News

Q&A: Ph.D. Candidate Tamara Issak on Islamophobic Rhetoric

Tamara Issak is a graduate student pursuing her doctorate in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric in the Department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition in the College of Arts and Sciences. It’s the next step in the New Jersey native’s academic and professional pursuits, which have included a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education from William Paterson University and a master’s degree in English literature from Rutgers University-Newark, as well as teaching, co-producing a podcast and producing/hosting daily and weekly radio shows.

This past spring, Issak was awarded a prestigious American Fellowship by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) to help with preparations for her dissertation, “Rhetorical (Re)constructions: Ground Zero, Park51, and Muslim identity,” which she will defend this coming April.

Read the full Q&A at SU News.

Veterans Express Themselves in Writing Group

Launched in 2010, the Syracuse Veteran Writing Group has made a national name for itself, showcasing the written voices of those who have served in the U.S. military, both home and abroad. Once a month, veterans meet in the Syracuse University Writing Center to share stories of their armed service experience and learn how to craft those narratives into more polished written works. Many come to the meetings with no prior experience with writing–just a desire to share their personal stories with a larger audience.

Eileen Schell, professor of writing and rhetoric in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Ivy Kleinbart, part-time writing instructor, co-lead the monthly sessions by providing writing prompts and guidance to each participant through the process of drafting their nonfiction prose. The meetings are free and are open to Veterans of all ages and branches of the military. Family members are also welcome.

For more information, visit : http://wrt.syr.edu/syrvetwriters/index.html.

See the original story at SU News.

Hendricks Dean Invited to Preach in Historic Cathedral in South Africa

South Africa holds a special place in the heart of Brian Konkol, the newly installed dean of Hendricks Chapel.

From 2008-12, Konkol and his wife, Kristen, served in South Africa as country coordinators of the Young Adults in Global Mission program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He also taught at a local seminary and assisted in parish ministry alongside isiZulu-speaking congregations, and she taught classes in exercise science, managed a research lab and helped to start a local soccer academy. Kristen Konkol now teaches in the Department of Exercise Science in SU’s School of Education and is working on a holistic sport initiative.

Read the full article at SU News.

Linguist Tackles Trauma, Mental Health, Forensics and Tastes

Tej K. Bhatia has traveled the world connecting his expertise in linguistics with a broad array of related topics: trauma, mental health, forensics and tastes.

Bhatia, professor of linguistics in the College of Arts and Sciencesand director of South Asian Languages, heads next month to Nanyang Technological University in Singapore as a visiting research professor. Immediately afterwards, he goes to New Delhi, India, to conduct collaborative research on multilingual schizophrenia with a team of psychiatrists at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, one of India’s most prestigious medical schools.

Read more at SU News.

Corri Zoli Participates in UN Counterterrorism Conference

On Nov. 15 and 16, Corri Zoli, director of research for the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT) and a research assistant professor in the Maxwell School, represented Syracuse University at two United Nations Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (UN CTED) workshops, at New York University and United Nations headquarters.

View the full article on SU News.

New Paid Family Leave Benefit for Staff Effective Jan. 1

With a new law taking effect in 2018, Syracuse University is working to stay ahead of changes and ensure employees know and understand their benefits. Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, new benefits are available with the passage of the New York Paid Family Leave (NYPFL) law, providing paid leave for eligible staff members to bond with a new child, care for a family member with a serious health condition or prepare for a family member’s call to active military service. Relevant information has been posted on the Human Resources website including a comprehensive FAQ about how Syracuse University is prepared to implement the new benefits.

Learn more at SU News.

Native Speaker Will Bring Life to Ghanaian Language in Linguistics Class

The best way to learn the intricacies of a foreign language is through the words of a native speaker. Assistant Professor Christopher Green is making that happen for students who want to explore a particular African language in his spring semester course, “Field Methods in Linguistics.”

Green will be assisted by Maxwell School alumnus Andy Semabia G’10, a native speaker of Ewe, a major language of Ghana, who will be a language consultant and participate in each class—a unique opportunity for students.

Read more at SU News.