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

Wiebelhaus-Brahm to discuss how truth commissions can promote racial reconciliation in last ‘Plain Talk on Race and Ethnicity’ lecture

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 14:46:35 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor will discuss how truth commissions can promote racial reconciliation in the U.S. during the next “Plain Talk on Race and Ethnicity” lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 27.�� Dr. Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs, will give his lecture, “Will the Truth Set Us Free? Maximizing the Potential of Truth Commissions to Promote Racial Reconciliation in the United States,” at 5 p.m. in the Bailey Alumni Center. “Truth commissions have become a common means through which societies address histories of violence and repression,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. “Usually, truth commissions are established during transitions to peace and/or democracy, such as South Africa in the 1990s. Increasingly, though, truth commissions are being established years after transitions. Some have suggested that they could be useful in promoting racial reconciliation in the United States.” This talk will offer a critical perspective on what such a body might contribute in America by comparing truth and reconciliation commissions that have been established in South Africa to address apartheid repression, in Canada and Maine to explore the treatment of indigenous people, and in Greensboro, North Carolina, to investigate an episode of racial violence in the 1970s. As part of his ongoing research, Wiebelhaus-Brahm employs a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate claims about the effects of truth commission processes on such outcomes as democratization, human security, and conflict duration. “Scrutinizing these claims is critically important for setting more realistic policy expectations, particularly among victims and marginalized groups,” he said. The event, which is sponsored by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Anderson Institute at 501-569-8932 or race-ethnicity@ualr.edu.

College of Social Sciences and Communication honors McIntyre, student research winners

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 15:54:39 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Social Sciences and Communication presented Dr. Kristen McIntyre with the Faculty Mentor Award and awarded six additional student research prizes during the college’s Research and Creative Works Showcase on Feb. 27.�� Dr. Julien Mirivel, interim dean of the college, said McIntyre is deserving of the award, which was created to celebrate a faculty member from the college who goes above and beyond in being a positive role model and mentor for their students. “She is always mentoring, always teaching, and always available to students,” Mirivel said. “I think this award is well deserved. We have great faculty in every unit of our college, and Kristen is a great example. She is very engaged with her students.” McIntyre, associate professor of applied communication, said she was surprised, humbled, and overwhelmed to receive the award. “I think the secret to being a good faculty mentor is listening,” McIntyre said. “I think you have to love your students, and you have to practice tough love sometimes. You have to give students what they need even if it’s not what they want.” The showcase featured about 65 presentations from students, faculty, and staff of the college, many of which highlight the college’s mission to apply “theory and research to drive social change and inspire human expression, reflection, and interconnection.” “I really believe that we use our own work not just to understand, but to reach out and try to improve the world around us,” Mirivel said. A prime example of the college’s belief in improving the world through research is the recipient of the Community Engagement Award, which recognizes the research project that most affects the community. Leonardo Moya, who is majoring in rhetoric and writing, won the award for his project, “Homeless in Little Rock.” Moya’s faculty mentor was Dr. Heidi Skurat-Harris. Additional award winners include:

��Student Government Association President Brian Gregory, a senior political science major, won the Undergraduate Research Award for his project, “Growing Grace.” Dr. Rebecca Glazier served as Gregory’s faculty mentor.
��Mass Communication student Dallas Smith won the Undergraduate Creative Works Award for his presentation of the film, “The Bombastic Scholastic,” which he and several of his colleagues from their Cinema Techniques class at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock produced. ��His colleagues on the project included Zatches Allen, Eric Holsomback, Bailey Park, and Nathan Treece.
��Mary Hughes, a criminal justice major, won the Graduate Research Award for her paper, “Is My Health Why I’m Scared? Examining the Effects of Perceived Health Conditions in Fear of Crime.” Her faculty mentor was Dr. Robert Lytle.
��Kristena Merritt, a graduate student in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing, won the Graduate Creative Works Award for her paper, “Powerfemme Conversations.” Dr. Londie Martin served as her faculty mentor.
��Tabrina Bratton, a criminal justice major, won the Poster Presentation Award for her research, “Predicting Regional Hate Crime Rates: The Relationship between Fundamentalism and Attitudes Toward Sexual Orientation.” Bratton’s faculty mentors were Dr. Tusty ten Bensel and Dr. Robert Lytle.

