CHSS Digest

April 6, 2021

CHSS Digest April 6, 2021

Hello—April is always a busy time and here in the dean’s office we are hard at work on graduation and gearing up for Giving Day. So I would like to draw your attention to our first two announcements, below—Giving Day and newly announced in-person graduation options. Good luck as you enter the final weeks of the semester!

Stay safe and well,

Felicia Carr
Assistant Dean, Communications and Marketing

Announcements & Resources

In-Person Options for Spring 2021 Commencement

Provost Mark Ginsberg has announced plans for in-person events to recognize graduation the week of May 10, 2021. Students must pre-register for the planned Patriot Procession and Mini Ceremonies by April 16.

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Support CHSS Scholarships on Giving Day

Support CHSS Scholarships on Giving Day

The college strives to help as many students as possible with their financial obligations. Your gift will improve access and affordability for learners eager to participate in our nationally and globally ranked programs. Support them April 8 during our 24-hour Giving Day Challenge with a gift to the CHSS Scholarship Fund. Together, we are Mason.

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Jill Bowen Recognized with 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award

Jill Bowen Recognized with 2021 Outstanding Achievement Award

Jill Bowen, the college's curriculum and space manager, is a 2021 recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award. Mark your calendars for April 13 and the virtual awards ceremony.

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CHSS Programs Recognized by U.S. News & World Report

CHSS Programs Recognized by U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Reports’ latest rankings for graduate programs include high marks for the graduate programs in criminology, law and society, as well as history, economics, sociology, and English.

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Staff Professional Development Working Group News

Visit the working group's new webpage of resources, and participate in an April 27 session outlining feedback from the group's recent professional development survey.

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Spotlight CHSS Students with Departmental Awards

Spotlight CHSS Students with Departmental Awards

It's awards season! Despite the virtual nature of many Spring Commencement events, we are now collecting information about student awards and we ask departments to enter awardees' names in the CHSSWeb system (photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash).

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Ideas in Conversation on Horizon Hall’s Word Wall

Ideas in Conversation on Horizon Hall’s Word Wall

The multistory Word Wall feature in the atrium of Horizon Hall, in the center of Mason's Fairfax Campus, is a striking representation of the concept of a crossroad where faculty and students in many disciplines can meet and exchange ideas. Learn about how it works and how you can contribute to its conversation.

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Instructional Guidelines & Support

Stearns Center Continues Development Workshops

The Stearns Center wraps up its continuing development program with a final workshop during spring 2021 semester, Alternative and Authentic Assessments: Student Perspectives. Learn more about the program and register for the workshop.

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Research News

Fellowships and Career Development in the Humanities and Social Sciences

On March 23 and 25, representatives from NEH, NEA, NIH, NSF, and LoC discussed fellowships and career development opportunities offered by their organizations as well as best practices for competing for these opportunities; CHSS faculty discussed their experiences competing for these types of awards.

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Center for Humanities Research Announces Summer 2021 Research Grants

Applications are due April 9 for summer research funding from the Center for Humanities Research. Grants of up to $5,000 will be made to support humanities related research. Learn more about application requirements.

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Center for Humanities Research Fellowships for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022

The Center for Humanities Research is welcoming applications for CHR fellows for fall 2021 and spring 2022. Next year's theme is Pasts/Presents/Futures. Applications are due April 16.

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Are you interested in affiliating with the Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)?

Are you interested in affiliating with the Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)?

Institute for Digital InnovAtion affiliates is a dynamic multidisciplinary faculty network focused on digital techniques and technologies to advance fields as diverse as finance, education, science, economics, agriculture, health, transportation, entertainment, national security, and social justice.

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Institute for Digital InnovAtion 2021 Seed Funding Proposals Due May 14

Institute for Digital InnovAtion 2021 Seed Funding Proposals Due May 14

IDIA is excited to announce their first cycle of seed funding to the Mason research community. This funding is aligned with their mission to connect members of the Mason community internally and with businesses, organizations, and agencies so that, together, they can collaborate on disruptive digital innovation (DDI). These innovations should help organizations reduce costs, improve services, or bring a paradigm shift.

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2022 NEH Summer Stipends Call for Proposals – Internal Deadline:  extended to July 28, 2021

2022 NEH Summer Stipends Call for Proposals – Internal Deadline: extended to July 28, 2021

National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipends support advanced research of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. They provide $6,000 for two consecutive months of full-time research and writing for projects beginning as early as May 2022. Tenured and tenure-track faculty members teaching full-time who wish to apply for an NEH Summer Stipend must be nominated.

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NEH Virtual Grant Workshops

NEH Virtual Grant Workshops

Join a live virtual workshop with National Endowment for the Humanities program staff to hear about NEH grant opportunities, deadlines, and application information.

