faculty profiles 11 arts & sciences news student news 12 … · 2020-05-27 · 2007 production...

Villanova Theatre Launches 50th Anniversary SeasonVillanova’s theatre department will be celebrating 50 years of excellence in theatre, during the 2008 – 2009 academicyear. The theatre’s 50th Anniversary line-up began with a masterpiece of the American stage followed by a giddyFrench farce, and continues with a gorgeous contemporaryre-imagining of Roman mythology, and a sizzling Kander and Ebb musical.

Theatre department chair Rev. Richard G. Cannuli,O.S.A., says, “The 2008 – 2009 season draws upon thetraditions of American, European, contemporary and musicaltheatre that have been so important to our repertoire andcurriculum through the past 50 years. At this importantmilestone, we take special pride in our graduates, whosesuccess in regional, national and international theatrecontinues to bring such distinction to Villanova University’sM.A. in Theatre program.”

The season opened with Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece,“Long Day’s Journey into Night,” which mesmerizedaudiences from September 23 through October 5. The playwas first seen on the Villanova campus forty years ago, underthe direction of Robert Hedley, who returned to Villanova to direct the anniversary production. It featured theatreprofessor and past-chair Joanna Rotté as Mary Tyrone.

In November, Harriet Power directed Georges Feydeau’shilarious farce, “Le Dindon (An Absolute Turkey).”Complete with slamming doors and mistaken identity, “Le Dindon” is a lightning-paced symphony of intrigues,betrayals and misunderstandings by the supreme master of farce. The delicious confusion leads to a climax that the New York Times called, simply, “Glorious!”

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Mary Zimmerman’s lyricalupdate of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” will inspire audiences to meditate on love in all its myriad forms, on stage fromFebruary 3 through 15; Shawn Kairschner will direct. Inperhaps the most interesting scenic challenge of the year, the play is set in and around an on-stage pool! Humans whosink into the pool emerge divine, and love serves as alchemistin a series of gorgeous, fluid transformations.

The season will end with the passionate and politically-charged “Cabaret,” from the songwriting team behind“Chicago” and the current Broadway hit “Curtains,” JohnKander and Fred Ebb. Valerie Joyce, the department’s newest faculty member and an alumna of the M.A. inTheatre program, will direct. “Cabaret’s” captivating storypulls together an American novelist, a British nightclubsinger, a sensible German landlady, and her amorous Jewishtenant in an intricate dance of politics and passion. The cast of “Cabaret” will be singing and dancing from March 24through April 4, and again from April 14 through 19.

All performances will be held in the 180-seat theatre inVasey Hall on the Villanova campus. $10 faculty, staff, andalumni tickets are available (limit two per person) and may be ordered by calling the Villanova Theatre Box Office at 610.519.7474. Visit www.theatre.villanova.edu.

November/December 2008 | Volume Forty-Eight, Issue One

A newsletter by and for the graduate programs of Liberal Arts & Sciences

GRADUATE LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES NEWS

In this Issue:

Highlight: Theatre 2Highlight: Criminology 4Department & Faculty News 6Faculty Profiles 11Student News 12Student Profiles 13Theses & Dissertations 14Graduate Student Council 15

Kathryn M. Lyles, Jeffrey S. Paden and Jessica Conrad Bedford in thisseason's madcap farce, Le Dindon (An Absolute Turkey), directed by Harriet Power. Photo: Paola Nogueras.

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GRADUATE THEATREThe 2008 – 2009 academic year marksthe 50th anniversary of the theatredepartment at Villanova University. For half a century, its faculty have beenchallenging graduate students with arigorous academic schedule, and for just as long, the department’s actors,directors, and theatre technicians have been entertaining audiences with moving, thought-provoking,professional-quality productions. Thatbalance between academic and creativetheatre pursuits makes Villanova’s M.A.

in Theatre unique in the nation. Whilemost master’s-level programs focuseither on scholarship or artistry,Villanova’s program has always striven to marry the two in order to producegraduates who are well-rounded theatreprofessionals, prepared for myriad roles in the creative economy.

“Our department has a 50-year trackrecord of turning out successful theatreprofessionals,” says chairperson Rev.

Richard G. Cannuli, O.S.A. “Ourstudents have gone on to becometheatre educators, arts administrators,prominent scholars, award-winningplaywrights, professional actors,directors and designers—the list goeson. We have graduates actively workingin all aspects of theatre on local, nationaland international levels.”

Impact on the Theatre CommunityGraduates from the past five years’ M.A. in Theatre program have achieved

positions at the Wilma Theatre, TheatreExile, Act II Playhouse, and otherPhiladelphia-area theatres; PlaywrightsTheater of New Jersey; the O’NeillTheater Center in New York, N.Y.;Geva Theatre Center in Rochester,N.Y.; and others. They have been seen in productions at the Media Theatre,Lantern Theater Company, People’sLight and Theatre Company, Vanity

House theatre and more. Theatrealumni are pursuing advanced degrees atthe University of Maryland, ColumbiaUniversity and other institutions. Thetally of graduate achievements from all50 years of the department’s existence is too extensive to include here.

October’s 2008 Barrymore Awardceremony, Philadelphia’s version of theTony Awards, was a testament to theimpact the department has had inPhiladelphia. At the black-tie event,alumni of Villanova’s master’s programwere represented among presenters(Maureen Torsney-Weir ’97 andMichael Hollinger ’89, who also teachesin the program), nominees (costumedesigners Janus Stefanowicz ’81 andCharlotte Cloe Fox Wind ’02, who both work in Villanova’s costume shop),performers (Megan Bellwoar ’90,Kristyn Chouniere ’03, Mike Dees ’04,and Logan Thompson ’07), and evenplanners (Karen DiLossi ’00, Directorof Programs and Services at the GreaterPhiladelphia Theatre Alliance).Villanova Theatre’s 2008 production of “The Illusion” was featured in a video presentation about the sounddesign process.

Talented Faculty and StaffThe faculty and staff of the Villanovatheatre department are comprised ofdedicated theatre practitioners who areactively involved in professional theatre.Following are recent accomplishmentsand plans for the upcoming year: • In addition to her appearance at

Villanova Theatre as Mary Tyrone in the season-opening “Long Day’sJourney into Night,” Joanna Rotté, will be heard on four books on CD, all authored by renowned AmericanBuddhist nun and meditation teacherPema Chodron. Last May, Rottéreceived the President’s Award todistinguished alumni from the City

Joanna Rotté as Mother Courage and Kristen O'Rourke as Kattrin in Villanova Theatre's 2007 production of Mother Courage and Her Children.

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University of New York GraduateCenter.

• Harriet Power, who was this yearpromoted to full professor, becameAssociate Artistic Director of Act IIPlayhouse in Ambler, Pa. This year, shewill direct “Le Dindon (An AbsoluteTurkey)” for Villanova Theatre. Shewill also direct a reading of fellowfaculty member Michael Hollinger’snew play, “Ghost Writer,” at New York City’s New Dramatists.

• Michael Hollinger, associate artisticdirector of Villanova Theatre, isworking on three new musicals. His play “Opus,” which enjoyed asuccessful run Off Broadway last year, is currently being optioned for a Broadway production.

• Rev. David Cregan, O.S.A., is a criticfor the Main Line Times and PhiladelphiaMagazine and is editing a book of essays on gender and national identityin Ireland for Carysfort Press.

• Shawn Kairschner will direct“Metamorphoses” in February 2009 at Villanova Theatre.

