- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Grad believes ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has prepared him for future career of public service

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 18:28:53 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate is grateful for the personalized yet flexible college education he received that helped him gain experience in politics, public policy, and nonprofits that will be invaluable to his future career.�� Dylan Wright of Little Rock will graduate Dec. 14 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and minors in economics, math, and creative writing. “I think the biggest reason that I attended ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is that I got the Donaghey scholarship,” Wright said. Donaghey Scholars receive a financial package that includes full tuition and fees, a housing subsidy, a stipend, a study abroad experience, and a new laptop computer. “I knew I would have a lot of opportunities to be flexible in my education,” Wright said. “I got to study abroad and take a bunch of classes in different areas. Dr. Jessica Scott and Dr. Simon Hawkins from the Donaghey Scholars Program have been amazing and helped me through any problems I’ve had.” The Little Rock native has also studied human rights and social movements at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. During his study abroad trip, Wright researched queer cinema in Argentina and the role it plays in citizen’s LGBTQ rights under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Finzer, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and assistant professor of Spanish. He presented his research at the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies conference in Mexico in March.�� In another research project, Wright is working with Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, to study the implementation of more than 1,000 recommendations of truth commissions in 13 Latin American countries. The truth commissions investigated histories of human rights violations. Wright and Wiebelhaus-Brahm have presented their research at the Law and Society Association conference and will present at the Midwest Political Science Association meeting in Chicago next year with support from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s presidential Studies Program. “Dylan has done some amazing things at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. “He’s�� supported some of the most important nonprofits in our community. He’s worked on several election campaigns, ranging from mayoral to presidential. There are great things in his future.” Wright remains thankful to the research opportunities he had with his mentors. “Dr. Brahm and Dr. Finzer have been the two professors who have been the most active in guiding my interests and helping me explore the topics I’ve been interested in, including human rights, international relations, and social justice,” Wright said. “The professors here have done a really great job of providing me with guidance and resources and passion for different areas that I am now interested in and want to pursue.” During his time at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Wright has become an active volunteer in the Little Rock nonprofit world. He has served on the advisory board for Lucie’s Place and the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Diversity Council. He has also volunteered with El Zócalo Immigrant Resource Center, Heifer International, and the Clinton Presidential Library.�� “I started out as an English major, but I didn’t feel fulfilled,” Wright said. “I switched my major to political science. As I became more politically aware, I wanted to become more active in local organizations who are doing important work. I tried to dedicate as much of my time as I could to volunteering.” In the political arena, Wright has interned for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, the Clinton Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign: Project One America, and two political campaigns. After graduation, Wright plans to attend a joint graduate program where he will attend law school while studying public policy. While he’s keeping his options open, Wright’s future career will most likely involve law, politics, and public policy. “I’m applying to graduate programs, but I do know I want my career to be nonprofit or public-service oriented,” Wright said. “I really want to spend my career helping people.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student researches the role of Argentinian films in LGBTQ rights

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 19:09:21 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student spent the summer at a prestigious study abroad program where he examined Argentina’s films to determine the role they play in citizens’ LGBTQ rights.�� Dylan Wright, a junior Spanish and political science double major from Little Rock, attended the School for International Training through the study abroad program, “Argentina: Human Rights and Social Media,” from March through June. “I didn’t want to just study Spanish,” Wright said. “I looked for programs that were taught in Spanish, and I was very interested in human rights. I found a program based in Buenos Aires that was taught in Spanish and studied human rights. It was really interesting to see Argentina’s human rights history up close.” The law regarding human rights in Argentina is unique since the country included several international human rights treaties into its constitution in 1994, which resulted in the importation of international law into the country’s legal system. “They are at the forefront of human rights in many areas. People talk about human rights there all the time; things that people in the U.S. would not realize they have human rights to. Even on the buses, there is a sticker on the bus outlining the human rights that pertain to transportation. Everyone has the right to health care. They don’t view it as a privilege. They view it as a fundamental right.” Wright completed his research paper this semester under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Finzer, associate professor of Spanish and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. He plans to present the paper, “Framing LGBTQ Rights: Critical Film Perspectives in the Argentine Queer Community,” at a conference in the spring 2019 semester. Through the study of Argentine film, particularly the ��Latin American film movement known as Third Cinema, as well as through the concept of cultural agency, Wright worked to enhance and develop an understanding of the role that art and culture can play in advancing civil rights and social equality.