Iveta Imre, assistant professor of mass communication, headed the showcase’s task force, which included Chatham-Carpenter, Lytle, Martin, and ten Bensel. In the upper right photo, winners of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Social Sciences and Communication Research and Creative Works Expo (L to R) include Tabrina Bratton, Poster Presentation Award; Mary Hughes, Graduate Research Award; Kristen McIntyre, Faculty Mentor Award; Julien Mirivel, interim dean of the college; and Dallas Smith and Nathan Treece, Undergraduate Creative Works Award.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor investigates effects of Sri Lankan civil war

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 14:10:10 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor traveled to Sri Lanka as part of an 18-member international research team investigating how peace can be achieved in a post-conflict region.�� Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, assistant professor in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Public Affairs, traveled to Sri Lanka Jan. 5-14 as part of the Justice, Conflict and Development Network. The goal of the Justice, Conflict, and Development Network is to understand how peace can be achieved in countries affected by conflict through the study of justice initiatives and economic development in four countries: Colombia, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Uganda. The trip to Sri Lanka is the third of four planned visits. The network visited Colombia in April 2017 and Uganda in July 2017. “In Sri Lanka, there has been a civil war that has been waged from 1983 until 2009,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. “Sri Lanka is dealing with the consequences of that war and how that war ended. Many civilians died. It is estimated that 100,000 people died in the civil war, approximately 40,000 in the last few months alone. There are people who still don’t know what happened to their loved ones. Nine years later and there are still lots of consequences remaining.” Sri Lanka’s civil war pitted the government, dominated by the Sinhalese majority, against the Tamil minority predominantly in the country’s north and northeast. Government forces seized the last area controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009. The country has been trying to rebuild and heal from the conflict ever since, but it has been a slow, hard process filled with old and new sources of conflict. “When we were on the east coast, we visited a town where there is a community of farmers,” he said. “When the military came in those last few months of the war, they took over much of the land. Since the war, the farmers have struggled to secure ownership of their land. The government has taken it over, and they haven’t been able to get a clear answer from the government about securing property rights.” In addition to disputes in land ownership, other major conflicts stemming from the civil war include an effort by victims and human rights activists to prosecute members of the military for war crimes, as well as providing housing for people displaced by the war and job training for women who are now the sole providers for their families. Moreover, tensions between different religious and ethnic factions have in some ways been exacerbated after the war.��

Members of the Justice, Conflict, and Development Network visit Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress and World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka.

“This trip was incredibly rewarding to get to speak with people who have experienced the war and are pushing for justice and equitable development,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. Sri Lanka is an incredibly beautiful country, and it has so much potential. There is a lot of economic growth happening in the country. In some ways on the surface, it is hard to believe the war took place.” The group also interviewed members of the Sri Lankan military, who paint a different picture of the country. “In Trincomalee, there are several major naval bases, and we arranged a meeting with some of the officials there who presented a very different view of things,” he said. “The military views itself as being the defender of the country. They said that things are very peaceful in Sri Lanka, and the relationship between different ethnic groups is harmonious. In their view, Sri Lanka has moved past the war and things are fine.” The project is headed by Kirsten Ainley, director of the at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Additional members of the coalition include professors from around the world, government officials, and members of nonprofit and activist organizations. “We are looking at societies deeply affected by civil war,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. “This project is trying to understand what have been the effects of conflict and what are the justice and economic development needs of these societies that, with the exception of Syria, are emerging from conflict.” One of the biggest research areas emerging from post-conflict Sri Lanka is the promotion of gender equality stemming from women who fought in the civil war.

Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm visits the Sri Lankan parliament building with colleague Stephen Oola.

“One of my colleagues has done research investigating female Tamil Tiger fighters,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. “She has looked at how women have adapted to the end of the war. Women decided to join the rebellion for lots of different reasons. The rebels did sometimes pressure people to support the rebellion. Some said they volunteered to protect a younger brother from joining, and some women saw it as empowering and gave them more independence. In interviews, a lot of women talked about the equality they experienced as part of the rebellion. After the war, a lot of these women have been shunted back into traditional women’s work.” The project is funded by the, which awarded the network a grant in 2016 worth approximately £150,000 British pounds, largely to develop relationships that bridge academics and practitioners from developed and developing countries and to fund travel for members of the network to research the four countries. The network recently submitted a larger grant to continue its research in additional countries.

��Vlog��ýLR political science professors to discuss election results Nov. 10

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 16:41:23 +0000

Political science professors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will be on hand to answer community members’ burning post-election questions on Thursday, Nov. 10. After the dust has settled from the Nov. 8 general election, the ��Vlog��ýLR School of Public Affairs will host a post-election discussion at 2 p.m. Nov. 10 in Donaghey Student Center Meeting Room D. ��Vlog��ýLR political science professors Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm, Joe Giammo, and Chris Williams will discuss the election results, look ahead to a new President and Congress in 2017, and then answer questions from the audience. “Our goal is to help the community understand how the political process works and the factors that shaped election outcomes,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. Among the topics up for discussion will be predictions on the new President’s foreign and domestic policies, Cabinet appointments, and Supreme Court nominations. Central to these issues will be the new President’s relationship with Congress. “What those dynamics look like will depend on which party gains the presidency and which party gains control of one or both houses of Congress,” Wiebelhaus-Brahm said. For more information, contact Wiebelhaus-Brahm at ejwiebelhaus@ualr.edu.

