News Tags

When Twitter flags tweets containing coronavirus misinformation, that really does affect the degree of validity most people ascribe to those messages, says new research based on a novel branching survey by three professors at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System.

The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences is excited to announce some of our new courses for Summer and Fall 2021. New classes will be added daily! Check back often. If you have questions about courses, please contact our college at cahs@uah.edu or speak with your Academic Advisor. 

SUMMER 2021

ART, ART HISTORY & DESIGN

ARS 395: Vector 3D Modeling

Chris Taylor cbt0011@uah.edu

Students enrolled in this class will learn Rhinoceros 3D, a software program used in Industrial Design, Architecture, Sculpture, and Transportation Design. Students will begin the class using tutorial-based lessons and progress to designing their own objects as they respond to thought-provoking prompts meant to push the concepts behind their designs. Rhinoceros 3D is a CAD software with a multitude of complex 3D modeling tools, which allow you to create unimaginable shapes with great precision and detail, whether from a drawing, a sketch, or even a 3D scan. The software is compatible with most design, drafting, CAM, prototyping, rendering, and illustration programs.

ENGLISH

EH 440/540: Special Topics James Joyce

Dr. Eric Smith eds0001@uah.edu

This course will survey the major works of James Joyce, who is widely considered the most significant writer in English during the 20th century. We will read his short story collection The Dead, his novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and his opus Ulysses.

HISTORY

HY 498/598: American Religious History

Dr. Glenda Mitchell gbm0004@uah.edu

This course will expose students to the diverse religious landscape of the United States by exploring religious themes and movements from the period before European contact to the present. Students will examine the expansion of religious life in the nation and seek to understand how particular ideas underpinning American society have informed and reshaped religious expression. How has the religious landscape in the United States evolved over time? In particular, how have trends in politics, science, technology, gender relations, and immigration contributed to the growing diversity of religion in America?

PSYCHOLOGY

PY 102: Applications of Psychology 

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld nlt0006@uah.edu

This course is designed to equip PY majors and minors with tools that students can apply to upper-level courses, information to allow students to interpret psychological research, and descriptions of applied areas of psychology to expand the students’ career views of the discipline. The students should be able to apply APA format, understand how to interpret theoretical models, data charts and tables, and interpret inferential statistics to compile a short research report. The students should be able to distinguish different subfields in psychology and the related degrees needed for career success in these subfields.

PY 201: Lifespan Development

Dr. Jodi Price jodi.price@uah.edu

Is a shy child destined to be a shy adult? What makes for a good romantic partner? Does having great parents influence the likelihood of you being a good parent? At what age are people the happiest? Learn how we develop from conception through death and knock out one of your social science requirements, all in five weeks! Sample Course Syllabus. 

SOCIOLOGY

SOC 369: Environmental Sociology

Dr. Kyle Knight kyle.knight@uah.edu

Examines the ways in which society and the natural environment interact and shape each other. This course engages with the major debates in the field of environmental sociology in order to better understand the challenges and options humans face as we navigate global environmental crises. Sample Course Syllabus.

FALL 2021

COMMUNICATION ARTS

CM 440/540: Public Relations Campaigns

Dr. Candice Lanius cll0020@uah.edu 

Public Relations Campaigns is a research-intensive course that exposes students to real-world problems in public relations. Working as members in PR teams, students will follow the Research, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation (RPIE) process for designing strategic communication plans for various clients in different contexts included medical, military, education, and non-profit organizations. In addition to these core aspects, CM 540 students will learn the case study method of analysis, preparing a journal article, and presenting their work to the class.

ENGLISH

EH 422/522: Studies in the Novel: Caribbean Fiction

Dr. Eric Smith eds0001@uah.edu

This course will survey a broad range of Anglophone literary production from the diverse national cultures of the Caribbean archipelago. Particular attention will be given to the ways in which the creative possibilities (and limitations) of the novel form help trace the contours of the emergent postcolonial Caribbean nation-state (engaging and reformulating cultural effects like creolization, calypso, mas’, and metissage) from its anti-colonial roots to the diremptions or dislocations of contemporary globalization. 

