Salameno School of American and International Studies (SSAIS)

SSAIS Tea Reception
On May 9 The Salameno School of American and International Studies held a reception at the Havermeyer House in honor to thank The Salameno Family for their generous donation to the school. SSAIS Faculty, Staff, and Students attended. Below are pictures from the reception.
 

SSAIS Annual Retreat
On May 7 The Salameno School of American and International Studies held a year end retreat from 9:30-2:30 PM. SSAIS Students and Faculty members met to discuss the current academic year and plan for next year. Below are pictures from the retreat.

 

Honors Convocation
On April 4 Ramapo College of New Jersey held it's annual Honors Convocation which celebrates the academic achievements of undergraduate students. Below are pictures from the event.

 

SSAIS Essay Contest

Congratulations to the winners of this year's SSAIS Essay Contest:

First place:  Devin McGinley, “Science and Assimilation in American Indian Policy 1877-1900” (Prof. Carter Meyer, History Seminar, Fall 2011) 

Second place:  Jacqueline Thomas, “Incest and the Role of Father, Lord, and Lover in Hagiography and Romance” (Prof. Yvette Kisor, British Medieval Literature, Fall 2011) 

Third place:  Erin Mulligan, “Slavery’s Superiority: How Slavery Defined Antebellum Southern Women” (Prof. Stacie Taranto, U.S. Women’s and Gender History, Fall 2011)

 


American Comparative Literature Association
Student Logan Brown presented a paper on "Yugen: Beckett and the Japanese Aesthetics at the American Comparative Literature Association held at Brown University on April1, 2012.

National Italian American Foundation Convention
Students Karen Kardinal, Cristina Luzzi, and Melissa Harris presented cross-cultural perspectives at the 36 National Italian American Foundation Convention on October 29, 2011 at the Washington Hilton. President Obama delivered the keynote address.

Sigma Tau Delta Convention

Students Brendan Flanagan, Kimberly Eskin, Francesca Baratta, Lauren Santaniello, Sarah Galo, Stefanie Mauro, Danielle Redd, Robert Trexel, Kathryn Attinello, Ashley Rockhill, and Lauren Heatwole attended the Sigma Tau Delta Convention from February 29 to March 3, 2012. Papers from six of these students were accepted for presentation on topics dealing with creative and critical literary sources as follows, Brendan Flanagan "Decapitation in Medieval Literature", Kimberly Eskin "The Senseless of Life in Gernet's The Balcony, Francesca Baratta "Female Sexuality and Insanity: Atwood's Alias Grace", Lauren Santaniello "The Final Account of Anna Benson", Sarah Galo "I Married my Rapist, a Selection of Poetry", and Stephanie Mauro "Displaced"

Resisting Bodies, Narratives of Italian Partisan Women

Professor Rosetta D'Angelo has been invited to speak about her book Resisting Bodies, Narratives of Italian Partisan Women at Emory University on April 19th.

SSAIS Student to Speak at Human Rights Conference in Scotland

Senior Brendan Flanagan has been accepted to the International Studies Association's Annual Human Rights Conference in Glasgow, Scotland this coming June. At the University of Glasgow Brendan will be presenting his paper entitled "Applying Insights from Recent Transnational Justice Scholarship to the Northern Irish Case", among many of today's important international human rights scholars.

2012 National Model United Nations Europe Conference

Congratulations to Chris McKenna, Maral Varjabedian, Al Casadiego, and Kelli Ward for being recognized, for their outstanding position paper, at the 2012 National Model United Nations Europe Conference in Lille France. Over 70 universities from around the world attended the conference which ran from January 31 to February 6.


Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Events Spring 2012

 Thursday, May 17, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 
Ramapo College, Trustees Pavilion 
Emil Gumpert Teachers’ Workshop 
Transitional Justice in the Aftermath of Genocide and Violations of Human Rights 
(Free of charge and 5 hours towards certification renewal) 
In cooperation with the N.J. State Commission on Holocaust Education 

SSAIS Student Awards

Congratulations to the following students for receiving their awards: 

For the Robert Christopher Award: Brendan Flanagan (3.808)
Many of us know Brendan as a student leader even if we have not had him in class. He is a leader in Sigma Tau Delta (the Literature Honor Society) and in the Literature Club. He is an excellent student in all senses of the word, and as much a leader in class as he is on campus generally. He is also double-majoring in International Studies, and serves as a spokesman in Ramapo’s new marketing campaign. 

For the Ernie Simon Award: Bobby Texel (3.678)
Bobby is passionate about his writing--whether it is a paper for a class or some of his more "creative writing," Bobby is hard at work to perfect his craft. We have seen his writing continuously grow and develop. Bobby is someone with a big heart, who makes every class dynamic with his input. He clearly deserves recognition for his excellent work. 

