they successfully won the appeal,
leading to a reduced sentence.