EH 440/540: An Exploration in Social Justice

Dr. Beth Boswell brb0035@uah.edu

In this multi-genre special topics course, we’ll explore what the term “social justice” means and how its many issues are expressed in the creative texts of our time. The course is divided into thematic units of social concern (the global refugee crisis, BIPOC rights, LGBTQ+ rights, gender discrimination, sexual assault, criminal reform, education reform, political/institutional oppression, and the mechanism of activism) and features texts in poetry, film/television, short and long fiction, graphic novels/comics, music, social media, and the visual/performing arts. It should be noted that, while this course contains *mostly* fictional readings, the subject matter of those readings is based on very real social injustices done to very real human beings, animals, and eco systems. The material we read may (WILL) often be emotionally difficult in the content it depicts, and that difficulty should be carefully considered when registering for the class.

EH 454/554: New Media Writing & Rhetoric

Dr. Joseph W. Robertshaw jwr0015@uah.edu

This course offers students the opportunity to apply rhetorical principles across a variety of media and includes an examination of communication strategies used widely in academic and industry settings. This special topic focus will look at these media vehicles through the lens of Multimodality. View a short video on the course HERE. 

EH 655: Telling Tales: Medieval and Modern

Dr. Joseph Taylor wjt0003@uah.edu 

In his work, the 14th c poet Geoffrey Chaucer confronted the problems and politics of translation. How does one translate Latin classics into a low-style language like English? Can one render the authoritative word of God in the Holy Scripture into a doggerel-like peasant vernacular? This course will examine Chaucer’s works with a focus on the theoretic practice of—and political stakes for– translation in both medieval and modern contexts. The English translation of the Bible was one of the first banned books in English! But Chaucer’s attention to the fragility of language in transmission informs the modern plight of refugees, who must also recount their own stories not for entertainment but for their very lives. This course, thus, will put the modern story collections—known as Refugee Tales (real refugee accounts put into short story form by British novelists and modeled on explicitly on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales) in conversation with Chaucer’s linguistic theories and with modern philosophic and political readings on translation, theories of political sovereignty and political theology, and critical literature in the field of refugee and forced migration studies. Readings will include The Canterbury Tales, The Legend of Good Women, and Chaucer’s Dream Visions, readings from Refugee Tales Vol. I and II, Patience Agabi’s Canterbury Tales redux titled Telling Tales,and theoretic readings by Hannah Arendt, Giorgio Agamben, Michel Foucault, and Matthew Gibney among others.

FILM & MEDIA ARTS

FMA 460: Studio Broadcast Production

Dr. Joey Watson jaw0087@uah.edu

This course provides students with an opportunity for learning pre-production, production, and post-production of television and live event programs using field shooting and multi-camera production techniques of a TV studio. Class activities include the operation of cameras, control panels, lights, and audio in directing and producing non-dramatic programs such as sports, journalism/news, demonstrations, video gaming, commercials, and interviews. Sample Course Syllabus.

FMA 340: Foley Sound for Multi-Media

Johnna Doty johnna.doty@uah.edu 

This course offers students an exploration of Foley Sound, including digital hardware and software for studio recording. There will be a particular emphasis on Foley recording techniques, the creative use of the digital audio workstation (DAW), and an introduction to the history, theory, and methods of the art and craft of Foley. Sample Course Syllabus.

POLITICAL SCIENCE

PSC 334: American Political Thought

Dr. John Pottenger pottenj@uah.edu

In-depth study of theorists, concepts and forces that have shaped American political values from the founding of the republic to the present. Major themes include the relationship between liberty and equality, rights and democracy, and industrialization and the public good. Prerequisite: PSC 101.