Researchers study how religious organizations influence political efficacy in 2016 presidential election

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 17:39:58 +0000

Researchers from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service are studying how politics and religion mesh in the 2016 presidential election.�� The nonpartisan study is led by Dr. Rebecca Glazier, ��Vlog��ýLR associate professor of political science, and Dr. Warigia Bowman, assistant professor at, to understand how the efforts of churches, mosques, and synagogues in Little Rock influence their communities and congregations. “This research really began with a puzzle,” Glazier said. “Churches that hold health screenings have congregants with lower cholesterol and other positive health outcomes. I am more interested in political, community, and civic health than in blood pressure, so I wanted to know if the same thing happens for community and political engagement: Do churches that are engaged in the community have congregants with better civic health?” This study builds on a smaller study Glazier conducted during the 2012 presidential election. Research questions include: Do religious organizations that are more engaged in the community have congregants with higher levels of political efficacy? Do sermons on global political issues increase political involvement? Do churches that are locally active improve the community engagement of their congregants? “This collaborative ��Vlog��ýLR/Clinton School research project represents Little Rock’s most comprehensive analysis of the city’s diverse religious organizations and their engagement with and many contributions to the community,” said Skip Rutherford, dean of the Clinton School of Public Service. “Given the faith-related political issues that have emerged in the 2016 elections, this study is also exploring if and how local church leaders and their congregations deal with these topics.” Student researchers from both institutions will survey congregation members in Little Rock the Sunday before the presidential election (Nov. 6) to study how religious organizations influence their members and create a sense of community. Approximately 70 students from Glazier’s “Research Practicum on Religion and Electoral Politics” and Bowman’s “Field Research Methods” courses will participate in the study. The study provides student researchers with an invaluable opportunity to learn social and research skills that will give them an advantage in the competitive job market, Bowman said. “The Little Rock Congregation Study provides an unparalleled opportunity for students to get to know the Little Rock community, while simultaneously learning how to do research and being engaged in this exciting election year,” Bowman said. “Students will learn, both in theory and in practice, how to conduct interviews, conduct and analyze surveys, and hold focus groups. These are valuable skills for people in marketing, the nonprofit world, and government.” Researchers sent surveys to 392 congregations and religious organization in Little Rock. Clinton Public School students conducted interviews with leaders of the 82 congregations that responded. Seventeen congregations were selected to participate in the Nov. 6 survey collection. The 17 houses of worship include four black Protestant churches, four Evangelical Protestant churches, three mainline Protestant churches, two Catholic churches, one Mormon church, one mosque, one Jewish temple, and one non-denominational Unitarian Universalist church. The results of the study will be presented during a community event in April 2017 that will include leaders of some of the participating congregations. For more information, contact Glazier at 501.569.3331 or raglazier@ualr.edu.

��Vlog��ýLR launches new School of Public Affairs

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 20:32:36 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will launch its new School of Public Affairs on July 1 to serve as a hub for ��Vlog��ýLR programs that share a focus on government, politics, nonprofit organizations, and public service. �ճ��Institute of Government��and the Department of Political Science will merge to form the new school, which will be housed in the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Social Sciences and Communication. “Bringing these programs together opens up new opportunities for collaboration among the faculty and professional staff that will serve both students and the community,” said Joe Giammo, a professor of political science and interim director of the School of Public Affairs. Faculty from the political science department, which did not have a graduate program, will now be able to teach graduate courses through the Institute of Government’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. Undergraduate students interested in entering the MPA program can sign up for an early entry program, which will allow them to take graduate classes that will count toward their undergraduate and master’s degrees. The new school will serve as a home to existing programs in public administration, political science, international studies, presidential studies, nonprofit leadership, conflict mediation, and nonprofit organizations. “The ��Vlog��ýLR School of Public Affairs is a perfect expression of our college commitment to interdisciplinary and community-based knowledge and research, engagement, and public service,” said Lisa Bond-Maupin, dean of the College of Social Sciences and Communication. “Students drawn to a careers related to government, law, community development, and nonprofit or public sector leadership will find opportunities here for deep and diverse learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom,” she said. Additionally, the school plans to implement two new majors that are pending final approval. The school’s new community management and development major will prepare students for professional positions in public and nonprofit management, community organizing, social entrepreneurship, and advocacy. The major will focus on developing student competency in four areas that community stakeholders identified as central needs for careers in this field: professional written and interpersonal communication, managerial skills, analytic thinking, and expertise in urban social science. Meanwhile, a legal studies supplementary major is designed, in partnership across colleges including the William H. Bowen School of Law, as a second major for students who plan to enter law school. Students will be mentored by law students to help gain critical legal skills and guide their entrance into law school. In addition to its academic programs, the school will also house the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium, the Survey Research Center, the Center for Public Collaboration, and the Center for Nonprofit Organization. Jolie Busby, executive director of the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium, said the merger will provide an opportunity for ��Vlog��ýLR faculty to collaborate more with the university’s government policy organizations. “It’s a benefit to have improved access to the faculty from political science,” Busby said. “They are subject manner experts in public policy, and that serves our programs well since we draw subject matter experts from ��Vlog��ýLR faculty.”

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