Dylan Wright (left) and a fellow student take a walk near a Mapuche organization’s headquarters in Bariloche, Argentina, a largely tourist town known for its Swiss colonial influence.

“Third Cinema developed in Argentina. The people who first coined the term were film directors from Argentina in 1968 and 1969,” Wright said. “After the dictatorship ended, there was a big call for cultural products that opposed the dictatorship. I looked at independent queer cinema in Argentina. It was interesting to look at how the directors implicitly took inspiration from Third Cinema’s tropes and styles. I interviewed one film director, one film historian, and an artistic director of a film festival that focuses on queer cinema.” In the spring 2019 semester, Wright will put his language skills to use in another international human rights project. He received a Signature Research Experience Award to work with Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, who is examining truth commissions in 11 Latin American countries, including Argentina, which were created to investigate human rights violations committed during military dictatorships or during civil wars in the region. “We are looking for the truth in what happened during the dictatorships in these 11 countries,” he said. “Since Eric does not speak Spanish, I will use textual analysis to see what language might have been more effective in these truth commission reports and what might have been copied from other reports.” Through the project, Wright will learn new research methodologies. Wright, who is currently taking a human rights course with Wiebelhaus-Brahm, is interested in how international law can be used to help people who have suffered human rights violations. “I am really interested in human rights in general,” Wright said. “Since I speak Spanish, it’s easier to focus on Latin American commissions. There is a push for truth there that isn’t in a lot of the rest of the world. I am interested in how international law can make tangible differences in people’s lives in a way that is not arcane.” After graduation from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2019, Wright plans to attend a graduate program in law and public policy to eventually work in the field of civil and human rights. In the upper right photo,��Dylan Wright overlooks Esquel in Argentina’s Chubut province, where he and fellow students learned about local organized resistance to large mines.��

Signature Experience Award funds study of Argentina films and their role in LGBTQ rights

Jenny Lambert — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 17:30:12 +0000

Dylan Wright, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock Spanish and political science double major, is using his Signature Experience Award to examine Argentina’s films and determine the role they play in citizens’ LGBTQ rights. During the fall 2017 semester, Wright was one of 79 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students awarded $1,000 from the undergraduate research grant program. The funds were granted to students to assist in the purchase of materials for a one-semester project or experience in research or creative works. In addition, Wright was accepted into the School for International Training through the study abroad program – “Argentina: Human Rights and Social Media.” Since March, he has been roaming the countryside of Argentina, seeking to fill in the gaps of his project, “Framing LGBTQ Rights: Critical Film Perspectives in the Argentine Queer Community.” “I was drawn to my particular topic because film has always interested me as something more powerful than it is often given credit for,” Wright said. “I’m immensely interested in the ability of film as an artform and an often shared cultural experience to shape public perception surrounding various issues.” Through the study of Argentina and Latin America’s film and Third Cinema, a Latin American film movement, as well as through the concept of cultural agency, Wright will work to enhance and develop an understanding of the role that art and culture can play in advancing civil rights and social equality. “The rise of queer representation in film and television in the past few decades has been a major boon to self-acceptance within the LGBTQ community, so I wanted to explore the potential implications of deliberately political film to perhaps further shape external social perceptions of queer identities and lifestyles,” he said. Wright’s project is scheduled to conclude in June. He is currently composing his final research paper under the mentorship of Dr. Erin Finzer, assistant professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of World Languages. After graduation from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2019, Wright plans to attend law and public policy school to eventually work in the field of civil and human rights. “I strongly believe in the potential of film as a tool to bring about changing public and cultural perceptions that could be instrumental in civil rights movements in the United States and abroad,” he said. Wright is grateful to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for the opportunity to conduct research utilizing resources he would not otherwise have access to. “I believe the Signature Experience Awards program is a wonderful opportunity and a strong incentive for undergraduate students to begin research in whatever interests them, with less of the often overwhelming pressure of academic research funding,” he explained. “The award has allowed me to focus my research into a single area that consolidates many of my interests, and I’m excited about the opportunity to bring this research to an academic conference.”

