Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Annual Report 2001-2002
Dean's Letter
Camden College of Arts and Sciences
Research Centers and Initiatives
Academic Departments
Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Programs
Appendices
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Undergraduate Programs
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM
The African American Studies Program at Rutgers-Camden is a small interdisciplinary program. The faculty members have their appointments in other, traditional, disciplines such as history, sociology, psychology and political science. The fulltime faculty members who teach courses in the African American Studies interdisciplinary unit include Sheila Cosminsky (anthropology), Luis Garcia (psychology), Wayne Glasker (history), Sharon Gramby Sobukwe (political science and public policy), Katrina Hazzard Donald (sociology), Arthur Klinghoffer (political science), Jon Van Til (urban studies) and Joseph Walker (theater). Part time faculty members include Augustine Isamah (sociology), Rita Johnson Ray (psychology), Patricia Ojea (political science) and Mahdi Ibn Ziyad (philosophy), among others. Dr. Ziyad, who is teaching in the summer sessions, is offering innovative courses in African American and Islamic philosophy. In Fall 2000 there were six African American Studies majors. Since that time two have graduated. In June 2002 there are five African American Studies majors. In Fall 2000 there were four African American Studies minors. In June 2002 there are seven African American Studies minors, and at present there is one student who is in the process of declaring a minor in African American Studies. Therefore, although starting from a small base, the number of minors has nearly doubled between spring semester 2001 and spring semester 2002. Although the number of majors and minors is small, the African American Studies courses have excellent enrollments. In April 2002 the Academic Policy and Courses of Study Committee, and the Senate of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences approved four new courses. These courses are interdisciplinary. They can be cross listed with other departments if departments are so inclined. They are at the 300-level, and are writing intensive and research oriented. The titles of the new courses are: The Slave Narratives; The Era of the Harlem Renaissance; The Black Political Tradition (assimila-tion, cultural pluralism, nationalism and separatism); and Special Topics in African American Studies. Some of these courses also can be taught in summer school and Winterim. During the year the African American Studies Program sponsors guest speakers and cultural events. The Annual Cultural Celebration (Kwanzaa) was held in December 2001. On March 27, 2002 members of the Hannibal Cox chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen spoke to an audience of nearly 100 people. On April 10, 2002 lawyer and civil rights activist David Rudovsky discussed racial profiling, DNA tests, and the Innocence Project. Dr. Wayne Glasker, director of the African American Studies Program, serves as the faculty advisor to the Carr Scholars (recipients of the James Carr Scholarship), while Jonathan Muse of the Student Advising office serves as the administrative advisor. In May there was a reception for the Carr Scholars. One of the Carr Scholars, Stephanie Addison, was recognized at the Honors Convocation, and will be going to medical school in fall 2002. On April 18, 2002 Dr. Wayne Glasker received the Paul Robeson Faculty Award for contributions to nurturing academic life, professional development and the aspirations of students. The award is given by the Paul Robeson Cultural Center in New Brunswick. As part of the outreach of the African American Studies Program to the wider community, Dr. Glasker also presented a guest lecture at the South Jersey Performing Arts Center on April 15, on the subject of the Amistad Trial. This event was held in conjunction with the Delaware Valley Port Authority, on the occasion of the visit of a replica of the schooner Amistad to the Camden waterfront. And on April 16 Dr. Glasker participated in the Career Day at the LEAP Academy. Activities such as these help to promote the visibility of Rutgers-Camden to a wider public beyond the campus.
AMERICAN STUDIES In the 2001-02 AY, the Walt Whitman Program in American Studies continued in its efforts to introduce students across the campus to the field of American Studies and thereby deepen their understanding of the cultural history of their country. The most notable achievements of the year included: an American Studies faculty lunch in Spring 2002 with Lisle Dalton, a religion professor at Hartwick College, to discuss his scholarship as it relates to the evolving field of American Studies; a lecture by and discussion with Lisle Dalton in Spring 2002 on the nineteenth-century science of phrenology that attracted more than 50 students and faculty; and the purchase of several key American films that will be useful in the teaching of American Studies on campus in the years to come. During the year, the American Studies Program also revised its curriculum, adding an Introduction to American Studies course that won Faculty Senate approval. In addition to that introductory-level course, the Program offers an American Studies Seminar as a capstone course for minors with an Independent Study option. In Spring 2002, Woodrow Wilson Fellow Vicki Howard offered the new Introduction to American Sudies (cross-listed in the English department), an interdisciplinary course that satisfied for students a college requirement (a substitute for Intellectual Heritage), and through it introduced more than 40 students to the field, serving already declared minors and as a recruitment tool for the minor. Finally, one of our minors attained distinction during the 2001-02 AY. Susan Cheetham won an Undergraduate Research Award and published her work, which grew out of her internship at the Walt Whitman House, in _Conversations_, a publication of the Walt Whitman House.
