Religions Texas: Mapping Religious Diversity, A Consultation

This week, there will be a "consultation" on campus called Religions Texas: Mapping Diversity. The program features both a talk and a keynote by Arizona State University professor of Religious Studies Tracy Fessenden. The talk (poster above), which is to be 7:30 PM Wednesday night at the Historic Victory Grill on East 11th, will feature Fessenden discussing work from her new book "Religions Around Billie Holiday" and performances of Holiday's music by Austin musician Pam Hart. The keynote (poster below), Thursday night at 6 PM in the Glickman Center, CLA 1.302E, is called "Mapping Religion in Post-Secular Landscape."Finally, on Friday will be the "consultation," a series of panels beginning at 8:00 AM, in SAC 2.120, on such topics as "The Study of Religions in Texas," "Mapping Religion and Digital Humanities," and "Religious Literacy, Pedagogy, and Public Humanities."We hope to see you there.

Julia Mickenberg Interviewed For "Life of the Mind" Podcast

Welcome back, everyone. We hope you had a productive break. We get to start the year off with a treat: at the very beginning of January, The Humanities Media Project released a new episode of its podcast Life of the Mind (developed by UT AMS grad student Duncan Moench), featuring an interview with UT AMS faculty member Julia Mickenberg conducted by UT AMS grad student Caroline Pinkston. You can listen to the podcast here.Congratulations to all involved!

"75 Years of American Studies at UT Austin" Symposium Begins Thursday!

The UT Austin Department of American Studies is proud to present a two-day long symposium to mark the 75th Anniversary of American Studies at UT!  The event will comprise two days of speeches and panels featuring faculty, former faculty, current students, and alumni of the graduate program discussing the various ways that they have brought their training in American Studies into the world--as scholars, educators, activists, journalists, artists, and administrators.The event kicks off on Thursday afternoon at 4 P.M. at the Prothro Theatre in the Harry Ransom Center.  Dr. Maurie McInnis, the provost and executive vice president of the University of Texas, will present the Keynote Address for the symposium:  "The Shadow of Slavery in American Public Life."  Dr. Stephen Enniss, Director of the Ransom Center, will open the evening with introductory remarks.The remainder of the panels and speeches will occur throughout the day on Friday, November 4th, from 9 A.M. through 5 P.M. in the Harry Ransom Center.  You can find a full schedule of events, as well as detailed descriptions and biographies of each panelist and speaker, here.  Stay tuned for more posts about the symposium right here at AMS : ATX, and follow us on Twitter @AmStudies and on facebook. You can also follow live tweeting from the event using the hashtag: #amsatx75.

5 Questions with First-Years: This Week, Gaila Sims

In this second installment of AMS : ATX's 2016 "5 Questions with First-Years" series, doctoral student Gaila Sims answers five variations on the same confounding, existential question:  why are you doing this?  Sims, a graduate of Oberlin College who has worked as an educator in Austin for the past five years, discusses her time working at Austin's George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, her academic and professional goals, and her interests in African American history, black feminism, museums, and California, among other subjects.

What is your background, and how does it motivate your teaching and research?

 

I went to Oberlin College for Undergraduate, where I studied History and African American Studies. After graduating, I moved to Austin, where I did an AmeriCorps program for two years, tutoring kids in low-income elementary schools. For the last three years, I worked at the Carver Museum, the black history museum and cultural center here in Austin, on the education staff.

 

Why did you decide to come to AMS at UT for your graduate work? 

I have loved living in Austin for the last five years, and so I wanted to see if UT might be the best place for my graduate work. I visited the campus and the American Studies Department and was really impressed by the students and faculty I met.

What projects or people have inspired your work?

 

I am currently obsessed with Lonnie Bunch, the founding director of the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC. He has had such an amazing career and since I would love to continue working at black history museums during and after graduate school, I definitely look to him as inspiration.

 

What projects do you see yourself working on at UT?

I am interested in mixed race identity, black feminism, and African American history, specifically in California. I would like to learn more about Afro-pessimism, black women's contributions to community building during slavery, and black women's conceptions of enslavement in contemporary fiction.

 

What are your goals for graduate school? What do you see yourself doing after you graduate?

I just want to learn a lot and figure out how I can contribute to American Studies and discussions of African American history. I would like to continue working in museums in the Austin area, and gain experience in a variety of spaces dedicated to American and African American history and culture.

We asked Gaila to define the field of American Studies.  Quite wisely, she decided to ignore that question.  Stay tuned for the next installment of "5 Questions with First-Years," coming at you in the coming weeks!