• Valerie Joyce, an alumna of theprogram and faculty member, will chairthe American Theatre and DramaSociety emerging scholars’ panel forthis year’s Association for Theatre inHigher Education conference in NewYork. She will also direct the final showin the 08 – 09 season, “Cabaret.”

• Costume shop manager and residentdesigner Janus Stefanowicz recentlynetted a Barrymore nomination forher work on the Wilma Theatre’s2007 production of “Amadeus”

• Parris Bradley, the theatre’s technicaldirector, is tackling the challenge ofdesigning the set for“Metamorphoses”—complete with on-stage pool. Active in the Philadelphiamusic community, Bradley’s band, The Johnny Never Band, performsregularly.

• Ward Van Haute, when not serving asprops master for Villanova Theatre,works on a wide variety of film and TV projects shot in the area, includingPBS’s “Sprout.”

M.A. and Certificate Programs The Villanova theatre departmentoffers a Master of Arts in Theatredegree and a graduate certificate inPractical Theatre. The program isdesigned for the student who is ready todeepen his or her understanding of thescope and content of theatre and drama,from classic to contemporary and fromeast to west. A series of core coursesencompassing the history of theatricalproduction and the theory, criticism andanalysis of dramatic literature supports a range of elective studies in acting,directing, design, and playwriting.

The graduate certification programgives a broad background in practicaltheatre to the student who may not wishto pursue the M.A. degree but wouldlike to acquire skills, vocabulary andmethodology fundamental to thepractice of theatre.

Award-winning ProductionsVillanova Theatre’s annual four-showseason boasts productions that are onpar with those presented by the area’sprofessional theatres. The department’sfour-show season is supported by morethan 500 subscribers and seen by anaudience of over 7,000 theatre patronsannually. With selections culled from abroad range of contemporary and classicplays and musicals, Villanova Theatre’sproductions are directed by faculty andguest artists, and designed by residentand freelance professional designers.Graduate students, supervised by a full-time production staff, are the mainstayof the season, serving as actors, stagemanagers, and members of the crew.

Villanova Theatre productions arereviewed by the major Philadelphia

media. The department is an activemember of many cultural organizations,including the American College TheatreFestival, Greater Philadelphia CulturalAlliance, and the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia. Since 1995,Villanova’s productions have beenhonored with 50 nominations and sixBarrymore Awards for Excellence inTheatre from the Theatre Alliance.Recent nominations were for costumedesign for The Illusion (2008) and The Tempest (2006), Urinetown(2006 – four nominations), and Parade (2004 – eight nominations).

Matt Silva and Luke Moyer playing the Tyronebrothers in Long Day’s Journey Into the Night,directed by Bob Hedley. Photo: John Welsh.

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For additional information about the Theatre program please visitwww.theatre.villanova.edu

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CRIMINOLOGY, LAW & SOCIETY

A Name ChangeThe master’s program in criminaljustice now has a different name:Criminology, Law & Society. Over theyears, the program has morphed fromone that emphasized applied aspects of criminal justice administration toone that now focuses on criminologicaltheory and social policy research. Thebasis for the name change was twofold: (1) truth-in-labeling and (2)marketability for the type of studentswe want to bring to Villanova.

Truth in LabelingThe term “criminal justice” hasincreasingly become synonymous with“cop shop,” in part because of popularmedia portrayals and in part because of the rapid proliferation ofvocationally oriented programs injunior colleges. With a curriculum thatstresses criminological theory, thesocial construction of law, and socialjustice, our program takes the broader

view that the criminal justice system isjust one of several institutions relevantfor crime and justice. Special emphasisis placed on using rigorous researchmethods to examine the role of socialinstitutions (e.g., communities, jobs,schools, and families) in theoccurrence of crime and theeffectiveness of crime control.

The graduate program inCriminology, Law & Society helps students develop a criticalunderstanding of the social context in which the criminal justice systemoperates. This program examines thecauses of crime, the policy solutions,and the sociological implications ofcurrent public policy. Students in theprogram are exposed to the crimecontrol systems of other countries,suggesting that existing arrangementsin the United States are not inevitableand that viable alternatives may exist.Students gain an appreciation for thesocial justice issues that are revealed

in the operation of the criminal justicesystem as well. They wrestle withdifficult questions about, for example,the relationship between racial andeconomic privilege and justiceoutcomes.

Through our undergraduate classesin both sociology and criminal justice,we believe we were able to clearlycommunicate what we are about toVillanova undergraduates seekingadmission to the graduate program.However, prospective applicants fromother institutions did not have thebenefit of this face-to-face contact atthe undergraduate level, and thus onlyhad the title “Criminal Justice” to goon. Unfortunately, as mentioned, the title “Criminal Justice” is oftenperceived by prospective applicants as exclusively vocational. Indeed, in a study titled “What’s in a name?,”Wortley and Wimshurt (2000)reported that the title “CriminalJustice” was seen by students as (1) lessresearch oriented, (2) less challenging,(3) less theoretical, (4) less sociallyaware, and (5) more vocational than“Criminology.” While we believe wewere able to quickly dismiss the notionthat our program was not scholarlythrough our undergraduateintroductory classes, non-Villanovastudents did not have the benefit ofhearing firsthand that our definition of “justice” is more nuanced than thatpresented on “CSI.” Thus, studentsfrom other places were more likely to base their decision to apply or notapply on popular (mis)perceptions.

Local MarketingWe believe that a program titled“Criminology, Law & Society” will have considerable marketability. Onebenefit of “law” in the title is that itmay attract students thinking about a career in law, but not quite ready to go to law school yet. Our emphasis

Professor Kelly Welch with students in her Social Justice graduate seminar.

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on developing critical thinking andresearch skills would serve this groupwell. Another marketing benefitassociated with the word “society” inthe title is the possible attraction ofmore sociology and political scienceliberal arts college students, perhapsfrom some of the exceptionalinstitutions in the Philadelphia area.Another potential marketing benefit is the unique niche for our program inthe region. We are the only programwith such a title in the metropolitanarea, although the University ofPennsylvania and the University ofDelaware both offer graduate degreesin “Criminology”. Of course, we arenot the only program in the countrywith a “Criminology, Law and Society”title. Both the University ofCalifornia-Irvine and the University of Florida use this exact title for theirhighly regarded graduate degrees.

Faculty with National RecognitionWith some recent hires, the programnow includes several nationally-knownfaculty publishing in the top academicjournals and university presses. Ourfull-time faculty have diverse research

and teaching interests includingprisons and punishment, policing,criminological theory, victimology,social justice, poverty and violence,racism and criminal stereotypes,research methods, statistics, and law and gender. Faculty and graduatestudents are collaborating on cutting-edge research, and several graduatestudents are presenting papers at theAmerican Society of Criminologymeetings in St. Louis in November2009.

Classes are small, but includestudents from varying backgrounds,providing an exceptional learningenvironment with personal one-on-one attention from faculty who areexperts in the field. Our studentspursue a range of activities aftergraduation, including further graduatestudies at the doctoral level and careers in law, academia, research (both government and private firms),federal law enforcement, and federally-funded crime prevention initiatives.

Lance Hannon, Ph.D.Graduate Program Director

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Criminology, Law & Societystudents David Pasick, PaigeWeller and Jill Viglione.