FILM STUDIES
During the past year, Film Studies has offered twenty-five courses in a variety of majors. The Fine Arts Department has led the way with several new courses in film-making, computer graphics, and animation. The boundaries between film, art, animation, and computer graphics have come down in recent years with the advent of digital film-making. As a result of these innovations, students in a variety of disciplines have been experimenting with film-making. For example, Robert Emmons, a graduate Liberal Studies student, submitted Camden's first Master's Thesis in film format. Enthusiast, a documentary study of the history of comic books and their role in modern culture, premiered first on campus to a large audience, and was later selected for a Philadelphia Premiere at the Prince Theater. Additional courses were offered by the following departments: English, History, Foreign Languages, and Religion. New courses in screenwriting (Zeidner) and Modern French Film (Hippolyte) are currently among those planned for the next academic year.
THE HONORS COLLEGE The Honors College began its fourth year of operation with a class of 69 new students who were recipients of Provost and/or Carr Scholarships. Students came to Rutgers from South Jersey as well as Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and South Carolina. Some moved into the special honors floors in the residence halls, where they enjoyed excellent computer access as well as prime views of Camden and Philadelphia from the ninth and tenth Honors Floors. Numerous honors students served as resident assistants in the dorm towers. The honors students enjoyed a wide variety of challenging new honors seminars taught by professors of the schools of Business, Law, and the Arts and Sciences. The number and scope of the required honors seminars expanded to accommodate the new students arriving on campus. The seminars for the fall, 2001, semester included:
Spring 2002 Seminars included:
The Honors College sponsored a variety of on and off-campus activities throughout the 2001- 2002 academic year. Fall, 2001, activities included: In August, we welcomed the new freshmen to campus with an Honors College Orientation. Provost Roger Dennis, Dean Margaret Marsh, and other faculty and staff spoke, providing information on the Honors College and the campus to the new students and their parents. After a morning of activities, students and their parents were treated to lunch in the campus center. The first of many information seminars was held on September 20, with Carolyn Levine discussing "Major Fellowships for Graduate School: How to identify and apply for the fellowships best suited to a student's needs". Other workshops in September included a Stress Management Workshop, presented by Robert Russo of Campus Health Services, and an Internship Workshop, presented by Cheryl Hallman of The Career Center. Our CEO Lecture Series kicked off on September 25, when students met with Jon Paz, CEO of Godwin Pumps. October was an especially active month for the Honors College. The month began with the annual canoe trip to the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The students attended a Glass Ceiling Roundtable where they met with various female executives to discuss the balance between careers and families. The second CEO Lecture of the semester brought Tim Corcoran, the President of the Cooper's Ferry Development Association to campus to discuss the exciting plans for the Camden Waterfront. Historian Kriste Lindenmeyer of University of Maryland, Baltimore County came to present her research on "Growing up as America's Greatest Generation: A Discussion of the Troubled Times Faced by Young People Coming of Age during the 1930s and 1940s. In November, the Honors College sponsored their annual "International Studies Luncheon" in conjunction with the New Brunswick Study Abroad Office and the Camden International Studies Program. This program, one of our most popular, is designed to provide honors students with information about the opportunities for study throughout the world. Many students attended the luncheon as study abroad is one of the options that satisfies the Junior Year "The City and The World" Honors College requirement. Honors students often participate in the International Studies Program on a yearly basis - many students enjoy the ability to visit a number of countries during their undergraduate career. Melanie Andrich and Timothy Martin explained the programs, distributed information, and answered student questions. Freshmen Honors English Composition students were treated to a presentation of Waiting for Godot at the Villanova Theater. The final CEO Lecture of the semester featured Rutgers-Camden graduate Abraham Abuchowski, President of New Paradigm Consulting, who discussed biotechnology. The students also enjoyed another roundtable discussion with leaders from the field of Information Technology. Guest speakers included the CEO of L-3 Communications in Camden, member of Lockheed Martin, and others. The Spring, 2002, semester was just as busy for the honors students: A "Welcome Back" pizza luncheon greeted returning students and announced up-coming events for the spring semester. February was extremely busy, bringing the return of the CEO Lecture Series with New Jersey State Assemblyman Louis Greenwald, who discussed the current budget situation in New