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

Tell-Hall explores reasons for removal of West Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 15:23:22 +0000

A graduating student is shedding light on the removal of one of Little Rock’s first working class African-American suburbs, West Rock, as part of the city’s urban renewal efforts of the 1950s and 60s.�� Nancy Tell-Hall, who will graduate Dec. 14 with a master’s degree in public history, studied the city’s removal of the neighborhood for her master’s thesis, “Urban Renewal PROJECT-ARK-4: The Demise of West Rock, Arkansas: 1884-1960.” West Rock was a part of what is now the Riverdale neighborhood near Fred Allsopp Park and downhill from present day Hillcrest. West Rock provided affordable housing and accessibility to many people who had domestic, service, and labor jobs. The Slum Clearance Referendum of 1950 allowed Little Rock to accept federal assistance to remove dilapidated urban housing under the guise of “urban renewal.” “The Little Rock Housing Authority and city leaders had all of them removed by 1960,” Tell-Hall said. “The plan to remove West Rock started in 1926 because the city needed to open the westward corridor to make room for segregated western suburbs and to expand Highway 10. They knew the property would be very valuable one day.” When Little Rock bought West Rock, the city estimated the land was worth about $59 per acre. The city purchased the property at that price and sold it for $12,380.03 per acre. The residents were relocated to other areas of the city. Just this spring, some of the land in the area sold for more than $475,000 per acre. “Today, that area is prime, commercially zoned land,” Tell-Hall said. “I often think about the residents forced to move. Some families owned West Rock land for generations. There are those who say the Housing Authority did them a favor by providing the residents a better place to live. However, a 1960 newspaper article wrote the Little Rock Housing Authority was about rehabilitating neighborhoods. I wonder why they didn’t upgrade the housing that was already there. Removal was not rehabilitation.” Tell-Hall researched primary historical documents from the time to tell the story of West Rock’s creation to its removal in 1960. She has also created an educational website about West Rock public use.�� In addition to telling the story of West Rock, Tell-Hall has been involved in promoting the history of racial justice in Arkansas. In 2018, Tell-Hall won second place in the F. Hampton Roy Award competition for her paper revealing the unusual circumstances surrounding the desegregation of Fisher’s Bar-B-Q in Little Rock in 1962. Unlike many sit-ins and Freedom Rider protests that targeted white-owned or white-controlled operations, the protesters targeted an African-American owned business that segregated its customers.�� Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of History recognized Tell-Hall’s civil rights research earlier this year when she was awarded the department’s $5,000 Little Rock Nine Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to a graduate student focused on race relations and community development. One lesson Tell-Hall wants to emphasize to all college students is that it’s never too late to complete your education. “I find it very exciting,” said Tell-Hall, 58. “I’ve heard people say that 50 is the new 30. I talk to a lot of people who wish they had gone to school, and I recommend to anyone who is older to go to college. I was often older than my professors, and I found that younger students appreciate having older students who have lived through some of the experiences you talk about in class. I remember studying about the night the Berlin Wall fell. I watched it all on CNN! I think people appreciate hearing living history.”

Nancy Tell-Hall at Allsopp Park. Photo by Ben Krain

Tell-Hall left college in 1979 to concentrate on raising her son. The two family members coincidentally graduated together from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2017, both having earned bachelor’s degrees. Four decades after leaving college, Tell-Hall’s college education is now complete after earning a master’s degree. “Originally, I considered 2017 the year my academic journey ended,” Tell-Hall said. “I never considered going to grad school. While it is true that grad school can be intense, it was rewarding beyond imagination. To be considered a ‘master’ in the field of racial and ethnic American history is quite satisfying and exciting.” After graduation, Tell-Hall and her husband of 37 years, Jeffrey, plan to move to Okmulgee, Oklahoma, the capital of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Tell-Hall became a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in 2012 after discovering her father’s unknown lineage. There, she plans to put her history research skills to work for the tribe. While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Tell-Hall has worked as a graduate assistant with the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, interned with the City of Little Rock Planning and Development Department, the Sequoyah National Research Center, and volunteered with the National Register of Historic Places. “Nancy flourished as a graduate assistant at the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, which provided the hands-on experience that will help her land what she describes as her ‘dream job’ upon graduation,” said Dr. John Kirk, George W. Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History.