For additional information about the Criminology, Law & Societyprogram please visit www.villanova.edu/artsci/sociology/graduate

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Graduate Liberal Arts & Sciences

DEPARTMENT & FACULTY NEWSBiologyAaron M. Bauer, Ph.D., Todd R. Jackman,Ph.D., and postdoctoral researcher EliGreenbaum, Ph.D., have published thepapers “Phylogenetic relationships ofgeckos of the genus Nactus and theirrelatives (Squamata: Gekkonidae)” inActa Herpetologica 3:1 – 18; “Out of theblue: cryptic higher level taxa and anovel, trans-Atlantic clade of geckolizards (Gekkota, Squamata)” inZoologica Scripta 37:355 – 366; and“Evidence for Gondwanan vicariance in an ancient clade of gecko lizards” in Journal of Biogeography 35:88 – 104. Aaron Bauer, Ph.D., and biology graduatestudents Daniel Portik and EdwardStanley conducted herpetological fieldresearch in South Africa and Botswanain June 2008 while Jesse Grismer andPerry Wood worked on lizardsystematics in Thailand and Malaysia. In July 2008, Dr. Bauer and Dr.Jackman and master’s students JesseGrismer, Perry Wood, and StuartNielsen presented papers at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists andHerpetologists in Montreal, Canada.Additionally, Dr. Bauer presented aplenary lecture, “A Spatial and TemporalHistory of Geckos of the World” at thesixth World Congress of Herpetology in Manaus, Brazil in August 2008. At this meeting he assumed the role of Secretary General of the WorldCongress of Herpetology.Robert. L. Curry, Ph.D., attended theannual meeting of the WilsonOrnithological Society, held in Mobile,Alabama, jointly with the Association ofField Ornithologists in April. Dr. Currygave an oral presentation entitled“Contributions of George F. Gaumer to ornithology of the Yucatán andCozumel: throwing the baby out with the bathwater?” Dr. Curry alsocoauthored an oral presentation byrecent Villanova B.S. graduate Andrew

McGann, on “Songs of the criticallyendangered Cozumel Thrasher: whatwould a needle in a haystack sound like?” The meeting’s close also markedcompletion of Dr. Curry’s four year term on WOS Council, the governingbody of the society.

In August 2008, Dr. Curry attendedthe 126th Stated Meeting of theAmerican Ornithologists’ Union, held in Portland, Oregon, jointly withtwo other ornithological societies. Hedelivered the formal introduction forthe Plenary Lecture of Dr. RosemaryGrant of Princeton University. At themeeting, Dr. Curry also completed histhree year term as an elected member of AOU Council, the organization’sgoverning body, and he reported to theCouncil and general membership onplans for the 127th Stated Meeting. Dr.Curry served as Chair of the Committeeon Local Arrangements for thatmeeting, which took place at theUniversity of Pennsylvania in August2008, co-hosted by Villanova and theUniversity of Pennsylvania.

Computing SciencesDon Goelman Ph.D., attended ITiCSE2008, where he presented his paper“Databases, Non-majors andCollaborative Learning: A TernaryRelationship.” Innovation andTechnology in Computer ScienceEducation, or ITiCSE, is the flagshipinternational annual conference of thecomputer science education community.Dr. Goelman also chaired a sessions atthe conference, which was ran from June30 to July 2, 2008.Thomas Way, Ph.D., presented papers attwo conferences in Las Vegas during July2008. Research conducted in Dr. Way’sApplied Computing Technology (ACT)Lab with graduate students RushikeshKatikar and Purushotham Ch led to apaper entitled “Nanocompilation for theCell Matrix Architecture,” that Dr. Way

presented at the InternationalConference on Computer Design(CDES) 2008. Dr. Way also coauthoredwith graduate student ShashankKaushik, M.S. 2008, a paper entitled“Design of an Automatic PasswordProtection Mechanism for DigitalDocuments” that Dr. Way presented at the International Conference onSecurity and Management (SAM)2008.

Criminology, Law & SocietyKelly Welch, Ph.D., has written an articleentitled “Howard Zinn’s criticalcriminology: Understanding hiscriminological perspective” in a specialissue of Contemporary Justice Review thatwill focus on unorthodox criminologists.Allison Payne, Ph.D., has written anarticle entitled “A Multilevel Model of the Relationships among CommunalSchool Disorder, Student Bonding, and Delinquency” that was published in the November 2008 issue of Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.

EducationEdward Garcia Fierros, Ph.D., ofVillanova University and MindyKornhaber, Ph.D., of Pennsylvania StateUniversity recently reviewed the report,“Education Olympics 2008: The Gamesin Review,” released shortly after the2008 Olympic Summer Games inBeijing. The review of that reportquestions the rankings but saves itsharshest criticism for the report’s leap tounsupported policy recommendations.The review can be read athttp://epicpolicy.org/thinktank/review-education-olympicsEdward Garcia Fierros, Ph.D., wasselected as Project Zero ClassroomFellow at Harvard University’s GraduateSchool of Education. As a fellow thispast summer, Dr. Fierros taught twosessions: “Multiple Intelligences in the

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Theory and Practice,” and “High StakesTesting and Opportunity to Learn.”Ray Heitzmann, Ph.D., had an articleentitled “Case Study Instruction inTeacher Education: Opportunity toDevelop Students Critical Thinking,School Smarts and Decision Making”published in the journal Education Vol.128. No. 4. This journal is the oldest in the field of pedagogy.Teresa G. Wojcik, Ph.D., gathered data inPoland last summer for her oral historyresearch on the teaching of civics andhistory during the communist era. Sheobtained official curriculum documentsfrom the period and studied the variousways in which teachers and studentssubverted ideological indoctrination in the classroom. A Fulbright recipient to Poland in 2001 – 2002, Dr. Wojcikspeaks Polish fluently.

During her recent trip to Poland, shewas invited to the town of Warka toparticipate in the “VIVAT PULASKI”celebration, an annual festival markingPolish-American friendship andcommemorating the contributions ofCasimir Pulaski, the Polish hero whoassisted the American colonists duringthe Revolutionary War(www.vivatpulaski.pl). Dr. Wojcikjoined Victor Ashe, AmericanAmbassador to Poland, as a special guest at the festival.

EnglishCristina Maria Cervone, Ph.D., presenteda book-in-progress, “Love’s Leap:Incarnational Poetics in Late MedievalEngland,” at a symposium in April 2008at Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute asthe culminating event of her Mellonfellowship there. Dr. Cervone wasjoined by Alastair Minnis, Ph.D., fromthe English Department at YaleUniversity, Gary Macy, Ph.D., from theTheology Department at Santa ClaraUniversity, and Andy Galloway, Ph.D.,professor of English and Medieval

Studies at Cornell University. Inaddition, Dr. Cervone’s article, “John deCobham and Cooling Castle’s CharterPoem,” appeared in the October 2008issue of Speculum (83: 884 – 916).Another article, “Christ the Falcon,” was published in the September 2008issue of Notes and Queries (55: 277 – 82). Lisa Sewell, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of English and co-director of Women’s Studies, wonthe 2008 Keystone Chapbook award.Seven Kitchens Press published herwinning chapbook, “Long Corridor,” in December 2008. She also has newpoems appearing or forthcoming inColorado Review, American Letters andCommentary, Tampa Review, Laurel Review,The Journal, Denver Quarterly and NewLetters. In addition, Dr. Sewell presenteda paper, “Lyn Hejinian’s Language ofInquiry,” at Lifting Belly: Women PoetsSince 1900, a conference, at DuquesneUniversity, held in September 2008.

HistoryJoe Casino, Ph.D., was filmed andinterviewed by a television team from the Czech Republic preparing a documentary on St. John Neumannand the creation of the parochial schoolsystem in Philadelphia. Filming tookplace in September 2008 at St. Peter the Apostle School in Philadelphia,which Joe attended from 1951 to 1960.St. Peter’s is one of the few schoolsfounded by Neumann in the 1850s thatremains in operation today. The teamthen traveled to the Archives at St.Charles Borromeo Seminary where Dr. Casino presented artifacts related toNeumann and his tenure as the fourthbishop of Philadelphia. Dr. Casinoteaches at Villanova on a part-time basis.Judith Giesberg, Ph.D., presented apaper, entitled “Eye of History: Lookingat Civil War Prisoners of War” at theSociety of Civil War Historians (First)Biennial Meeting at The Union League

Club of Philadelphia, June 2008. Dr.Giesberg delivered a lecture entitled“Lincoln and the Widow Bixby” at the Swarthmore Public Library inAugust 2008. Christopher Haas, Ph.D., traveled to the Republic of Georgia in June andconducted archaeological field researchon early Medieval monastic foundationsin the region of Kakheti. He thenparticipated in a symposium onGeorgian Arts and Culture sponsoredby the Georgian Academy of Sciences in Tbilisi and Batumi, and delivered apaper on “Ioane Zedazneli: A GeorgianSaint in the Syrian Ascetical Tradition.”Jeffrey Johnson, Ph.D., published“Germany: Discipline – Industry –Profession: German ChemicalOrganizations, 1867 – 1914,” in“Creating Networks in Chemistry: The Founding and Early History of the Chemical Societies in Europe,” ed. Sona Štrbánová and Anita KildebaekNielsen (Cambridge, UK: Royal Societyof Chemistry Publishing, 2008), 114 – 138 and “Frauen in der deutschenChemieindustrie, von den Anfängen bis 1945 [Women in the GermanChemical Industry, from the Beginningsto 1945],” in Aller Männerkultur zum Trotz: Frauen in Mathematik undNaturwissenschaften, ed. Renate Tobies,2nd ed. (Frankfurt a.M. and New York:Campus-Verlag, 2008), 283 – 305(revision of the 1st ed. [1997]).Karen Kauffman, Ph.D., participated inthe National Endowment forHumanities Conference on “BenjaminFranklin and the Invention of America,”hosted by Villanova University. Dr.Kauffman lectured on Franklin theDiplomat, focusing primarily onFranklin’s mission to secure vital Frenchaid during the American Revolution. Dr. Kauffman also addressed inner-city students at a basketball/academicdiversity camp at Haverford College

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DEPARTMENT & FACULTY NEWS continued

on the topic of self-respect andnurturing a healthy body image. Dr. Kauffman teaches at VillanovaUniversity on a part-time basis.Elizabeth Kolsky, Ph.D., participated byinvitation at an international conferencein London in July 2008 on “Crime,Governance and the Colonial.” Withthe assistance of a VITAL summermini-grant, Dr Kolsky and Silvia Nagy-Zekmi, Ph.D., constructed a newinterdisciplinary graduate course onPost-Colonial Theory, currently offeredand cross-listed in History and LiberalStudies in fall 2008.Paul Rosier, Ph.D., presented a paperentitled, “‘In those days the air wasclear:’ Native American EnvironmentalMemories and Politics, 1960s – 1970s”at the Common Ground, ConvergingGazes: Integrating the Social andEnvironmental in History Conferenceat the École des Hautes Études enSciences Sociales, Paris, France, inSeptember 2008. In addition, Dr.Rosier coauthored an amicus brief for a case to be argued before the United States Supreme Court on Native American land-rights, DonaldCarcieri et al., v. Dirk Kempthorne, et al., in November 2008. Paul Steege, Ph.D., published an articleentitled “The History of Everyday Life:A Second Chapter,” in Journal of ModernHistory, June 2008, 358 – 378. Dr. Steege also worked as an internationalcorrespondent during summer 2008.His article entitled “Berlin Airlift: ColdWar Myths” appeared in the June 13,2008 edition of the InternationalHerald Tribune, the global edition of theNew York Times. Timed to coincide withthe 60th anniversary of the Berlin airlift,the editorial examined the mythology ofthe Berlin airlift and was based on Dr.Steege’s book “Black Market, Cold War:Everyday Life in Berlin, 1946 – 1949.”In addition, Dr. Steege published

“Kalter Krieg (Cold War): Made inBerlin,” in Die Welt, in July 2008.Rebecca Winer, Ph.D., co-edited withElisheva Baumgarten a special edition ofJewish History devoted to the legacy ofthe historian Elka Klein entitled “TheElka Klein Memorial Volume,” JewishHistory, Volume 22, Nos. 1 – 2, 2008.Dr. Winer wrote the volume’sintroduction and coauthored a reviewessay entitled, “Documents hebraics dela Catalunya medieval: 1117 – 1316.” Dr.Winer also published the article,“Conscripting the Breast: Lactation,Slavery and Salvation in the Realms ofAragon and Kingdom of Majorca, c.1250 – 1300” in the Journal of MedievalHistory, the preeminent journal ofMedieval History in Great Britain, vol.34, issue 2, June 2008, 164 – 184. Inaddition, Dr. Winer commented on apanel she organized entitled, “Mothers,Wet Nurses and the Evolution ofReproductive Medicine in Pre-modernEurope,” at the 14th BerkshireConference on the History of Womenin Minneapolis, Minn., in June 2008.Dr. Winer’s 2006 monograph,“Women, Wealth, and Community inPerpignan c.1250 – 1300: Christians,Jews, and Enslaved Muslims in aMedieval Mediterranean Town,” wasshort listed for the Society for MedievalFeminist Scholarship Book Prize.

Human Resource DevelopmentGinamarie Ligon, Ph.D., conducted astudy on the life narrative events ofhistorically notable leaders such asRupert Murdoch, John Kennedy andBetty Friedman. The study,“Development of OutstandingLeadership: A Life Narrative Approach,”by Ligon, G.S., Hunter, S.T., &Mumford, M.D., was published in theLeadership Quarterly Journal in 2008. David Bush, Ph.D., gave a talk entitled“Coping with Toxic Relationships in theWorkplace” to the Vistage Executive

Group in September 2008. Dr. Bush’spresentation featured his work on TheAlligator Syndrome which has beenfeatured on CNN, in Working Womenmagazine, and in the book “Passive –Aggressiveness: Theory and Practice.”

PhilosophySally J. Scholz, Ph.D., recently publishedthe book “Political Solidarity” (PennState Press, 2008). She also presentedthe paper “That all Children Should BeFree: Beauvoir, Rousseau, andChildhood” in honor of the 100thbirthday of Simone de Beauvoir at theUniversity of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana and a shortened version at the 25th Annual International SocialPhilosophy Conference in Portland,Oregon in July 2008. She presented“Human Solidarity, Global Solidarity,and Social Justice” on the main programat the American Political ScienceAssociation in August 2008 in Boston.Dr. Scholz has also published anencyclopedia article on “social contracttheory” for the Encyclopedia of GlobalJustice.