Jersey. He discussed the state budget shortfall and offered the students a chance to intern in his office. March brought the second CEO Lecture of the semester with Gene Miller, President and Founder of the Flying Fish Brewery. Miller, an alumnus of Rutgers-Camden, spoke to the students about changing careers, establishing a business, and steps towards success. Tom Pignone of the Camden Learning Resource Center presented a "Study Skills Workshop" designed to teach students how to effectively juggle school, work, and additional responsibilities. Cheryl Hallman presented a workshop for underclassmen on "Applying to Graduate School". The final CEO Lecture of the semester brought Steve Schilling of the Camden Riversharks and the Quaker Group (the parent company which owns the Riversharks) to campus. Honors students also enjoyed trips to the Cloisters in New York City and the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. Students celebrated the end of the semester with two annual year-end dinners, one for seniors and their families and another for the underclassmen, where students discussed the past year with their professors, and offered advice for the year to come. Honors College Awards were presented, with awards ranging from service awards to achievement awards. The academic year came to a stellar end with fourteen honors students being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at the ceremony in New Brunswick. Graduates went off to pursue graduate, law, medical school and employment. One student, Hollye Dybalski, was awarded a Rotary Fellowship to attend graduate school in Germany. As the class of 2002 graduated, planning began for the new freshman class of honors students.
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES The first discussions about the International Studies Program for 2001-02 took place on September 12, and on that occasion, unexpectedly, we were forced to consider whether a program involving international travel would be feasible in the academic year 2001-02. Our decision was to allow faculty and students to decide this question for themselves, and the result was a solid program of five study tours: to Russia (Urban Studies), Paris (Art and Art History), Northern Ireland (Urban Studies), Southern Africa (Management and Marketing), and British Columbia (Anthropology). Seventy-five students participated, a good number considering that our courses had to be announced and publicized in the immediate aftermath of those terrorist attacks. Of these students, perhaps twenty-five received grants to support their trip, either from the campus Multicultural Fund; from the International Programs account, which is supported by alumni contributions; or from a supplementary budget award from the Dean. Nine alumni donors contributed a total of approximately $800 to the program this year. The Director of the program sent each of them thank-you letters, with a testimonial from a student who had taken the trip to Northern Ireland. Prospects look especially bright for the coming academic year. Plans are in the works for as many as nine trips to Cuba, Southern Africa, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Greece, Sweden, Paris, England, and Sicily / Tunisia. This year we hope to strengthen our connections to alumni and increase alumni contributions as well.
LIBERAL STUDIES PROGRAM Overall Students Graduates are pursuing a range of activities. For example, Rebecca Dippner will attend Rutgers University Law School; Chris Gonzoph is wait-listed for a medical degree program. Others are continuing at their present places of employment and finding advancement opportunities previously unavailable without the bachelor's degree. Faculty Recruitment Programs Support and Coordination
TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM
Several students were recognized with awards. These include Ms. Carrie Chambers, Secondary, English major, 3.967 GPA, and Mr. Keith Gorman, Secondary, History, 3.920 GPA, who received the Nancy Higginson Dorr Award. Ms. Cheryl Alessandrini, Psychology major, 3.909 GPA, received the Distinguished Elementary School Candidate award. In addition, thirty-nine students were inducted into the KAPPA DELTA PI Education Honor Society. Fifty students completed student teaching in the fall 2001 semester, and thirty-five students completed student teaching in the spring 2002 semester. For the academic year 2001-2002, we placed 220 students in the various practica courses and student teaching. We anticipate placing 36 student teachers in the fall 2002, and 55 in the spring 2003. The Teacher Preparation Program enjoyed a 100.0% passing rate in 2000- 2001 in the PRAXIS examination. In addition to our standard course offerings, we have provided numerous free-period lectures to enhance student awareness of various aspects of the profession. These have included presentations by Assistant Dean Nancy Rosoff and Dr. Karin Gedge of West Chester University, and several administrators from local public school districts as well as a representative of NJEA. Rutgers-Camden was also recently represented at a workshop sponsored by the Gloucester County Special Services School District. The TPP Director and Associate Director have also taken an active part in the NJ Field Directors' Forum, in meetings of the New Jersey Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, and in Title II meetings.
