Faculty Notes
Mark Allison
Mark Allison, professor of English, authored a new book examining British socialist writing across the long 19th century. Imagining Socialism: Aesthetics, Anti-politics, and Literature in Britain, 1817-1918, published by Oxford University Press, is a literary study of 19th-century British socialism, and it engages with concerns that are of the moment: growing economic inequality, exasperation at political polarization and gridlock, and the resurgence of interest in socialism among Millennials and Generation Z. Allison writes in the introduction, “(I)t would be vanity to think that the struggles of so many intelligent, committed, and well-meaning men and women have nothing to teach us today.’”
Kira Bailey
Kira Bailey, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, coauthored the article “Shooting Your Accuracy in the Foot? Examining the Short-Term Effect of Playing an Action or Strategy Video Game on Cognitive Control,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021, Vol. 18. Bailey’s co-authors, Mickey Rice ’19, Alexis Lease ’19, and Malia Walker ’19, worked on the project while at OWU.
Amy Butcher
Amy Butcher, associate professor of English and director of creative writing, is receiving stellar reviews and awards for her latest book, Mothertrucker: Finding Joy on the Loneliest Road in America, published in November (see Mothertrucker for an excerpt and more information). Additionally, her essay “On Images of Violence: An Author Visits the Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum,” edited by Suzanne Goldsmith-Hirsch for Columbus Monthly magazine, was awarded a notable distinction in Best American Essays 2021, guest edited by Kathryn Schulz.
Antoine Clark
Antoine Clark, part-time instructor of woodwinds and chamber orchestra, wrote the article “Rudolph Dunbar: A Striking Example of His Musical Period,” published in The Clarinet, June 2021. Dunbar (1899-1988) was a virtuoso clarinetist, jazz musician, teacher, orchestral conductor, music critic, journalist, and founder of the Rudolph Dunbar School of Clarinet. Clark also served as guest conductor for the Richmond (VA) Symphony for its Red, White and Lights performance, July 4.
Phokeng Dailey
Phokeng Dailey, assistant professor of communication, published the book chapter “TV’s Black Women Medical Professionals: Sapphires with a Stethoscope” in Working While Black: Essays on Television Portrayals of African American Professionals, L.T. Brackett (ed.), McFarland Press, 2021. She also was featured in an interview with financial advising firm TSG Advice Partners as part of the firm’s “Conversations Series: Spotlight on Educators.” The interview, posted on Facebook Watch, focused on how higher education responded to the global pandemic.
Paul Dean
Paul Dean, associate professor of sociology and anthropology, coauthored (with George Ritzer) the book Globalization: A Basic Text (3rd ed.), Wiley-Blackwell, Malden, MA, October 2021. Dean also delivered a presentation, “Lifting While We Rise: Working-Class First-Gen Graduates Promoting Economic Justice and Staying True to their Roots,” at the Working Class Studies Association Conference (virtual), June 7, 2021.
Michael Flamm
Michael Flamm, professor of history, is serving as the historical consultant for the new Advanced Placement edition of Alan Brinkley’s best-selling American History textbook. Flamm is reviewing the revised structure and new history content, and he is providing input on editorial changes.
Erin Flynn
Erin Flynn, professor of philosophy, published the article “Athletic Skill and the Value of Close Contests,” in Journal of the Philosophy of Sport. 48(2), July 2021. The paper challenges the commonly held view that athletic contests are comparative tests of athletic skill by arguing that the value of close athletic contests cannot be reconciled with the former view.
Jeffrey Ford
Jeffrey Ford, part-time instructor in English, published a short story collection, Big Dark Hole (Small Beer Press), in July. A review from Kirkus describes the book as, “Fifteen tales of horror, suspense, and macabre encounters that recount moments when the fantastic finds a crack in our everyday world.” Read one of the stories, “Five- Pointed Spell,” at Literary Hub.
Anne Fry
Anne Fry, professor emerita of zoology, wrote the article “A History of Zoology at Ohio Wesleyan University: 1844-2021, published in August 2021” on the OWU Digital Commons.
Eric Gangloff
Eric Gangloff (right), assistant professor of biological sciences, along with students Princeton Vaughn ’22 (center) and Wyatt McQueen ’23 (left), authored the paper “Moving to the City: Testing the Implications of Morphological Shifts on Locomotor Performance in Introduced Urban Lizards” in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 134(1), Sept. 2021. Their research also was featured in a blog post by Vaughn at urbanevolution-litc.com.
Sarah Kaka
Sarah Kaka, assistant professor of education, published several works in the past few months. She wrote two chapters in the 2021 book Hollywood or History? An Inquiry-Based Strategy for Using Film to Teach World History, edited by Scott Roberts and Charles Elfer; the first was an invited chapter titled “The Lives of Children During the Industrial Revolution,” and the second, co-written with Christopher Dobeck ’18, is “Perspectives on the Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79.” Her third book chapter this year, “Teaching History in Real Time: Using Ephemera, Artifacts, and Museums to Teach Social Issues,” was published in Handbook on Teaching Social Issues (2nd ed.), edited by Ronald Evans. Kaka also wrote the article “Digital Simulations as Approximations of Practice: Preparing Preservice Teachers to Facilitate Whole-Class Discussions of Controversial Issues” in Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 29(1). Also, Kaka’s blog post “You Can’t Pour from an Empty Cup: 6 Things New Teachers Can Do to Promote Their Own Wellness” was published on the Kappa Delta Pi blog.
Kaka also has presented four papers and sessions in 2021. In April she presented “Digital Practice Spaces and Clinical Practice in Teacher Preparation: Current Uses and Future Possibilities” at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting (online). In June she presented “Teaching Divisive Issues in Uncertain Times” at the Ohio Center for Law Related Education Annual Civics Summit (online). In August Kaka, Assistant Professor of Education Michele Nobel, and Assistant Professor of Education Jennifer Lisy presented two sessions at the Association of Teacher Educators conference: “Preparing Antiracist Teachers: One Teacher Preparation Program’s Journey” and “Helping Preservice Teachers Build Resilience: One University’s Approach.”
Franchesca Nestor
Franchesca Nestor, assistant professor of politics & government, received an Exemplary Teacher of the Year Award for 2020-21 in recognition of her excellence in teaching, civility and concern for students and colleagues, commitment to value-centered education, and service to students and the institution. The award was presented by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church.
Glenda Nieto-Cuebas
Glenda Nieto-Cuebas, associate professor of world languages and cultures, served as co-editor (with Tania de Miguel Magro, Mina García, and Erin Cowling) of the book Social Justice in Spanish Golden Age Theatre, University of Toronto Press. The collection of original essays focuses on the many ways in which early modern Spanish plays engaged their audiences in a dialogue about abuse, injustice, and inequality. The book includes Nieto-Cuebas’ essay “Systemic Oppression in Morfeo Teatro’s Adaptation and Production of El coloquio de los perros.” The Association for Hispanic Classical Theatre (AHCT) also awarded Nieto-Cuebas the 2021 David Gitlitz Comedia Prize in Pedagogy and Mentorship for her “distinguished career of teaching tied to the AHCT’s mission of fostering appreciation for Classical Hispanic theater.” She also is currently serving as vice president-elect for membership and registration for AHCT. Finally, her interview, co-conducted with Erin Cowling, “Entrevista con EFE TRES Teatro: El Merolico confinado” was published in Comedia Performance: Journal of the Association for Hispanic Classical Theater, 17(1), 2021.
The deadline for receiving Faculty Notes submissions for the Spring 2022 OWU Magazine is February 1, 2022.