7 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students receive research fellowships

Janea Snyder — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 20:40:11 +0000

Seven ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students have received��a prestigious Student Undergraduate Research Fellowships from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to conduct research. The Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program provides up to $2,750 to undergraduate students and their mentors to conduct in-depth research projects in their specific fields of study with the assistance of faculty mentors. To be eligible, all fellowship recipients have a minimum grade-point average of 3.25, at least 30 hours of credit toward a degree, and support of a faculty mentor. Funds also are provided for students to travel to conferences to present their accomplishments. Students from all academic disciplines were encouraged to apply. “Research is the foundation of every great discovery, and the only way to prepare students for advanced research at the graduate level is to prepare them as undergraduates,” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor Andrew Rogerson said. “It’s so important for our students to learn best practices under the guidance of faculty mentors so they are prepared for more rigorous research as graduate students and as professionals.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock fellows include the following:

Saiyeeda F. Hossain of Pine Bluff, a double major in sociology and psychology, received ��$2,750 to research “Personality and Depressive Disorder of College Students: A Focus on Undergraduate Students at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” Saiyeeda’s faculty mentor is Dr. Neveen Shafeek Amin in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
Dylan Wright of Little Rock, a Spanish and political science double major, received $2,000 to study LGBTQ rights and research “Critical Film Perspectives in the Argentine Queer Community.” His faculty sponsor is Dr. Erin Finzer in the Department of World Languages.
Jesse Horton of Marshall, a criminal justice major, received $2,125 to research the “Impact of County-level Economic Disadvantage on Juvenile Case Dispositions in Arkansas.” His faculty sponsor is Dr. Molly Smith in Criminal Justice.
Nicole Ursin of Batesville, a Donaghey Scholar who is majoring in history and anthropology, received $2,125 for her research project, “Understanding Museum Demographics: Historic Arkansas Museum.” Her sponsor is Dr. Juliana Flinn in the Anthropology Department.
Trye Price of Benton, a criminal justice major, received $2,125 to research “Influence of Location and Client Characteristics on Perceived Violence Among Victims of Human Trafficking.” His faculty sponsor is Dr. Molly Smith in Criminal Justice.
Olivia Pate of Jonesboro, a geology and math major, received $2,750 to research her project “Refining the Sol-Gel Synthesis of Intermediate Composition, Nano-Scale Olivine.” Her faculty sponsor is Dr. Michael T. DeAngelis in the Department of Earth Sciences.
Patrick Elliott of Little Rock, an electrical and systems engineering major, received $2,750 to research “Effective Real-Time Energy Management in a Southern US Power Grid.” His faculty sponsor is ��Dr. Kamran Iqbal in the Department of Systems Engineering.

The students will complete their research in the spring 2018 semester, and six of the students who also received Signature Experience Awards will exhibit their work at the Student Research and Creative Works Showcase on April 12 in the Jack Stephens Center.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Grad believes ����Vlog��ý Little Rock has prepared him for future career of public service

����Vlog��ý Little Rock student researches the role of Argentinian films in LGBTQ rights

Signature Experience Award funds study of Argentina films and their role in LGBTQ rights

7 ����Vlog��ý Little Rock students receive research fellowships

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Grad believes ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has prepared him for future career of public service

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student researches the role of Argentinian films in LGBTQ rights

7 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students receive research fellowships