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Jump to: Fall 2020
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The College of Liberal Arts hosted their annual Spring Meeting in January 2021, continuing our tradition of presenting awards of recognition to faculty and staff who have gone above and beyond in their service to the College. We are proud to announce the following:
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From the publisher: This book is an anthology of the varied strategies of spatial transgressions and how they have been implemented through the arts as a means to resist, rejuvenate, reclaim, critique or cohabitate. The book is divided into two sections – Displacements and Disruptions. The first section discusses the ramifications of the spatial displacements of bodies, organizations, groups of people and ethnicities, and explores how artists, theorists and arts organizations have an attentive history of revealing and reacting to the displacement of peoples and how their presence or absence radically reconfigures the value, identity, and uses of place. In the second section, each author considers how aesthetic strategies have been utilized to disrupt expected spatial experiences and logic. Many of these strategies form radical alternative methodologies that include transgressions, geographies of resistance, and psychogeographies. These spatial performances of disruption set into motion a critical exchange between the subject, space and materiality, in which ideology and experience are both produced/spatialized and deconstructed/destabilized. |
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Dr. Urska Dobersek, Assistant Professor of Psychology, and her research team recently published their study "Does Exercise Make Me More Attractive? Exploring the Relations Between Exercise and Mate Value" in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science from Springer Publishing. Dobersek, U., Stallings, B., Wy, G.C., Charleen R. Case, & J. Maner. (2020). Does Exercise Make Me More Attractive? Exploring the Relations Between Exercise and Mate Value. Evolutionary Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-020-00270-w |
Fall 2020
Jump to: Spring 2021
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A study by Hu and Dinko Bačić entitled "Exploratory Discoveries from Eye-Tracking Tests of Wertheimer’s Gestalt Patterns" was posted in December 2020. From the abstract: In this study, we use a novel eye-tracking technology to determine how viewing behavior complies with Wertheimer’s descriptions of Gestalt principles of similarity, proximity, continuation, and closure. Our results show that viewers respond predictably to the most Gestalt principles, while discovering important nuances when it comes to our better understanding of the role of visual attention in closure principle and competing principles. In addition, our results revealed a fundamental distinction between visual attention and visual perception. By grasping this critical difference between attention and perception, designers may become more successful in applying Gestalt principles to their design. |
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Retired adjunct instructor of History, Mr. Gregg McManus, has published a new novel with Authorhouse. "The Bug Light Room" is McManus's first book although a sequel and other books are in the works. It is a sci-fi thriller that takes place between southwestern Indiana and Washington, D.C., with Indiana politics and a presidential election as influence on events in the plot. The book can be purchased from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or the publisher's website. |
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USI Public Relations and Advertising alum, Scott Hogan, was featured in an article about his work as Executive Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia.
From the article: Scott Hogan, executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia and a Biden campaign senior advisor, stands for a photo alongside first lady-elect Jill Biden and Stacey Abrams. Hogan grew up in Bloomington. |
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A synopsis from the publisher: In the last decades, the study of Afro-Spanish varieties that developed during the Colonial period in the Americas has seduced many scholars. The analysis of these Afro-Hispanic speech patterns is crucial to determine their creolized or non-creolized status, as well as to understand the scarcity of the Spanish-based creoles in the Americas. The present study contributes to this linguistic field by analyzing the current speech of the Afro-Mexicans of the Costa Chica region, one of the largest Afro-Mexican enclaves, while proposing a Rhizomatic Linguistic Model to interpret data derived from contact situations. This investigation not only accounts for the Afro-Hispanic linguistic remnants of this Spanish variety, but also examines the current linguistic characteristics and sociolinguistic status of this speech area on the brink of extinction. In addition, this book advocates on behalf of those Costa Chica Afro-Mexican communities that have been stigmatized and customarily ignored in Mexico’s nation-state politics. |
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Dr. Urska Dobersek's recent publication, “Meat and mental health: A systematic review of meat abstention and depression, anxiety, and related phenomena” article was one of the Top 10 Most Downloaded Papers published by Taylor and Francis in 2020. |
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Dr. Howard is a performance studies scholar who studies the intersection of performance, culture, and personal and social identity, as well as critical performance pedagogy. She has published articles in journals including Text and Performance Quarterly, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Communication Education, the American Behavioral Scientist, the Journal of Intercultural Communication (formerly the World Communication Journal), and the Journal of Fandom Studies. Her most recent publication is Performativity, Cultural Construction and the Graphic Narrative (Routledge, 2020), which she co-edited with Dr. Susanna Hoeness-Krupsaw, Associate Professor of English. |
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The USI Foundation created a unique, 20-minute tour of the University of Southern Indiana Art Collection. The video features Susan Sauls M’16, Director of the University Art Collection, and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inventory, care, student involvement and overall management of the collection. |
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Dr. Darrin Sorrells, adjunct Instructor for Psychology, and his colleague in Academic Skills, Ms. Christine Wittmer, co-authored an article that was published in a peer-reviewed journal, The Learning Assistance Review, in September 2020. The Learning Assistance Review, a publication of The National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA). The NCLCA is a community that works and supports learning center leaders across the world. Focusing on the leadership of learning centers in higher education, NCLCA offers a popular annual conference and institute, frequent webinars, newsletter, a podcast, and the journal, now in its 25th year. |
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On September 4, Professor of Art, Rob Millard-Mendez, received the Best in Show award for his work, "A Brief History of New Bedford," at the 27th Annual Jasper Arts Center Juried Exhibition. Millard-Mendez also received an Honorable Mention for his work "Early Morning Fireships."
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The College of Liberal Arts welcomed five new faculty members to the team this semester. Find out more below or read the USI Today article with a few more fun things about them.
Jason received his PhD in Sociology from Virginia Tech in May. He also holds degrees in Criminal Justice (M.S.), Political Science (B.A.), and Sociology (B.S.). Jason has taught criminology, juvenile delinquency, and drugs and society. He will be teaching crime scene investigations and police and society this fall. His research interests focus on crime and media as well as policing. Jason's dissertation investigated news media portrayals of active shooting events by analyzing Twitter data from various media sources. Prior to completing his doctorate, Jason had a career in law enforcement that spanned over 10 years. He hopes to bring this experience into the classroom.
Dr. Junghee Han earned her Ph.D. in Social Work from Fordham University in May 2019. She received her second MSW degree from Washington University in St. Louis and her first MSW degree from Soongsil Graduate School in Seoul, Korea. She has extensive clinical and research experiences working with older adults, people with disabilities, and immigrants. Before joining the USI, she served as an affiliate faculty in Calvin University. Her research focus areas include palliative care, productive aging, and health disparities for populations at risk.
Caroline graduated with her PhD in Criminal Justice from the University of Louisville in May 2020. She received her Masters in Criminal Justice from the University of Southern Mississippi and her Bachelors from the University of Orleans (France). Caroline's research focuses on courts, speciality courts and fear of crime using international data. She will be teaching Criminal Courts and Law and Criminal Law for the Criminal Justice Department at USI this fall. She looks forward to collaborating with other faculty members at USI and to continue developing her teaching and research agenda. Go Screagles!
Dr. Lee earned a BA from Michigan State University, MS from Illinois State University, and PhD from Michigan State University, all in Criminal Justice. Dr. Lee's researcher and teaching interest is on the perception of police legitimacy and juvenile delinquency. He focused on cultural influence of perception of police legitimacy by testing whether Confucius culture. The idea was to see if individuals' perception of police legitimacy was based on personality traits or based on their cultural expectations. In terms of juvenile delinquency research, he focuses on behaviors such as alcohol abuse, suicidal ideations, and general delinquencies to assess what causes delinquent behaviors. Jane Weatherred Jane earned her Ph.D. in Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina in May 2019. She received her M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from USC and her B.A. in Political Science from Hollins University. She has professional experience in public relations working for political officials and on political campaign staff in addition to serving as the Director of Public Relations for a college. At USI, she will teach Introduction to Advertising, Introduction to Public Relations, and Mass Communication Research. Her research focus areas are in public relations, health communication, public policy and journalism history. |
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Associate Professor of History, Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland’s history of local eateries, Classic Restaurants of Evansville, was published in August 2020. Followed by an interview on local WNIN with David James.