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Please note Qualtrics is available to CHSS researchers

Qualtrics is an cloud-based platform for creating and distributing web-based surveys, to which Mason has a university subscription. CHSS “Departmental Administrators” work with researchers to create logins, and follow departmental preferences on surveys, etc.

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Webex will no longer be available beginning May 31, 2021

Webex is being phased out and the service will no longer be available through a Mason license beginning on May 31. ITS has already begun closing accounts and will not be reactivating users.

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Research Brief: The Baltimore Orioles' City Impact

Research Brief: The Baltimore Orioles' City Impact

Richard Hardesty, a PhD candidate in the Department of History and Art History, describes his efforts to research the impact of the Baltimore Orioles on their city, and the challenges of doing so during the COVID-19 shutdowns of 2020.

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CHSS in the Media

On NBC's Think, Christy Pichichero weighs Buckingham Palace's comments on diversity

Christy Pichichero, associate professor of French and history and CHSS director of faculty diversity, coins the term "discriminatory gaslighting" in the context of the British royal family and its response to allegations of discrimination.

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In Washington Post, Shannon Elizabeth Fyfe and Andrew Peterson note the lockdown at the D.C. Jail

In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, philosophy faculty Shannon Elizabeth Fyfe and Andrew Peterson discuss lingering lockdown conditions at the District of Columbia Jail and argue for prioritizing inmate welfare.

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On Fox5DC, Justin Ramsdell helps to understand persons involved in fatal carjacking

On a Fox5DC broadcast, Justin Ramsdell, forensic psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Psychology, discussed empathy, rehabilitation, the pandemic, and "fight or flight" response in relation to a recent deadly carjacking in Washington, DC.

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In Philadelphia Inquirer, Smith and Kiss pen op-ed on MLB demographics

In an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Earl Smith, faculty member in the Department of Sociology, and Marissa Kiss, PhD Sociology '20, discuss research on the reasons why American-born Black athletes are underrepresented in Major League Baseball.

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Well-Being Resources
CommonHealth offers Weekly Wellnotes Tips

CommonHealth offers Weekly Wellnotes Tips

CommonHealth, the Virginia employee wellness program, offers wellness tips on stress reduction, better sleep, and healthy recipes. Each week, Mason HR updates its website to share CommonHealth's latest information. Check it out!

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Events & Deadlines

Immigrant Writers in the US: New American Voices Award Winners Share Their Stories

Clock Icon for Thursday, April  8, 2021  1:00 PM to  2:00 PM EDTThursday, April 8, 2021 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM EDT

Meet three past winners of the Institute for Immigration Research New American Voices Award, who will share how they draw from their own experiences to tell beautiful, complex stories about immigrants' lives in the US.

Details

Research and Scholarship at Mason: Lunch Series - You Won a Grant. Now What?

Mason Research and Innovation Initiatives

Clock Icon for Friday, April  9, 2021 11:30 AM to  1:00 PM EDTFriday, April 9, 2021 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM EDT

Mason Research and Innovation Initiatives will host a virtual Lunch and Learn, titled You Won a Grant. Now What? Bring your lunch and join them for this presentation and interactive discussion.

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White Supremacy and Anti-Blackness in Global Perspective

CHSS Spring Symposium

Clock Icon for Friday, April  9, 2021  4:30 PM to  5:45 PM EDTFriday, April 9, 2021 4:30 PM to 5:45 PM EDT

In a dialogue across disciplines, panelists consider how transnational and historical white supremacy and anti-blackness have helped to shape current forms of racism and violence, while setting the cultural and political terms for black liberation globally.

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GLOA Colloquium: Militarized Global Apartheid and Security Empires

Clock Icon for Wednesday, April 21, 2021  3:00 PM to  4:30 PM EDTWednesday, April 21, 2021 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM EDT

Dr. Catherine Besteman, the Francis F. Bartlet and Ruth K. Bartlett Professor of Anthropology, Colby College, presents Militarized Global Apartheid and Security Empires as a part of the Global Affairs program's spring colloquium: Race and Globalization.

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Doing the Right Thing: Facing Ethical Dilemmas in Public Service

Clock Icon for Wednesday, April 28, 2021  7:00 PM EDTWednesday, April 28, 2021 7:00 PM EDT

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council, will join Mason President Gregory Washington and CHSS Dean Ann Ardis for a virtual conversation.

Details

IDIA Event to Facilitate Collaborations for the 2021 Seed Funding Call for Proposals

Institute for Digital InnovAtion

Clock Icon for Thursday, April 22, 2021 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDTThursday, April 22, 2021 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT