Faculty/Staff Accomplishments and Departmental News 1-23-19

In this issue we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty and staff in child development, English, foreign languages and literatures, music, political science, and psychology. We also share departmental news about the Honors fall trip and Celebrating Student Achievement Day.

Assistant Professor of Political Science Whitney Ross Manzo and Professor of Political Science David McLennan presented two papers at the Southern Political Science Association annual meeting in Austin, Texas, January 17-19. On January 17 they presented “Trolls vs. Telephones: A Comparison of CATI and Online Survey Methods,” which uses the Meredith Poll to analyze the differences between using a phone sample and an online sample. On January 19, they presented “Bumps on the road to gender parity: Why are so few women in powerful appointed offices?” which is a continuation of their project on women in appointed office.

Assistant Professors of Psychology Betty-Shannon Prevatt and Andrea McPherson presented their research poster, “Investigation of Gamification in an Introduction to Psychology Course on Student Engagement and Performance” at the 41st Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology (NITOP) in St. Pete Beach, Fla., on January 5. Results revealed that students were more likely to participate in online supplemental materials when given an incentive (e.g., a badge). This research was conducted via our new learning platform, Brightspace.

Instructor of Child Development Pamela Linton Norcross has been accepted to present at three upcoming conferences. She will present a poster, “Adult Attachment Predicting Maternal Sensitivity: Role of Maternal Causal Attributions,” at The Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) Biannual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., March 21-23, 2019.   She will present “Strengthening and Supporting Students: The Role of Civic Engagement and Anti-bias Education in a Family Systems Class” as a roundtable discussion at the 2019 SRCD Developmental Science Teaching Institute preconference on March 20, in Baltimore. At the Association of Child Life Professionals Annual Conference in Chicago in April, Norcross will be a panelist at the conference’s first Academic Track highlighting experiences with Pedagogical Practices. Her presentation is focused on “Teaching strategies and service learning with child life and child development students.”  Child Life is a field that works with children and families in healthcare environments, specifically, developmental and behavioral aspects of hospitalization.

A critical edition by Brent A. Pitts (Foreign Languages / Honors) of the Anglo-Norman Bible’s book of Ruth has been published in the 2018 volume of Reading Medieval Studies (U of Reading, UK). The Anglo-Norman Bible, the first prose vernacular Bible produced in England, has been largely ignored by scholars. Pitts’s publication provides a review of scholarship, describes the manuscripts of the ANB’s book of Ruth, studies the language of Ruth in the base text–London, British Library, ms. Royal 1 C III–and presents a critical edition. Hard copy of the publication will soon be available in the College Archive.

Kelly Morris Roberts, Associate Professor of English, will have her article “Low Tech, High Reward: Using Google Docs to Help Students Decipher and Pattern Teacher Feedback on Writing Assignments” appear in the journal Leaflet. Roberts’ article is scheduled for the winter 2019 issue. The Leaflet is the professional, peer-reviewed journal of the New England Association of Teachers of English (NEATE). The journal has served the members of NEATE, one of the oldest professional organizations in the United States, for more than 100 years and has published articles and creative works by many prominent authors, including Robert Frost, e e cummings, T. S. Eliot, I. A. Richards, Louise M. Rosenblatt, and Donald Murray.

Tina Romanelli, Interim Director of the Learning Center and Instructor of English, published her article, “Sour Beer at the Boar’s Head: Salvaging Shakespeare’s Alewife, Mistress Quickly” in Humanities. The article is available here: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/8/1/6

Director of Instrumental Activities Jim Waddelow published a set of 25 program notes for the National College Orchestra Director’s Association on January 4. Composers included Dvorak, Elgar, Gounod, Haydn, Ibert, Ives, Kabalevsky, Khachaturian, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Part, Rutter, Saint-Saens, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Telemann, and Vaughan Williams.

Departmental News
Seeking mini-course teachers for Honors trip to Charleston
The Honors Fall trip planning subcommittee is seeking a few teachers to accompany the group to Charleston, S.C., and teach a ‘city-as-text’ mini-course there. Dates of the trip are Friday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019.

Think of the possibilities! If you have an idea for a mini-course that you would like to teach to Honors students in Charleston, would you please let Brent Pitts (pittsb@meredith.edu) know by Monday, January 28? Honors students will then choose what they most want to learn about Charleston and lowcountry culture. Thank you. –Submitted by the Honors Program

Important CSA Day Dates
If your students are planning on participating in Celebrating Student Achievement Day, please encourage them take CAREFUL NOTE of the following dates:

• Monday, February 4: 1st Abstract workshop with Dr. Gaia Cantelli of Duke University (Harris 104) 10-11 a.m. (Inclement Weather Date: Monday, Feb. 11, Harris 214, 10-11 a.m.)
• Wednesday, February 13: 2nd Abstract workshop for students with the Undergraduate Research Advisory Committee (Harris 214) 10-11 a.m.
• February 20-27 until 5 p.m.: Abstract submission period
• Thursday, February 28:  Departments-Schools-Programs–Deadline for submitting events to occur on CSA Day (submit through the URP Office NOT to the Events Office)
• Thursday, March 7: Notification of abstract approvals
• Monday, March 25: Presentation workshop with Dr. Gaia Cantelli of Duke University (Harris 110) 10-11 a.m. (Inclement Weather Date: April 1, Harris 214, 10-11 a.m.)
• Thursday, April 11: CSA Day!

Students are also receiving this notification.

To view other CSA Day dates and deadlines go to MyMeredith –> Campus sites  –> Undergraduate Research

For questions: call Undergraduate Research at 919-760-2356 or email research@meredith.edu  Thank you all!

— Submitted by Paul Winterhoff and Isabella Rossi, Undergraduate Research Program