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Holen received her MA and MFA from the University of Iowa. She has taught Ceramics at USI since the Fall of 2011. She exhibits both nationally and internationally with her most recent exhibits including the American Pottery Festival at the Northern Clay Center, and a solo exhibit at Clay AKAR. Her work with Empty Bowls, Evansville has raised over $90,000 for local food banks, and involved over 400 community members. |
Jump to Spring 2021
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A study by Hu and Dinko Bačić entitled "Exploratory Discoveries from Eye-Tracking Tests of Wertheimer’s Gestalt Patterns" was posted in December 2020. From the abstract: In this study, we use a novel eye-tracking technology to determine how viewing behavior complies with Wertheimer’s descriptions of Gestalt principles of similarity, proximity, continuation, and closure. Our results show that viewers respond predictably to the most Gestalt principles, while discovering important nuances when it comes to our better understanding of the role of visual attention in closure principle and competing principles. In addition, our results revealed a fundamental distinction between visual attention and visual perception. By grasping this critical difference between attention and perception, designers may become more successful in applying Gestalt principles to their design. |
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Retired adjunct instructor of History, Mr. Gregg McManus, has published a new novel with Authorhouse. "The Bug Light Room" is McManus's first book although a sequel and other books are in the works. It is a sci-fi thriller that takes place between southwestern Indiana and Washington, D.C., with Indiana politics and a presidential election as influence on events in the plot. The book can be purchased from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or the publisher's website. |
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USI Public Relations and Advertising alum, Scott Hogan, was featured in an article about his work as Executive Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia.
From the article: Scott Hogan, executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia and a Biden campaign senior advisor, stands for a photo alongside first lady-elect Jill Biden and Stacey Abrams. Hogan grew up in Bloomington. |
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A synopsis from the publisher: In the last decades, the study of Afro-Spanish varieties that developed during the Colonial period in the Americas has seduced many scholars. The analysis of these Afro-Hispanic speech patterns is crucial to determine their creolized or non-creolized status, as well as to understand the scarcity of the Spanish-based creoles in the Americas. The present study contributes to this linguistic field by analyzing the current speech of the Afro-Mexicans of the Costa Chica region, one of the largest Afro-Mexican enclaves, while proposing a Rhizomatic Linguistic Model to interpret data derived from contact situations. This investigation not only accounts for the Afro-Hispanic linguistic remnants of this Spanish variety, but also examines the current linguistic characteristics and sociolinguistic status of this speech area on the brink of extinction. In addition, this book advocates on behalf of those Costa Chica Afro-Mexican communities that have been stigmatized and customarily ignored in Mexico’s nation-state politics. |
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Dr. Urska Dobersek's recent publication, “Meat and mental health: A systematic review of meat abstention and depression, anxiety, and related phenomena” article was one of the Top 10 Most Downloaded Papers published by Taylor and Francis in 2020. |
|
Dr. Howard is a performance studies scholar who studies the intersection of performance, culture, and personal and social identity, as well as critical performance pedagogy. She has published articles in journals including Text and Performance Quarterly, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Communication Education, the American Behavioral Scientist, the Journal of Intercultural Communication (formerly the World Communication Journal), and the Journal of Fandom Studies. Her most recent publication is Performativity, Cultural Construction and the Graphic Narrative (Routledge, 2020), which she co-edited with Dr. Susanna Hoeness-Krupsaw, Associate Professor of English. |
|
The USI Foundation created a unique, 20-minute tour of the University of Southern Indiana Art Collection. The video features Susan Sauls M’16, Director of the University Art Collection, and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inventory, care, student involvement and overall management of the collection. |
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|
Dr. Darrin Sorrells, adjunct Instructor for Psychology, and his colleague in Academic Skills, Ms. Christine Wittmer, co-authored an article that was published in a peer-reviewed journal, The Learning Assistance Review, in September 2020. The Learning Assistance Review, a publication of The National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA). The NCLCA is a community that works and supports learning center leaders across the world. Focusing on the leadership of learning centers in higher education, NCLCA offers a popular annual conference and institute, frequent webinars, newsletter, a podcast, and the journal, now in its 25th year. |
|
On September 4, Professor of Art, Rob Millard-Mendez, received the Best in Show award for his work, "A Brief History of New Bedford," at the 27th Annual Jasper Arts Center Juried Exhibition. Millard-Mendez also received an Honorable Mention for his work "Early Morning Fireships."