Political ScienceDavid M. Barrett, Ph.D., served as adiscussant on a panel at the annualmeeting of the American PoliticalScience Association in Boston, Mass., inAugust 2008. The panel’s papers andDr. Barrett’s commentary addressed thetheme, “New Directions in IntelligenceStudies Research.”Robert Langran, Ph.D., delivered a talk in August 2008, “The Supreme Courtin Times of Crisis,” to the SusquehannaCounty Chapter of the League ofWomen Voters. The talk was sponsoredby the Pennsylvania HumanitiesCouncil.Joseph E. Thompson, Ph.D., was invitedby The United States Institute of Peaceand the Social Science Research Councilto participate in the December 2008

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conference on the Diaspora-Government Relations Project. The United States Institute of Peaceofficially received Dr. Thompson intotheir Institute Alumni Program in May 2008.

PsychologyRebecca Brand, Ph.D., and BillChristiana, a 2008 alumnus of themaster’s program in psychology,presented a poster in May 2008 at theAssociation for Psychological Science in Chicago, Ill., entitled “Socioeconomicstatus and infant-directed action:Exploring individual differences.” Dr.Brand also attended an internationalconference in July 2008 in Bielefeld,Germany at the Center forInterdisciplinary Research. Theconference was entitled “IntermodalAction Structuring” and she gave aninvited talk on “The structure of actionand speech in infant-directedinteractions.” In August 2008, Dr.Brand and Wendy Shallcross, a 2007alumna of the Master’s program inpsychology, published a paper inDevelopmental Science called “Infantsprefer motionese to adult-directedaction.”Nicole Else-Quest, Ph.D., traveled to SanFrancisco in April 2008 to present herresearch at the Gender DevelopmentResearch Conference. The paper,“Cross-National Patterns of GenderDifferences in Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis,” examined gender differenceson international assessments of mathachievement and attitudes and theirlinks to societal gender equity.Charles Folk, Ph.D., recently traveled to the Brisbane, Australia where hepresented an invited talk entitled “Thepower of novelty: Stimulus frequencyeffects in attentional capture” to theDepartment of Psychology at theUniversity of Queensland. Dr. Folk alsopublished an article recently in the

journal Visual Cognition entitled “Top-down control settings and theattentional blink:Evidence for non-spatial contingent capture.” The articlewas coauthored by Andrew Leber, Ph.D.,of the University of New Hampshireand Howard Egeth, Ph.D., of JohnsHopkins University.Irene Kan, Ph.D., presented a posterentitled, “Contribution of priorsemantic knowledge to new episodiclearning in amnesia” at the CognitiveNeuroscience Society Annual Meetingin San Francisco, Ca. This work wasdone in collaboration with Dr. MichaelP. Alexander at Beth Israel DeaconessHospital, Harvard Medical School, andDr. Mieke Verfaellie at the MemoryDisorders Research Center, VA BostonHealthcare System. Dr. Kan alsopresented a talk entitled, “Contributionof prior knowledge to episodic memoryretrieval: Empirical evidence andcognitive rehabilitation implications” to a group of neurologists and cliniciansat Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital,Malvern, Pa.John Kurtz, Ph.D., and Patrick Markey,Ph.D., published an article entitled,“Gender differences in interpersonalcomplementarity within roommatedyads,” that appeared recently inPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin.The paper was coauthored by EmilyAnsell, a 1999 alumna of the master’sprogram in psychology at Villanova.Ansell is now at Yale University. Thomas Toppino, Ph.D., Michael Cohen,a 2007 alumnus of the master’s programin psychology, and two current graduatestudents, Meghan Davis and AmyMoors, coauthored a poster that waspresented at the annual meeting of theAssociation for Psychological Science inChicago, Ill., in May 2008. The posterwas entitled “Metacognitive ControlOver Distribution of Practice: When isSpacing Preferred?”

Public AdministrationRobert Maranto, Ph.D., is on leave for theyear doing research at the Departmentof Education Reform at the Universityof Arkansas. Additionally, withenormous help from his spring 2008MPA 8004 class, Public PersonnelManagement, he penned “ThinkingAbout Low Performers,” whichappeared in the August issue of PA Times.Christine Kelleher Palus, Ph.D., wrote an article with coauthor Susan WebbYackee of The University of Wisconsin-Madison; it was published in the onlineversion of the Journal of Public AdministrationResearch and Theory (J-PART) and isentitled, “A Political Consequence ofContracting: Organized Interests andState Agency Decision-Making.” Craig M. Wheeland, Ph.D., completed histwo-year term as chair of the Section onIntergovernmental Administration andManagement of the American Societyfor Public Administration (ASPA). Hecontinues in the position as Villanova’sassociate vice president for AcademicAffairs as well as advising studentsinterested in a city management career.Dr. Wheeland presented a paper at the2008 ASPA conference titled “ThePower to Persuade: Philadelphia, PA.”The paper is a case study on EdwardRendell’s leadership style as mayor ofPhiladelphia and is forthcoming as achapter in: “The Facilitative Leader inCity Hall: Reexamining the Scope andContributions,” edited by James H.Svara (London: Taylor & FrancisPublishing Group).Catherine Hill, Ph.D., spent time in Delhilast year during her sabbatical. While inDelhi, the Public Affairs Office of theU.S. Embassy asked her to deliver severallectures to audiences of Indianpolicymakers and universityadministrators on the topic of “MakingDecisions in Higher Education.” One of

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DEPARTMENT & FACULTY NEWS continued

her courses, Administrative DecisionMaking (M.P.A. 8100), played aprominent role. Over a period of sixweeks, Dr. Hill spoke at Rai University,Modi Apollo International Institute, the National University of EducationalPlanning and Administration, and theIndian Institute for PublicAdministration (the IIPA is anautonomous academic institution ofnational eminence for training, researchand information dissemination in areasrelated to the ethos of PublicAdministration. It also providespublishing and library services forscholars in the field). Catherine E. Wilson, Ph.D., had a book,“The Politics of Faith, ” published byNYU Press in June 2008. The firstsystematic treatment of Latino faith-based organizations in the United

States, the work examines the spiritual,social and cultural influence theseorganizations have provided inAmerican life. Dr. Wilson delivered aconference paper on her book at the2008 American Political ScienceAssociation conference in Boston, Mass.This fall, Dr. Wilson will participate in asymposium at New York University on“Cultural Conversations: Religion,Gender, and Latino/a America.” She alsorecently published an article, “TheBolivarian Revolution according toHugo Chavez” in the Summer 2008edition of Orbis. Richard Manfredi, part-time facultymember, was recently re-appointed byGovernor Rendell to another three-yearterm on the Citizens Advisory Councilto the Pennsylvania Department ofEnvironmental Protection. The council

is an 18 member body that reviews all environmental laws of theCommonwealth and makes appropriatesuggestions for the revision,modification and codification thereof.He is also a voting member of thePennsylvania Environmental QualityBoard.John Kelley, Ph.D., a board member ofthe Eastern Evaluation Research Society,made a presentation at the Society’sspring 2008 conference: “CapacityBuilding at the Grass Roots: AFoundation-Funded Model.” Thepresentation describes an evaluationtraining sequence John designed anddelivered to a number of grass rootshuman service agencies that are fundedby the Phoenixville Community HealthFoundation.

10 •

The College of Liberal Arts andSciences announced that Aaron M.Bauer, Ph.D., a professor of biology anddirector of the graduate programs inbiology, has been named the holder of the Gerald M. Lemole, M.D.,Endowed Chair in Integrative Biology.The first endowed chair to be awardedin the sciences, the Chair in IntegrativeBiology honors the life and legacy of Gerald M. Lemole M.D. ’58, bysupporting the career of a talentedbiology professor, advancing theCollege of Liberal Arts and Sciences,and enhancing the education ofVillanova biology students. Dr. Lemole is the medical director of the Preventive Medicine andRehabilitation Center and Center forIntegrative Health, at the ChristianaCare Health System.

