CFP: "The Presence of 'America' in India"

The International Forum for U.S. Studies and South Asian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announces a call for papers. The conference,"The Presence of 'America' in India", will take place April 5-8th, 2012. Application deadline: October 15th.

The Presence of "America" in India: Where and How Does"America" Appear and What Are The Effects?

April 5th-8th 2012

Description: During the last decade, thecirculation of ideas, commodities,cultural practices, and cultural products perceived as coming from the U.S. and gaining traction in India has accelerated. We understand this processas a dialectical one, full of multiple transformations/translations/ andeffects, and with a substantial history, where India is not merely a"receiving" region, but rather a complex set of national and subnationalcultural and political groups actively involved in articulating relationshipsto "America." We use the term "America" advisedly as it does not presumeto reference all of the Americas but rather to capture the sense of the U.S. asboth a geo-political entity and a cultural imaginary, that is, not only as apolitical actor, mediating between Pakistan and India, but also as a culturalinfluence in many of the contemporary changes in Indian daily life andinstitutional structures. These include shifting practices of food consumption,modes of fashion, notions of secular democratic politics, the restructuring ofIndian higher education institutions, the emphasis on "American" accents inEnglish speech, employment in U.S. corporation customer service "callcenters," the impact of the presence of the US business corporations (such asIBM), new developments in Indian agriculture and engineering, themigration of hip hop style dancing into Bollywood musicals, the much contested"brain drain" to the United States, and so on.
We welcome paper proposals from a wide range of disciplinesand topics that seek to understand the complexities of these processes andrelations. These include but are not limited to: media studies, securityissues, food, agriculture and ecology, diaspora studies, performance andthe performing arts, fashion, business and economics, literatures andlanguage, religion, engineering, architecture and landscape, travel andtourism, and social relations. Proposals should explicitly address theconference theme. Panels will be organized to give each speaker approximately 20 minutes each. Other formats beyond the usual paperpresentation mode, such as posters and performances, will also be considered.
Please submit via email a proposal detailing yourresearch and how it addresses the conference theme in the form of a briefabstract of no more than 300 words. Please include your name,title, affiliation, and contact information (mailing address and email), as wellas a brief C.V. of no more than two pages BY OCTOBER 15TH to:
Ms. Anita Kaiser, Conference Coordinator
International Forum for US Studies
arkaiser@illinois.edu
www.ips.illinois.edu/ifuss
Participantswill be notified of acceptance no later than Dec. 31, 2011, and will beresponsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses. Aregistration fee of $50 ($25 students) participants will cover special mealevents. Registration fee waived for UIUC participants.

Conference Co-Organizers: Prof. Jane Desmond and Prof.Rajeshwari Pandharipande, UIUC

DGS Fall Semester Office Hours

The Director of Graduate Studies, Kevin Murphy, will be holding office hours on Mondays from 10am - 12pm for fall semester. To make an appointment please call the front desk at 612-624-4190 or email amstdy@umn.edu with the preferred time, date, and topic/description for the appointment.

PCard Reminder

Please submit receipts for all August PCard purchases to Laura by Thursday, September 1st.

generic coversheet: COVERSHEET generic-1.xlsx

AFRO 5625: Black Women Writers in Diaspora

AFRO 5625: Black Women Writers in the Diaspora will be taught Fall 2011 by Dr. Njeri Githire on Wednesdays from 5 - 7:30pm in Hubert H. Humphrey Center room 35 . This upper level undergraduate/graduate seminar explores the dynamics of black women's expressivity in literary texts from Africa through Europe to the Americas and beyond.

Click here for a course flyer:AFRO 5625-FLYER.pdf

"A Song In My Heart" book discussion by Local Author & U of M alumnae Roma Calatayud-Stocks

Local author and University of Minnesota alumnae, Roma Calatayud-Stocks, will discuss her book, A Song In My Heart, on Wednesday, September 14 at 4:00 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Bookstore in Coffman Memorial Union. A Song In My Heart highlights the American, Latino, and European cultures through music, the arts, and American and world history during the early 1900's.

A Song In My Heart is set in the early 1900's in Minneapolis, Mexico, New York, Spain and other cities around the world; and it is about the life of Alejandra Stanford who is born into a bi cultural family. As a young pianist and budding composer, Alejandra is inspired by legendary composers and Minnesota's Musical Pioneers and dreams of one day becoming an orchestral conductor. (For a Complete synopsis please see the University of Minnesota: Alumni Association page).

Graduate Student Health Insurance

To register for Graduate Student Health Insurance please follow this steps on this web page. Be sure to review your student account and ensure you are charged for the Graduate Health Plan, not the Student Insurance Plan. http://www.shb.umn.edu/twincities/graduate-assistants.htm Please contact Colleen at 612-624-1871 if you have any questions.

Note About Letters of Recommendation Files

Each year the department sends out letters of recommendation for students that are ABD. Continue reading for instructions on how to initiate the file and use the service.

The Department of American Studies sends out letters of recommendation for graduate students applying for jobs and/or fellowships. Typically a file consists of 3-4 letters, and you may update this file annually.
Students may initiate a file once they are ABD:

• students should e-mail amstdy@umn.edu with the subject: Initiate Letters of Rec File. The body of this request should indicate the names of the letter writers and the total number of letters that will be submitted (sometimes a letter writer will include more than one version of a letter).


• Students should have recommenders write letters and mail them directly to American Studies, Attn: Laura. Alternatively, you may collect letters and drop them off to the main office, but they must be sealed with the recommender's signature across the seal.


• Once all letters have been received, Laura will notify you that initiation is complete. You can begin using the service at this time.

To request letters of recommendation service:

• E-mail amstdy@umn.edu with the subject: Letters of Rec. The body of this request should include complete mailing address information and specific information about which letters to send (if applicable).


• Your request needs to be made at least 5 business days in advance of the date you would like us to put the letters in the mail.


• Laura will reply to your request letting you know the file(s) has been sent.


• When your file is sent out, we also include a return postcard that notifies us that the institution received your file. Those postcards are kept on file in the main office so that we can verify receipt if necessary. If you would need to verify, please stop in to see Laura during regular business hours.

NOTE: Discuss with those who write letters of recommendation if they think it best serves your interest to have a "generic" letter sent from them. You may find yourself applying for a variety of jobs or fellowships that would make a single letter unsuitable for your purposes.