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|
|
|
The College of Liberal Arts welcomed five new faculty members to the team this semester. Find out more below or read the USI Today article with a few more fun things about them.
Jason received his PhD in Sociology from Virginia Tech in May. He also holds degrees in Criminal Justice (M.S.), Political Science (B.A.), and Sociology (B.S.). Jason has taught criminology, juvenile delinquency, and drugs and society. He will be teaching crime scene investigations and police and society this fall. His research interests focus on crime and media as well as policing. Jason's dissertation investigated news media portrayals of active shooting events by analyzing Twitter data from various media sources. Prior to completing his doctorate, Jason had a career in law enforcement that spanned over 10 years. He hopes to bring this experience into the classroom.
Dr. Junghee Han earned her Ph.D. in Social Work from Fordham University in May 2019. She received her second MSW degree from Washington University in St. Louis and her first MSW degree from Soongsil Graduate School in Seoul, Korea. She has extensive clinical and research experiences working with older adults, people with disabilities, and immigrants. Before joining the USI, she served as an affiliate faculty in Calvin University. Her research focus areas include palliative care, productive aging, and health disparities for populations at risk.
Caroline graduated with her PhD in Criminal Justice from the University of Louisville in May 2020. She received her Masters in Criminal Justice from the University of Southern Mississippi and her Bachelors from the University of Orleans (France). Caroline's research focuses on courts, speciality courts and fear of crime using international data. She will be teaching Criminal Courts and Law and Criminal Law for the Criminal Justice Department at USI this fall. She looks forward to collaborating with other faculty members at USI and to continue developing her teaching and research agenda. Go Screagles!
Dr. Lee earned a BA from Michigan State University, MS from Illinois State University, and PhD from Michigan State University, all in Criminal Justice. Dr. Lee's researcher and teaching interest is on the perception of police legitimacy and juvenile delinquency. He focused on cultural influence of perception of police legitimacy by testing whether Confucius culture. The idea was to see if individuals' perception of police legitimacy was based on personality traits or based on their cultural expectations. In terms of juvenile delinquency research, he focuses on behaviors such as alcohol abuse, suicidal ideations, and general delinquencies to assess what causes delinquent behaviors. Jane Weatherred Jane earned her Ph.D. in Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina in May 2019. She received her M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from USC and her B.A. in Political Science from Hollins University. She has professional experience in public relations working for political officials and on political campaign staff in addition to serving as the Director of Public Relations for a college. At USI, she will teach Introduction to Advertising, Introduction to Public Relations, and Mass Communication Research. Her research focus areas are in public relations, health communication, public policy and journalism history. |
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Associate Professor of History, Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland’s history of local eateries, Classic Restaurants of Evansville, was published in August 2020. Followed by an interview on local WNIN with David James.
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|
Holen received her MA and MFA from the University of Iowa. She has taught Ceramics at USI since the Fall of 2011. She exhibits both nationally and internationally with her most recent exhibits including the American Pottery Festival at the Northern Clay Center, and a solo exhibit at Clay AKAR. Her work with Empty Bowls, Evansville has raised over $90,000 for local food banks, and involved over 400 community members. |
Rebecca Lutton, Managing and Marketing Director for 
Dr. Denise Lynn, Associate Professor of History, has published the book, Where Is Juliet Stuart Poyntz?: Gender, Spycraft, and Anti-Stalinism in the Early Cold War (Culture and Politics in the Cold War and Beyond) with the University of Massachusetts Press.
Dr. Gregory Blair, Instructor in 
Ms. Xinran Hu, 
Dr. Norma Rosas Mayén, Associate Professor of 
Southern States Communication Association recently named Dr. Leigh Anne Howard
Master of Public Administration alum, Chaze Patrick, was featured on the 
Dr. 
Dr. Crystal N. Steltenpohl, Assistant Professor of 
. 
Dr. Casey Pycior, Assistant Professor of 
Jason Callahan 
Junghee Han
Caroline Jalain
Sunguook (Sung) Lee
The 
Dr. Rocco J. Gennaro, Professor of 
In February 2020, Alisa (AL) Holen of the USI