Check out these unique course selections for spring 2019

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 14:21:46 +0000

The spring 2019 semester is right around the corner. For students still searching for an interesting course to fill out their schedule, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has some great choices.�� Vlog��ý Little Rock courses offer students the chance to learn how archaeologists uncover history, the history of the drug trade, electronic commerce, data information science, as well as poverty, immigration, the politics of developing nations, and many other great topics. Classes begin Jan. 22. Check out the following guide for courses that explore interesting and unique topics: ANTH 2316: Cultural Anthropology 10:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday This course is a worldwide examination of other societies and their cultures including politics, gender, religion, and families. Students enjoy learning activities including dancing. ANTH 331: Archaeology 1:40-2:55 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday In this course, students get their hands dirty while learning the basic methods and goals of archaeology, as well as what can be learned from what has been left behind. ARHA 3309: History of Design 1-1:50 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Most art history courses focus on painting and sculpture. This course examines media like ceramics, furniture, metalwork, fabrics, and graphic design. The emphasis is on European and American work from the 18th century to the present. CPSC 4399/5399-01: Special Topics: Monte-Carlo Simulation 1:40-2:55 p.m. Monday and Wednesday The course is an opportunity to explore situations in which a particular probabilistic process might be so complicated that an exact mathematical analysis is unfeasible or impossible. In those cases, simulation serves as a highly useful alternative, maybe the only alternative. To that end, students will talk about modeling various physical, chemical and mechanical processes, study the mechanics of random-number generation, and use simulation as a tool to analyze models. CPSC 4399/5399: Special Topics: Enterprise Computer and Information Systems 3:05-4:20 p.m. Monday and Wednesday Developing, deploying, and maintaining enterprise-level IT systems requires methodologies and architectures not typically covered in computer science curricula. This special topics course covers tools and techniques currently utilized for IT systems in large organizations. ECON 3318: History and Globalization of the Drug Trade 10:50 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday This course examines the ways that different disciplines answer the question, “What is a drug?” Students explore the history and economics related to three specific classes of drugs: coca, opium, and cannabis. They also analyze public policy related to drugs from economic and historical viewpoints and end with a look at the history and globalization of drugs in Little Rock and Arkansas. The class can be taken for upper-level economics, geography, or history credit. ENGL 4354/5354: Postcolonial Literature 3:05-4:20 p.m. Monday and Wednesday This seminar focuses on the study of postcolonial literature from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Students will explore how writers from the colonies write back against the British empire, exposing the impact of colonialism, revising historical accounts, and creating “new” literary traditions. 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday This interdisciplinary course is ultimately about technology foresight and society. Assignments will be customized as appropriate to the background preparation and interests of each student. It is intended to be both unique and mind-expanding. IFSC 4350: Electronic Commerce 305-4:20 p.m. Monday and Wednesday What makes this course unique is that students look at the intersection of business, marketing, and information technology to sell products on the internet. The course and textbook are updated every year to include the latest marketing data and techniques. Students will learn about search engines, enroll in an Introduction to Google Analytics online tutorial, and create a small demonstration E-Commerce website. IFSC 7370 Data Science and Technologies (Graduate course) �� This course provides a survey of the skills and concepts needed for executing a data science investigation, including locating, managing, processing, and analyzing massive amounts of data. Topics covered include data sourcing, choosing a big data infrastructure, extracting, transforming, loading, and mining large amounts of unstructured data as well as other important skills like communication, data ethics, and emerging data services. This course will also include some hands-on experience working with sample technologies selected from a complex ecosystem of tools and platforms. While some knowledge about programming, databases, and statistics is helpful, background/review materials for all of the prerequisite topics will be provided to help students from any discipline get started with data science. M��Vlog��ýP 1150: Piano for Non-Majors 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday This course is specifically for non-music majors. Students will learn foundational skills of piano playing in a group setting. Topics addressed include basic piano technique, music reading, and elemental repertoire. The classroom is equipped with keyboards/headphones so each student will be able to learn at his/her own pace. �� POLS 3301: Seminar: Nonviolent Conflict 12:15-1:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday The seminar explores the use of methods of nonviolent conflict to overthrow dictatorships, oppose occupying forces, resist oppressive governments, and defend against external aggression. Students will investigate the theories of Gene Sharp, studies of nonviolent action from World War II to the present, as well as the teachings of Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Thich Nhat Hahn. POL 3370: Politics of Developing Areas This course will explore major themes and practical problems central to the study of the contemporary politics of global development. Variously called the Global South or the Third World among others, there is actually relatively little that unites these countries other than that, in various ways, their historical trajectory has differed from the West. This course provides an overview of three intersecting domestic institutions that shape development, namely the State, the market, and civil society. In addition, students will examine the interventions of Northern States, from imperialism to globalization, assessing the efforts of multilateral institutions and non-governmental organizations as they attempt to solve the challenges of poverty, disease, conflict, famine, and gender inequality in the Global South. In sum, the course seeks to understand why some countries in the Global South have become wealthy, vibrant democracies that are arguably part of the developed world, while others have suffered persistent violence and repression and remain mired in abject poverty. RACE 2301: Introduction to Race and Ethnicity (online) The course provides an introduction to race and ethnicity in the United States, equipping students with a thorough grounding in the main issues and debates. The course is one of two core classes on the Anderson Institute’s Race and Ethnicity minor program, the only program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a direct focus on issues of race and ethnicity over a sustained rotation of classes. SOCI 3334: Social Problems 9-9:50 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday This course examines the issues society faces and tries to explain the root causes, perpetuation, and possibly how to combat them. SOCI 4353: Sociology of Developing Nations (online) This course focuses on the socioeconomic conditions of third world countries. This is an important class for anyone studying international affairs. SOCI 4395: Seminar: Immigrant Experiences 12:15-1:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday Immigration is and has always been a hot topic in the United States. This course will examine the past and present of immigration. What is it like to immigrate to the U.S.? How does this affect a person in terms of education, health, social interactions, and culture? How do you assimilate without losing your identity? SOCI 4395: Seminar: Poverty and Place 10:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday The course will examine the individual concepts of poverty and place, their theoretical roots, and their theoretical and empirical intersections. The course will focus on class discussions and projects. Students will also be reading the Pulitzer Prize winning book, “Evicted,” which was featured last semester when the author, Matthew Desmond, spoke on campus.