PSYCHOLOGY

PY 420/520: Human-Machine Team Design

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld nlt0006@uah.edu

This class will be an in-depth evaluation of the elements of design necessary for safe, efficient, and satisfying human-machine interactions. We will be doing targeting readings from journals, and in-class discussions in order to better understand elements of design which impact workload, trust, SA, reliance, and more. We will be covering topics ranging from robotics to self-driving vehicles, to standard computers. By the end of the semester, students will be able to critically evaluate current designs, as well as understand best design practices and recommendations which are supported by the scientific literature.

SOCIOLOGY

SOC 350: Money & Power

Dr. Christina Steidl crs0033@uah.edu

This course examines how access to money and power shape life outcomes. The course begins by examining historical and current patterns of economic inequality in the U.S. and the factors that influence these changes, including labor markets, globalization, education systems, immigration, and changing social welfare policies. Along the way, we explore who has the power to make decisions and shape access, opportunities for social mobility, the roles of gender and race, and the implications for public policy.

SOC 384: Drugs & Society 

Dr. Robert Thomson rat0019@uah.edu

Drugs take many forms, and they are used for a wide variety of purposes. Drugs can treat, heal, or prevent disease, cause illness and death, enhance or diminish emotional well-being, make painful symptoms more bearable, altar one’s state of mind, impair judgment, cause addiction, influence relationships (for better or for worse), wake you up in the morning, help you sleep at night (or keep you up all night), and quite often, drugs can impact finances – of individuals, of corporations, and of communities. In this course, we will seek to understand drug use from sociological and criminological perspectives. We will examine the prevalence of drug use, the impact of drug use on individuals and society, and society’s response to drugs. We will analyze social control of drug use, including both the criminalization and decriminalization of certain drugs, attempts at prohibition, and medical responses to drug use. In addition, we will address social patterns of drug law enforcement, including inequalities in arrests, convictions, and sentencing along racial and social class lines.

THEATRE

TH 155: Survey of Musical Theatre

Karen Baker kjb0016@uah.edu

This class will enrich the student's experience of and knowledge of musical theatre. By understanding musicals as products of specific cultural values and historical contexts, the student will become more sensitive to their meanings and how to interpret and perform them.

Twenty-five projects, and the students who conducted the work, were recognized for excellence in research at the Research Horizons Virtual Poster Session held this month.

Each March, in honor of Women’s History Month, the names of Marie Curie, Kathryn Johnson, and others are paraded about as we celebrate women’s historical contributions to science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM). Yet, our esteem for these cultural icons should not blind us to women’s continued under-representation in STEM fields. 

Dr. Christina Steidl, an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, has spent the last fourteen years studying academic and career trajectories related to STEM. Her Ph.D. dissertation examined variations in STEM educational patterns across different types of colleges and the implications for recruiting and retaining women and racial minorities in STEM fields. More recently, she has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to examine the possible role of military service as an alternate pathway into science, technology, engineering, and math  (STEM) fields for women, working in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and West Point.

The U.S. military is perceived as providing excellent opportunities to gain valuable technical skills, as well as access to subsequent postsecondary education. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, undergraduates who have served in the military are about 50% more likely than non-veteran undergraduates to declare a STEM major. Knowing that a substantial portion of students who declare a STEM major leave that major before graduating, Steidl and colleagues wanted to investigate how STEM outcomes at the intersection of gender and military service.

Analyzing data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Steidl and colleagues find that not only are veterans more likely to earn STEM degrees, but that pattern is significantly stronger among women than among men (i.e., female veterans are earning STEM degrees at much higher rates than female civilians while male veterans are earning STEM degrees at rates only marginally higher than male civilians). Moreover, this pattern holds for subsequent STEM employment after graduation. The results of the project indicate that the military may provide unique opportunities for members of traditionally under-represented groups to gain access to STEM fields. Steidl notes that female veterans likely face challenges similar to those faced by female civilians in pursuing a STEM degree and career, but that their experiences in the military may enable them to persist in STEM at higher rates as they are better able to access resources, connect with peers, and seek out mentorship, despite the well-documented “chilly climate” for women in STEM fields. Steidl and colleagues are now examining the extent to which these patterns are consistent across racial groups. 