For the New Jersey Media/ Record Award: Jacqueline Thomas (3.880) and Rosa Gomez (3.74)
Jacqueline Thomas has grown tremendously as a writer since arriving on campus 3 years ago. Faculty commend her for being “intellectually alive,” a terrific writer, and particularly adept at making connections among literary time periods and authors. At last fall’s COPLAC conference, she presented a complex and beautifully-crafted essay on Kalyan Ray's Eastwords, a post-colonial re-imagining of Shakespeare's The Tempest. This spring, she will serve as research assistant to one of the Literature faculty,. 

Rosa Gomez is an excellent writer, whether she is producing her own creative work or analyzing the work of other authors. She is passionate about literature and extremely attentive to the texts she reads and the contexts that surround them. She is intellectually curious and always eager to expand the boundaries of her knowledge.  

For the Helen Burchell Award: Amanda Lentino (3.938) & Kim Eskin (3.959)
One faculty member who has worked with Amanda Lentino in a variety of capacities over the last year, declares that her behind-the-scenes efforts to help our students are unparalleled. Other professors also commended her efforts as a student leader. She also compiled a massive and impressive number of documents to help with a faculty member’s research, and presented a paper at last fall’s COPLAC conference. 

Kim Eskin is a model student whose work is not only superior, but often truly original. Faculty members noted that the strength of her writing and analysis is top notch. She will serve as research assistant this spring to a Literature faculty member. She has also been described as a student leader and an “ambassador for the liberal arts.”  

Medieval and Early Modern Studies Conference at Moravian College

On Saturday, 3 December 2011 five students from the Literature program presented papers at the Sixth Undergraduate Conference in Medieval and Early Modern Studies at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Jacqueline Thomas presented her paper on “Incest and the Distorted Role of Father, Lord, and Lover in Hagiography and Romance,” Kim Eskin presented on “Cynewulf’s Elene as an Active Medieval Woman,” Christina Sielski presented “Female Autonomy in Christian Literature,” Delia DeLorenzo presented “Behind Every Strong Medieval Woman, There’s a Man,” and Brendan Flanagan presented “The Evolution of Sir Gawain: Conflicts Between Nations and Gods.” The first four of these papers were developed in Prof. Kisor’s British Medieval Literature course; Brendan Flanagan’s presentation was developed in the Senior Seminar on Arthurian Literature.  

SSAIS Alumni Advisory Board Meeting October 27

On October 27 SSAIS held its first alumni board meeting for this year. Below are pictures from the event.

  

Southern Sudan

On July 9, 2011, South Sudan became the world’s newest country, and Professor Keisha Haywood (Political Science & International Studies) was in the capital, Juba, for the Independence Day celebrations. The atmosphere at the Independence Day Ceremony was jubilant, not only for the people of the new country, but also for the hundreds of dignitaries and guests, including United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who came from around the world to offer their support and heart-felt best wishes. After decades of enduring multiple civil wars, and a lack of food, clean water, hospitals, security, and other basic necessities, the people of South Sudan were filled with a new-found hope that things will get better. Several Generals in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, who fought in the struggle for independence, openly wept as Sudan’s flag was lowered and South Sudan’s flag was raised. Along with the singing of the new national anthem, the flag ceremony served as a symbol of victory for all the new citizens of South Sudan. Another important moment in the ceremony was the unveiling of the statue of Dr. John Garang, who led the second war for independence but died only months after the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that led to independence.  

Professor Haywood has already had the opportunity to discuss her trip with several students from her Spring 2011 courses, all of whom are very familiar with the events in South Sudan because of their participation in mock peace talks between Sudan and South Sudan. In addition, Professor Haywood gave a talk on her experiences as part of the Great Decisions lecture series. After conducting several years of research on the conflict and peace agreement in South Sudan, she was grateful to be present for the historic day for which so many people fought and died. Professor Haywood is also grateful for grants she received from the Ramapo College Foundation and Ramapo College’s Separately Budgeted Research funds.  

Cuba Trip

Professor of American Studies John Gronbeck-Tedesco, traveled to Havana, Cuba, to complete research for his book manuscript. Over one month stay, he worked in various archives and libraries, pouring over documents, books, and periodicals that related to political and artistic exchange between Cuban and U.S. women around themes of revolution between 1930 and 1970.  He was also able to share his work with Cuban scholars and international researchers.

Fulbright Scholarship Award

Congratulations to Professor Jeremy Teigen who received a Fulbright Scholarship award for teaching and research at Tblisi State University in the Republic of Georgia for the Fall 2011 semester.