“The College of Liberal Arts andSciences is deeply grateful to Dr.Lemole for his generosity in the

establishment of this endowed chair inintegrative biology,” said Fr. Kail C.Ellis, O.S.A., Ph.D., dean of the Collegeof Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Thischair will serve not only to honor but also to advance the longstandingcommitment of Villanova’s Arts and Sciences to scientific education,inquiry, and discovery. I am verypleased that Dr. Bauer will be the first holder of the chair. An excellentteacher and researcher with aninternational reputation, Dr. Bauer isknown for his dedication to students at Villanova.”

Most recently, Dr. Bauer’s researchcollaboration with the University ofMinnesota’s Bell Museum of NaturalHistory has resulted in the discovery ofa new family of gecko, the charismaticlarge-eyed lizard popularized by carinsurance commercials. An article inthe Philadelphia Inquirer entitled, “Hi-Nella girl wins gecko-naming contest,”

describes how Dr. Bauer relinquishedthe gecko’s naming rights in order toraise money for gecko conservation.“Scientists usually name their owndiscoveries,” the article explains, “butBauer agreed to let the naming rightsbe auctioned off to raise funds forgecko conservation.”

“I am very pleased to be named the Lemole endowed chair holder,” Dr. Bauer said. “The Lemole endowedchair reflects the recognition of theUniversity community that thesciences, in general, and biology, inparticular, have an important place in a Villanova liberal arts education and is fully consistent with the Augustiniantradition. I hope to be able to use theposition to forge closer relationshipsbetween the sciences and liberal arts,and to foster more opportunities forstudents and faculty to explore thecomplex interfaces between biologyand society.”

Aaron M. Bauer, Ph.D., Named Holder of the Gerald M. Lemole, M.D., Endowed Chair in Integrative Biology

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FACULTY PROFILESA. Maria Toyoda, Ph.D., is assistantprofessor of political science at VillanovaUniversity and the director of EastAsian Studies. Her research and writingfocus on the causal mechanisms offinancial liberalization; the politics ofdevelopment aid; the mobilization ofpostal savings and government financialinstitutions for policy financing in Japan;and banking and regulatory reform inJapan. She teaches undergraduate andgraduate courses on East Asian politics;international relations; international and comparative political economy; and development aid. Her most recentresearch, with Dennis Quinn, waspublished in the American Journal ofPolitical Science and Review of FinancialStudies.

Dr. Toyoda was a research scholar at Stanford University’s Institute forInternational Studies and the Asia/Pacific Research Center from 1997 –

2003. She worked at Stanford JapanCenter-Research in Kyoto and servedbriefly as acting executive director of theInter-University Center in Yokohama.

Dr. Toyoda joined Villanova in 2003.In 2006 – 2007 she was a Council onForeign Relations/Hitachi InternationalAffairs Fellow in Tokyo and in 2008 she was a visiting researcher at theInternational Monetary Fund. Dr. Toyoda, whose parents emigratedfrom Japan to pursue show businesscareers, grew up in Miami Vice-eraMiami. These days, when she’s notchasing down obscure information on the relationship between whaling,cement, uranium, Buddhist NGOs and Japanese development assistance,she is chasing down her two young sons.

She received her A.B. in HumanBiology from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Government fromGeorgetown University.

A. Maria Toyoda, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Political Scienceand Director of East Asian Studies

Craig Bailey, Ph.D., an assistantprofessor, joined the history departmentin 2006. As an undergraduate at theUniversity of Connecticut, hecompleted his senior thesis on thesubject of Irish migration to mill townsin southern New England. Havingstudied the lives of these migrants, hewanted to discover more about wherethey came from and why they left, whichled him to pursue an M.A. in Ireland. Asa graduate student, Dr. Bailey developedan interest in the relationship betweenIreland and London, and the peoplethrough whom these connectionsoperated. This led to his doctoraldissertation at the University of London,which examined the social networks ofmiddle-class Irish migrants in theeighteenth-century metropolis. Dr.Bailey is currently working to turn thedissertation into a book, a project inwhich he explores the ideas that Irish

identity had significance for middle-class migrants, that these Irish men andwomen operated within an identifiableIrish community, and that thiscommunity had an impact on therelationship between Ireland andLondon. He recently has presented his work at scholarly conferences in New York and Lisbon, Portugal, and in March 2008 was awarded a ResearchFellowship at the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at theUniversity of Aberdeen. Craig hastaught graduate courses on Irish, British,and Social history, and enjoys the livelyatmosphere and intellectual engagementthat Villanova graduate students bringto the classroom. Having beensomething of migrant himself for theprevious ten years, he is now happy tocall greater Philadelphia “home,” wherehe lives with his wife and two daughters.

Craig Bailey, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Department of History

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STUDENT NEWS

BiologyIn August 2008, BS/MS studentChristopher Meehan presented a posterat the annual meeting of the EcologicalSociety of America in Milwaukee,Wisconsin, entitled “Exploitation of the Pseudomyrmex-Acacia mutualismby a predominantly vegetarian jumpingspider (Bagheera kiplingi).” It wascoauthored by collaborator Eric Olsonof Brandeis University, and Dr. RobertCurry, mentor of Meehan’s master’sthesis research, on which the poster wasbased. Also in August 2008, Meehandelivered an oral presentation,“Exploitation by a predominantlyvegetarian jumping spider (Bagheerakiplingi) of an ant-acacia mutualismthrough ‘clever’ avoidance of ant-guards” at the 12th InternationalBehavioral Ecology Congress at CornellUniversity. Meehan’s work, funded bythe Office of Graduate Studies, thedepartment of Biology, and studentresearch awards from the AnimalBehavior Society and Sigma Xi wascovered in the August 2008 issue of Science News.

Computing SciencesShashank Kaushik, M.S. 2008,coauthored a paper entitled “Design ofan Automatic Password ProtectionMechanism for Digital Documents”with Thomas Way, Ph.D., that waspresented by Dr. Way in July at the2008 International Conference onSecurity and Management in Las Vegas.Rushikesh Katikar and Purushotham Chcoauthored a paper entitled“Nanocompilation for the Cell MatrixArchitecture” with Dr. Way that waspresented by Dr. Way in July 2008 at the International Conference onComputer Design in Las Vegas.

Human Resource DevelopmentThe Villanova Student Chapter ofSociety of Human ResourceDevelopment (SHRM) held their firstmeeting of the season in September2008, and drew a record attendance of40 students. Ginamarie Ligon, Ph.D.,and David Bush, Ph.D., are the advisorsfor the Villanova Student SHRMChapters.

PsychologyPsychology graduate studentscoauthored two presentations at theannual conference of the Association for Psychological Science in Chicago, Ill., in May 2008. Amy Moors and MeghanDavis presented a poster coauthoredwith Thomas Toppino, Ph.D., entitled“Metacognitive Control OverDistribution of Practice: When isSpacing Preferred?” Graduate studentBill Cristiana, along with RebeccaBrand, Ph.D., also presented a poster atthe conference entitled “Socioeconomicstatus and infant-directed action:Exploring individual differences.”Graduate students Wendy Eichler,Lindsay Morton, Joshua Rutt, MichaelGillen and Stephanie Ficiak coauthoredthree different research papers withPatrick Markey, Ph.D., that werepresented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association.Dr. Markey also coauthored an articlewith graduate student Lindsay Riceentitled “The role of extraversion and neuroticism in influencing anxietyfollowing computer-mediatedinteractions” in Personality and IndividualDifferences. Wendy Shallcross, a 2007 alumna of thepsychology master’s program, publisheda paper with Dr. Brand in DevelopmentalScience entitled “Infants prefermotionese to adult-directed action.”