Dr. Steidl’s research is particularly relevant at UAH, where a focus on STEM education coincides with a community that has a large military population. Her findings shed light on the potential and the limits of current policies and programmatic interventions intended to broaden participation in STEM fields. This includes interventions like GI Bills and Pell Grants, which seek to facilitate the earning of college degrees in general, as well as those targeted at diversifying STEM fields (from “Hour of Code” and “Makerspace” activities in elementary schools to NSF CAREER and ADVANCE grants).

Written by Dr. Christina Steidl

March 2021 Newsletter by the UAH Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Australian television news in Sydney on Monday reports on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. The interview airs in Australia on Monday evening. 

Photo Credit (Rick Rycroft/AP)

When they sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey last Sunday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle talked candidly about the racism they have experienced from the Crown. As journalists worldwide covered the story in the days that followed, Dr. Jennifer Sims, an assistant professor of Sociologyin the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at The University of Alabama in Huntsville was among those contacted by national and international media outlets for expert comment.

Mixed-Race in the US and UK. Authors (Left to Right): Chinelo Njaka and Jennifer Sims 

Photo Credit Jennifer Sims

Dr. Sims specializes in the study of race/ethnicity. Taking mixed-race people as her main focus, Dr. Sims’ research examines racial construction, perception, and identity in the US and UK. It interrogates how knowledge about race is produced and disseminated by the scientific community. Her award-winning co-authored book, Mixed-Race in the US and UK, analyzes the census, racial identity, civil society, and mixed-race people's everyday experiences at the intersection of race, gender, class, and sexuality in the two nations. The book explains them in terms of both common historical roots and ongoing contemporary US and UK interrelationships.

Speaking to The Washington Post in an interview, Sims discussed the comments that were made about the couple’s then unborn son’s potential skin color, noting this kind of speculation about an unborn child’s complexion has long been observed in research about race, including her own. She also mentioned the difference between individual racism and institutional racism, a topic frequently covered in UAH Sociology classes, including her own. 

Speaking live on air during Tuesday night's broadcast of BBC World News, Dr. Sims further explained why an interview with British Royals hit so close to home for many, especially women of color, in the US, saying that, "The interview really revealed not just family spats or celebrity gossip but the anti-blackness that is within the British Monarchy." Drawing parallels between the lack of support that Meghan encountered from the Crown and the experiences of women of color in their own jobs, she concluded that "while we don't have the tiara, we have walked in Meghan's shoes."

View the complete recording of the BBC World News segment here:

On Friday, BBC News-US & Canada posted a video covering African American women's reactions to the interview in which Dr. Sims was also featured.

Students with Jennifer Sims conducting research using eye-tracking software in the VUE Lab. 

Photo Credit Michael Mercier

Dr. Sims received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014. She taught as an adjunct professor at UW-River Falls before joining UAH in 2017. Sims’ research analyzes racial perception by using the eye-tracking equipment in the User Experience Lab (VUE).  She frequently teaches SOC 330: Race and Ethnicity and SOC 301: Research Methods.  Previous student-researchers in the lab have gone on to present at conferences and co-author papers.

For more information on Sims' research or the Department of Sociology, please contact soc@uah.edu.

Pictured (Left to Right) Marina Gibson and Claire Carver.

Photo Credit Marina Gibson and Claire Carver

Two students in the Department of Art, Art History and Design at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, took home multiple awards at the 2021 American Advertising Awards Galahosted virtually on February 27, 2021. 

