AFRICANA STUDIES BOOK ASSISTANTSHIP PROGRAM

Application Deadline: January 20, 2015

Statement of Purpose

The Africana Studies Book Assistantship (ASBA) Program provides financial support to outstanding Africana Studies majors and minors who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the field of Africana Studies or using the scholarship within Africana Studies to address cultural, historical, policy and social issues relating to the peoples of African descent.

For the 2014-2015 academic year, two book assistantships of $250 each will be awarded. Award money is sent directly to the UMBC Bookstore for purchase of books and educational supplies by the recipients for Spring 2015 or Summer 2015.

Eligibility and Requirements

Selection is based on the following criteria:

• A full-time, undergraduate and degree-seeking student in good standing at UMBC at the time of application and at the time of award
• Have a minimum 2.75 GPA at the time of application
• Declared AFST major/minor at least one semester prior to submission of application for the book assistantship
• Passed at least two courses in Africana Studies
• Demonstrate through a pattern of service, research, or extra- or co-curricular activities a commitment to advancing the field of Africana Studies or using the scholarship within Africana Studies to address cultural, historical, policy and social issues relating to the peoples of African descent.
• Submit two letters of recommendation from UMBC faculty members
• Submit a transcript (unofficial transcripts are accepted)
• Applications should be submitted as attachments in MS Word or PDF format to Dr. Tyson King-Meadows, ASBA Selection Committee chair at tkingmea@umbc.edu. All questions should also be directed to him.

This interdisciplinary course will investigate the interwoven social, cultural, scientific, and technological aspects of the Anthropocene, the geologic age defined by the influence of humans on the planet. Students in the class can expect to develop an understanding of how the Anthropocene is defined, to examine scientific evidence for that definition, and to discuss the scientific and social implications of that definition. The course will also consider technological and social strategies for managing complexity in this new era.

The Council on Hemispheric Affairs, based in Washington, D.C., recently published an op-ed by Felipe Filomeno, an Assistant Professor of Political Science, about recent events in Brazilian politics.

In the column, Filomeno argues that the tight victory of President Dilma Rousseff in her bid for another term and the election of a more conservative parliament signal the exhaustion of Lulismo as a mode of governing and strategy of national development. He writes that the Workers’ Party (PT) now faces the challenge of forging new connections with the civil society to promote progressive changes in a context of economic difficulties and political polarization.

“Now, either the PT will be able to turn the difficult elections of 2014 into a ‘labor pain’ from which a new social pact for development could emerge, or it will see a revitalized President Rousseff immobilized in the face of stronger conservative forces waiting for a new ‘interrupted construction,’” Filomeno writes.

To read the full column titled “Brazilian Elections: Labor Pain?” click here.