Students Awarded ScholarshipTwo students have been awarded the2008 – 2009 Graduate AlumniStudent Textbook Scholarship: Brian A. Anderson, graduate student inPsychology, and Thomas F. DiGiulio,Classical Studies, Department ofHumanities and Augustinian Traditions.

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Three students received doctoral degrees in Philosophy at the May 2008 Commencement ceremony.Pictured left to right are Michael John Brogan, Adriel Marie Trott, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A.,University President, Ashley Underwood Vaught, and Gerald M. Long, Ph.D., Dean of Graduate Studies,College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

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STUDENT PROFILESJesse Grismer is a southern Californianative, born and raised in Oceanside,California. It was there he grew upcatching lizards and snakes andaccompanying his father, Lee Grismer,Ph.D., a renowned herpetologist, on hisfield expeditions to various parts ofLatin America which aided in Grismer’sfirst publication at 11 years old. Sincethen, Jesse has gone on to conduct fieldwork in 11 different countries, publish 33 scientific papers in peer reviewedjournals, and discover and describe 14 species completely new to science. Grismer recently returned from asummer in Southeast Asian with fellowgraduate student Perry L. Wood Jr.,where they collected data for theirresearch and discovered eight newspecies of reptiles and amphibians.Grismer completed his undergraduatestudies at La Sierra University inRiverside, California and Louisiana

State University in Baton RougeLouisiana, where his interactionsbetween the faculty and other graduatestudents fostered and broadened hisinterest in other areas of evolutionarybiology. He is currently in his secondyear of his master’s program in thedepartment of biology working withAaron Bauer, Ph.D., and Todd Jackman,Ph.D., on the taxonomy, biogeography,and evolution of asexuality of theSoutheast Asian lizard genus Leiolepis.He is also interested in using newecological niche modeling techniques todetermine how the changing sea levelsover the past 20 thousand years inSoutheast Asia have changed speciesdistributions over time and how thesechanges have influenced the formationof hybrid-zones which are responsiblefor producing these asexual species.

Jesse GrismerGraduate Student, Biology

Sarah Vitale moved to Philadelphiafrom upstate New York three years agoto enroll in the graduate program inPhilosophy at Villanova. Before startingat Villanova, Vitale graduated from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York,with a degree in English and Philosophy.Always interested in the history of ideasand literature, Vitale’s specific interest inphilosophy began when she traveled toGuatemala for a Le Moyne courseentitled The World of the Other. Thecourse focused on issues of globalization,and the readings included material byLatin American philosophers. Vitale’sinterest in globalization led her to workfor ProLiteracy, an international literacyand development organization, duringthe year after graduation. While thework was challenging and rewarding,Vitale’s theoretical inclinations drew her back into academia.

During her three years in thephilosophy department, Vitale has beenexcited to work as an editorial assistantfor the philosophical journal Epoché andhelp organize the publishers’ exhibit at the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy conference,which Villanova hosted in 2006. As a co-chairperson of the PhilosophyGraduate Student Union, Vitale enjoyed organizing last year’s graduateconference. In coordination withVillanova’s efforts towards sustainability,the student body strived to host acarbon-neutral conference. Nownearing the completion of hercoursework, she is busy teaching asection of Introduction to Philosophy,studying German, and participating inMarx and Hegel reading groups with her colleagues. She plans to write herdissertation on Marx and contemporarypolitical philosophy.

Sarah VitaleGraduate Student, Philosophy

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14 •

Thesis and Dissertation Listings – September 2008

Name Thesis or Dissertation Title Advisor(s) & Department

Katie Deborah Baranek Mental Health Courts—Do Certain Factors Influence the Decision Dr. Allison Payne, Sociology & Outcome of Acceptance or Rejection? Criminal Justice

George William Boone A Burkean Analysis of World of Warcraft: Identity Work in a Virtual Environment Dr. Bryan Crable, Communication

Erin Ann Brennan Stigmatization of HIV Positive Individuals Dr. Nicole Else-Quest, Psychology

Medora Jane Burke-Scoll Nitrogen and sulfur input and accumulation in continental ombrotrophic peatland Dr. R. Kelman Wieder, Biologyecosystems in Alberta, Canada

Angela K. Clouse Development of a Gene Expression Screen to Assess Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Dr. Louise Russo, BiologyAgents in Female Mouse Reproductive Tissues

Regina N. Coles The Effect of Tests on Learning: The Role of the Opportunity to Retrieve Dr. Thomas C. Toppino, Psychology

Michael L. Corsetti “You are very Irish, you know”: How Scarlett O’Hara’s Irish Identity Dismantles Dr. Jean M. Lutes, EnglishHer Status as Southern Belle

Astrid Shanthi D’Cunha Are Infants Attracted to the Larger Range of Motion in Motionese? Dr. Rebecca J. Brand, Psychology

Karen Elizabeth Doyle A Test for the Configural Nature of Episodic-Like Memory Dr. Michael Brown, Psychology

Wendy Carolyn Eichler Relationship Quality and the Complementarity of Interpersonal Behaviors Dr. Patrick M. Markey, PsychologyAmong Parent-Child Dyads

Adria B. Eichner Surviving Rape: The Reconstructing of Identity through Communication Dr. Heidi Rose, Communication

Joshua Mark Feldblyum Mutual Exclusivity in Bilingual Word Learning Dr. Pamela Blewitt, Psychology

Jennifer L. Fleming The Effect of Age and Stimulus Novelty on Attentional Capture Dr. Charles L. Folk, Psychology

Michael J. Gillen A Test of the Adaptation Theory of Figure Reversal: Selective Adaptation as a Function Dr. Thomas C. Toppino, Psychologyof Physical Stimulus Variation

Scott Grapin Grind the Ink, Wet the Brush, Dance the Pine Tree: Reading and Writing Nature with Dr. Lauren Shohet, EnglishGary Snyder’s Riprap and Mountains and Rivers Without End

Nagesh Javali Topology Control for Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks Dr. Mirela Damian-Iordache, Computing Sciences

Peter Eli Jensen Evaluating the ABC Model of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Theory: An Analysis Dr. Douglas M. Klieger, Psychologyof the Relationship Between Irrational Thinking and Guilt

Colleen Kennedy A Study of Size and Compositional Heterogeneity of Membrane Rafts of CD4+ T cells Dr. Anil Bamezai, Biology

Jessica Roth Landers The Effects of Imagined and Experienced Regret on Risk Avoidance in a Gambling Task Dr. Diego Fernandez-Duque, Psychology

Timothy Liaschenko Problems of Professionalism in Three Novels of Kazuo Ishiguro Dr. Heather Hicks, English

Lindsay Christine Morton Relationship Quality and Goal Agreement among Emerging Adults and Their Parents Dr. Patrick M. Markey, Psychology

Peter Nagy Novels without Heroes: The Gender Origin of War in Norman Mailer’s The Naked Dr. Jean Marie Lutes, Englishand the Dead, Martha Gellhorn’s Point of No Return, and James Jones’s The Thin Red Line

Stuart V. Nielsen Molecular Systematics of the Geckos of New Zealand Dr. Aaron Bauer, Biology

Laura Elizabeth Owen Firearms and Homicide: The Effect of Structural Conditions and Firearm Availability on Dr. Thomas Arvanites, Firearm and Non-Firearm Homicide Rates Sociology & Criminal Justice

Daniel Joseph Pape ‘up out of this’: Metatextuality in Joyce’s Ulysses Dr. Hugh Ormsby-Lennon, English


STUDENT NEWS


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Odyssey Alive!Calling not only on the Muse but also onmany years of theatrical experience,University President Rev. Peter M.Donohue, O.S.A. led off a marathonreading of Homer’s Odyssey before anaudience of more than 120 people inFalvey Library on September 24.Hundreds more in the Villanovacommunity—students, faculty, staff, andadministrators—participated either asobservers or readers in the marathon,which began at 9 a.m. and lasted until 11p.m. The goal of the event, “The OdysseyAlive! A Community Reading ofHomer’s Epic Poem,” was to allow theaudience to experience the magic thatonly a live performance of Homer canprovide.