WOMEN'S STUDIES PROGRAM Ongoing Activities To facilitate communication with Women's Studies faculty, Women's Studies sent out weekly messages that solicited participation in various activities; notified Women's Studies faculty associates of grant, conference and publication opportunities; and kept Women's Studies faculty abreast of all campus activities of possible interest. The Women's Studies web page was reactivated http://www.camden.rutgers.edu/Camden/WS/index.html>, thanks to Harold Winshel's help, with ongoing postings of course offerings, events, and a current list of faculty advisers. A new brochure on Women's Studies was printed for distribution to students and organizations throughout the campus. Student Accomplishments Four students, all of whom were Psychology majors, completed senior theses for their Women's Studies minor during the academic year. During the fall, the three graduating minors met weekly with the Women's Studies program director and with Professor Luis Garcia, who generously volunteered his time and attention throughout the academic year. During the spring, the one graduating minor also met weekly with the Women's Studies program director and Professor Garcia. All of the students presented the results of their work to faculty at a special event at the end of each semester. Student theses:
Faculty Participation At present, there are 34 faculty advisers for the Women's Studies program. The list will be updated before the fall 2002 semester, so as to incorporate new faculty members and exclude associates who have retired or left Rutgers Camden. Several faculty members kindly volunteered their time at brown-bag lunches during the academic year, including: Elizabeth Hillman, School of Law, Cold War Crime and American Military Culture: Courts Martial in the United States Armed Forces, 1951-1973 (January 25, 2002); Stuart Charmé, Religion and Philosophy, Up Against the Western Wall: The Clash of Gender and Judaism in Jerusalem (February 25, 2002); and Kathleen Ashton, School of Nursing, Women's Wellness: the Heart of the Matter (April 5, 2002). Special Events Women's Studies co-sponsored the lunch and talk by the Nigerian AIDS activist Joy Ezeilo, together with Afro-American Studies, the Student Center, and the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice (November 13, 2001); co-sponsored the lunch and lecture associated with Professor Beth Adelson's course, Psychology of Women, of the world-renowned anthropologist, Professor Lucy Suchman, in conjunction with the Honors College (April 24, 2002); and co-sponsored the dinner, lunch, and lecture associated with Professor Jane Siegel's course, Confinement and Corrections, of the death penalty activist Kathleen O'Shea, in conjunction with the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice (April 25, 2002). Women's History Month 2002 The Women's Studies Program sponsored and supported several program throughout the month, including: a presentation by Twofeathers, a graduate student in the Department of History, entitled "What Is a Squaw?" (March 11. 2002); a talk by Professor Carol Singley, Department of English, "On Women, Movement, and Momentum: Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been, and Do We Need Nikes to Get There?" (March 12, 2002); and a presentation from Professor Elizabeth Hillman, School of Law, "'Dress, Right, Dress': Women, Gender, and Military Uniforms" (March 14, 2002). Courses taught In fall 2001 two sections of Introduction to Women's Studies were taught, one as a first-year seminar. A senior seminar in Women's Studies also met, for the purpose of supervising student theses. In addition, some eleven courses were offered that fulfilled requirements for the minor in Women's Studies. The following departments included courses for the minor: Biology, Foreign Languages, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology. In spring 2002 the senior seminar in Women's Studies was offered, and seventeen courses fulfilled requirements for the minor. The following departments participated: Biology, Criminal Justice, History, Honors, Linguistics, Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology.
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