Marina Gibson (’21 BFA Graphic Design) won a Gold Addy for “Nature’s Answer Rebranding,” “White Mountain Rebranding,” and “St. Dalfour Rebranding.” Gibson also received a Silver Addy for her “Starbucks Fundraising Campaign.” Over the entire student competition, Gibson took home Best of the Show for “Nature’s Answer Rebranding.” 

Gibson describes creating her best of show artwork, “I created the brand identity, new logo, packaging design, brand assets, outdoor signage, landing page and promotional items for the brand Nature’s Answer. The company produces the purest and well-balanced herbal supplements for the whole family. My idea was to create a unique, clean, and authentic-looking feel that stands out from the rest of the health industry and matches the brand’s essence and future vision.”  

Claire Carver ('21 BFA Graphic Design) won multiple Silver Addy awards for “HVAC” and “Mattel.” Carver also received a Bronze Addy for “Sugar Rebrand.” 

Carver says, “Throughout my three years at UAH, I am blessed to have achieved winning 9 student Silver ADDYs and one bronze ADDY. I am grateful to have teachers that believed in my work and encouraged me to submit my work, which helped to build my confidence as a designer.”

 The American Advertising Federation of North Alabama hosts the annual ceremony to recognize and celebrate the outstanding work of north Alabama agencies, corporations, nonprofits, universities, and freelancers. Professionals and students submitted over 350 pieces of work in this year’s competition, which were judged in mid-February by professionals from Austin, Chicago, and New York. Categories include sales and marketing; online interactive; elements of advertising; film, video, and sound; and cross-platform campaigns, among others.

Despite the circumstances of COVID-19 and the impact it has had on the artistic community, it is a celebratory moment for the department and the university to see the high recognition of our student work. 

View the 2021 Addy Awards

See the award-winning entries in the galleries below. 

Marina Gibson Gallery:

Claire Carver Gallery:

Amber Hinton is from Tuscaloosa, AL. Hinton is a Communication Arts Major with a Political Science and Management & Leadership minor. She will graduate in Spring 2022.

Photo Credit Michael Mercier

Navigating your first internship can be a huge learning opportunity; combine that with it being an election year during a global pandemic, you have more than a resume bullet.  Amber Hinton, junior communication arts major, did just that as a campus organizer for Doug Jones and the Alabama Democratic Party. The internship’s goal was to spread as much knowledge about his platform to college students and their community. 

Interning for a political party is a unique opportunity for passionate future leaders to gain real-life, hands-on experience in politics. However, the impact of COVID-19 dramatically changed the typical day-to-day tasks to be driven virtually. Hinton spoke about the online tasks that she was given in her position, along with COVID’s impact. 

“We created video and graphics to inform students and the community on voting. We were heavily involved with sharing his social media posts and spreading his message. Leading into the months before the election, it was a lot of phone and text banking. We tried to capture information on who folks were voting for and ensure they knew his goals and mission. COVID-19 made it extremely hectic, and it did not allow me the opportunity to work directly in his physical office or travel.”

In addition to assigned duties, Hinton was able to see grassroots organizing and effort by the senator’s team.  It was also a fantastic opportunity to train and network with leaders within the state of Alabama. The opportunity to intern was based on a connection she was able to create within her role in the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion.   

“After UAH hosted the virtual Doug Jones town hall, his staff contacted ODEI to see if they would have any recommendations for their student internship positions. Karessa Acosta Lee, Coordinator for Inclusive Programs and Student Leadership, was able to recommend my name.” 

One of her biggest takeaways from the experience was how difficult political campaigns are to construct and what happens when they are over. 

“Campaigns are no joke. It is long, hard work. Most people don’t know how much research and effort goes on behind the scenes. Probably the biggest life lesson during the experience was never to give up. I got to see resilience in-action.” 

The purpose of internships is to connect coursework and theories studied within the classroom to the real-world setting. 