“Homer’s poem was meant to beperformed, not read,” said Gary S.

Meltzer, Ph.D., director of graduatestudies in Classics and one of the eventorganizers. “Father Donohue’sspellbinding performance set the stagefor scores of other readers who togetherwove an enchanting tapestry of Homer’snarrative.” Kaitlyn Stratton, a student ofancient Greek, had this to say aboutbeing the first reader to follow theUniversity President: “Although I wasreluctant at first to follow FatherDonohue, I am very glad I did not backout. Once I reached the podium, Ibecame confident in my reading abilitiesand tried to make the experience asentertaining as possible.”

People from the University and thesurrounding community dropped in onthe reading steadily throughout the day.The variety of reading styles struck PeterBusch, Ph.D., a professor in the

Graduate Alumni Founder Will Be MissedJerald Paul Saltzman, president of the Graduate Alumnigroup, passed away suddenly in June 2008 at the age of 54.Those who knew Jerel viewed him as the alumni’s “SantaClaus.”

Jerel was one of the founders of the Graduate Alumnigroup at Villanova. He served as treasurer of theorganization since it began in 1988 and became president in2003. For over twenty years Jerel took public transportationfrom his home in Northeast Philadelphia to attend alumni

meetings, sponsor alumni events and cheer on the Wildcats! He was a friend,benefactor and huge Villanova fan. As one of his fellow alumni said, “The Wildcatswill now find a little extra from ‘Santa’ down the stretch.”

Graduate Student CouncilGreetings, a new year brings a new teamof officers for the Graduate StudentCouncil (GSC). I am the new president,Luke Perez, a second year M.A. studentin Political Science. This year I have theprivilege to work with Michael Berliere(Political Science) as my vice-president,Amy Moore (Psychology) serves as our secretary, and Meghan Davis(Psychology) is our treasurer.

Our annual orientation for newgraduate students was a success and wecontinue to see a substantial increase inattendance from years past, with nearlyall new members being first yearstudents who attended the orientation.Dean Long gave welcoming remarks tothe new students and we added a shortpresentation by Dr. Greg Hoskins whois the Faculty Editor-in-Chief ofCONCEPT, Villanova’s graduatestudent journal.

With more student participation, webegan organizing social and professionaldevelopment events. Two of our newmembers have organized a workshop for students who will be writingpersonal statements for their doctoralapplications. We hope to have moreworkshops about our student Web pages in order to have a professional faceon the internet, and on the advancedprograms used in research. It is going tobe a very exciting year for the GSC.

– Luke Perez, GSC Presidentcontinued on back page

Jerald Paul Saltzman1953 – 2008

Name Thesis or Dissertation Title Advisor(s) & Department

Toni-Moi Natalya Prince Common Arm Preferences in the Radial Arm Maze as an Alternate Explanation Dr. Michael F. Brown, Psychologyfor Paired Rats’ Attraction Tendencies

Lauren Elizabeth Reilly The “Scab” of Slavery: Interracial Female Solidarity in Literature about the Antebellum South Dr. Crystal J. Lucky, English

Albéric Rogman The Role of Plasmin in Estrogen-Mediated Extracellular Matrix Remodeling Dr. Louise Russo, Biologyin the Rat Uterus

Meghan J. Rose Relationships and Social Context in Trait Judgments: Self-Other Agreement Dr. John E. Kurtz, Psychologyin Siblings Versus Peers

Brenda Czerwinski Shields Adaptive Response of Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) to Cold-acclimation: Dr. John M. Olson, BiologyPhysiological Changes and Localization of Avian UCP in Skeletal Muscle

Autumn Brooke Wyant What Type of Extra-Textual Input is Optimal for Preschoolers’ Vocabulary Dr. Pamela Blewitt, PsychologyLearning During Storybook Reading?

Thesis and Dissertation Listings – September 2008 continued from page 14

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Villanova Center for Liberal Educationand one of the event’s organizers: “Someof us read the poetry with straight backsand solemn eyes, while others seemed tobe weeping along with Penelope, orready to give those brazen suitors a crackin the jaw.” Some readers felt themselvestransported back to ancient times: JamesFinn, Ph.D., who teaches classics in the

graduate school, “found it exhilaratingmomentarily to assume the persona of aHomeric bard,” and Daniel Madden, aclassics student, said he identified moreclosely with the ancient Greeks.

Many in the audience felt a rekindledinterest in the classics and humanities.“The reading brought back memories of my high school Greek class andreminded me of the importance andenjoyment of the classics,” said John R. Johannes, Ph.D., vice president forAcademic Affairs. “The President’sinvolvement was much appreciated—my only regret is that he didn’t do it inGreek! The classics and otherhumanities faculty members should beproud of what they are doing.”(Valentina DeNardis, Ph.D., director ofundergraduate studies in Classics, did infact read a bit in Greek later in the day!)

John A. Doody, Ph.D., director of theVillanova Center for Liberal Education,also appreciated the event’s cultural andintellectual benefits, saying “This is

exactly the kind of academic eventwhich we need to sponsor because itenhances the intellectual climate oncampus, and in doing so, helps us meetthe challenge of raising our nationalprofile.” Hearing a student’s passionatereading, Colleen Sheehan, Ph.D., apolitical science professor, said, “Iremembered why I wanted to live mylife at the academy,” and one of thosestudent readers, Daniel Minch, calledthe event “a triumph for the arts atVillanova.”

The Odyssey Alive! was co-sponsoredby the Classical Studies Program, TheVillanova Center for Liberal Education,and the Falvey Memorial Library. Avidcast of Father Donohue’s reading isavailable on www.villanova.edu/itunes.See “Learning at Villanova” section andclick on “Roots of Humanity andCivilization.”

Nonprofit organizationU. S. POSTAGE

PAIDVillanova University

November 2008 | Volume Forty-Eight, Issue One

A newsletter by and for the graduate programs of Liberal Arts & Sciences

GRADUATE LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES NEWS

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences800 Lancaster AvenueVillanova, PA 19085-1696

In this issue, enjoy features on:• Graduate Theatre• Criminology, Law & Society• Dr. A. Maria Toyoda, Political Science Department• Dr. Craig Bailey, History Department• Jesse Grismer, Biology Student• Sarah Vitale, Philosophy Student

Odyssey Alive! continued from page 15

Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., UniversityPresident, reads aloud from Homer’s Odyssey.

For the next issue, please send your news [email protected] by January 14, 2008.

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