“It was actually perfect timing because I just had PSC 302 with Dr. Noelle Hunter, which allowed me to be part of a Congressional simulation. We got to act as Congress members, and I represented the state of Texas. It was cool to learn about campaigns and then see how they impact decision making, and then experience that in real-life.” 

Hinton was also able to put her background in communication, public relations, and public speaking into action daily. 

As Hinton continues her academic program, she hopes to continue to gain invaluable experiences, like internships, to build her resume for graduation. 

“I’ve always been interested in politics. I would be open to running for a local position or maybe government contracting, but I am not really set on one specific position just yet. I am still exploring.” 

The best advice she can give to other students hoping to complete an internship is “Connect with your professors because they have leads for these opportunities, and make sure to read your email for when these opportunities are shared. Do your research by going to the websites of those you might be interested in interning with in the future.”  

“My internship was one that I will always remember. I got an opportunity to hear Cory Booker, United States Senator for New Jersey, speak. He was extremely motivational, and it was nice to come together with others who might not look like you or they might be from a completely different background and see them come together for certain ideals.” 

We encourage students to contact their faculty advisor and utilize Career Services for career development and internship opportunities.

"Injustice Anywhere..." UAH's 2021 MLK Commemoration Program Artwork, Oil On Canvas.

Photo Credit Sarah Joy Dunlap

Sarah Joy Dunlap’s BFA exit show titled “In Light of Current Events'' features a body of work inspired by her experiences during protests for racial justice. Her work ranges from portraits memorializing people killed by police to the cardboard posters and signs she created for demonstrations to photos documenting the protests. Dunlap’s exhibit brings attention to injustice and shows her personal journey to fight these injustices.

Currently on display in the UAH Union Grove Gallery through March 19th.

Virtual tour available through April 9th.

VIRTUAL TOUR

Congratulations to CAHS College Ambassador, Jalexia Andrews (‘21 B.A. English)

Photo Credit CAHS Outreach Student Assistant Kholanjani

Congratulations to CAHS College Ambassador Jalexia Andrews (’21 B.A. English) for being accepted to graduate school at Vanderbilt University on scholarship. In Fall 2021, Jalexia will be studying at Vanderbilt’s Peabody Graduate School of Education with a concentration in English/Language Arts. She will earn teaching certification upon graduation.

Jalexia is excited to attend her top choice for graduate school. “This program is not just geared toward producing academically aware teachers, but socially aware teachers that can use pedagogical practices to further social equality within their classrooms,” says Jalexia. “In addition to classes [centering on teaching English], I will be taking classes that focus on societal elements and being inclusive in the classroom.” Through the program, Jalexia will also have hands-on teaching opportunities in neighboring schools in the Nashville area.

The Department of English is exceptionally proud of Jalexia’s accomplishments. “Jalexia is one of the most responsible, reliable, and engaged students we have collectively met. While completing an English major and Writing minor, Jalexia not only excelled in a second, “Social and Cultural Studies” minor, but she also successfully completed graduate coursework through the JUMP program. Jalexia’s engagement in graduate classes, in terms of contributions to class discussions and sophisticated textual analysis, is noteworthy. Furthermore, Jalexia is a thoughtful and clear writer, and her research projects are consistently sophisticated. “- Dr. Alanna Frost, Chair of the Department of English & Fellow English Faculty.

"Maria Inmaculada" Oil and Acrylic on Canvas.

Photo Credit Maria Bucio

An infusion of nature, Mexican culture, religious icons, and a dash of surrealism, Maria Bucio’s BFA exit show “Renacimiento” is currently on display in the UAH Salmon Library Gallery. Rich with both strong feminist overtones and subtle humor, Bucio’s magical realism work mixes hints of “magic” or out-of-this-world elements with realism. Her vividly colored paintings, often self-portraits, include tiny subtle details that create unexpected connections between life and spirituality. Work includes paintings, mixed media, prints, and photos.

The exhibit runs through March 5th.

Virtual tour available through March 19th.

VIRTUAL TOUR