Check out these unique course selections for fall 2018

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 16:25:12 +0000

The fall 2018 semester is right around the corner. For students still searching for an interesting course to fill out their , the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has some great choices.�� Vlog��ý Little Rock courses offer students the chance to learn about political themes in classic horror films and literature, real estate development and property management, as well as how teachers can meet the social and emotional needs of gifted and talented children. Check out the following guide for courses that explore interesting and unique topics: ANTH 2316-01 and 2316-02: Cultural Anthropology 12:15-1:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday or 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday This course examines the concept of culture, cultural processes, and anthropological theories. Topics include marriage, economics, gender, ethnicity, and socialization. Students will gain a better understanding of the hows and whys of cultures, which they can apply in their everyday lives. This is a great course for anyone planning to work with a variety of people, including those majoring in business, criminal justice, education, finance, political science, or international relations. ENG 4350: The Politics of Horror 12-15-1:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday by Kris McAbee Inspired by the 2017 breakout hit “Get Out,” this seminar interrogates the features of cinematic and literary horror to ask how this genre is particularly suited to political commentary. We will cover a range of films including “Get Out,” as well as “The Blob” (1958), “The Night of the Living Dead” (1968), and “The Shining” (1980), alongside literature like Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” (1605), Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto” (1765), Le Fanu’s “Carmilla” (1871), Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892), and Jackson’s “The Lottery” (1948). The class offers an exceptional opportunity to analyze texts in different media across several historical periods to encourage students to think about cultural production in reference to the frightening stakes of legal, economic, racial, and gender politics. This course is the Fall 2018 Cooper Honors Seminar but is open to all students. ENGL 4100: Horror on Film 6-8:40 p.m. Wednesday by Kris McAbee Offered in conjunction with The Politics of Horror, this one-credit course will feature screenings of all the horror films discussed in The Politics of Horror course. The course is open to all students, even if they are not enrolled in The Politics of Horror. ENGL 4370 and ENGL 5370: Seminar on Toni Morrison 4:30-5:45 p.m. Monday and Wednesday by Laura Barrio Vilar This seminar provides students with a unique opportunity to study key works by Nobel- and Pulitzer-Prize winner Toni Morrison. Infused with a womanist approach, Morrison’s writings cover a wide range of topics from race and gender relations, family, socio-economic, and cultural survival to slavery, war, and infanticide. Students will consider not only Morrison’s major works of fiction, but also her ideas about literature, language, and her goals as a writer. This course counts toward both the minor in Race and Ethnicity and the minor in Gender Studies. FINC 4397: Real Estate Development and Property Management 6-8:40 p.m. Thursday by Elizabeth Small This seminar has interdisciplinary characteristics combining the real estate process with an entrepreneurial approach and a corporate umbrella approach. The course analyzes an eight-stage model of real estate development using examples in the local community as well as national cases. Students learn the value of city planners, legislators, regulators, contractors, lawyers, and lenders throughout the development process. Site visits and conversations with developers, lenders, and contractors are all a part of the educational environment. Learning from the experiences of those in ownership, property management, construction, and consultant rolls is a crucial part of the class experience. Students end the semester by presenting a development project of their own creation. GATE 7363: Affective Needs of the Gifted Online course by Bronwyn MacFarlane This graduate course is a study in the social and emotional needs of gifted children. Emphasis is placed on responding to affective needs of gifted students and development of social skills through lesson planning, teacher training, and parent awareness. GEOG 4300: Spaces of Violence Online course by David Baylis In this class, students will approach violence from a social geographic perspective. This course will address the following topics: gendered, sexualized, and racialized violence; serial killers as urban gentrifiers in the Revanchist City; memorializing and erasing landscapes of violence; imagined geographies of violence; crime mapping and its applications and errors; violence, violent spaces, and popular culture; and the role of place in the production of moral panics. HIST 3326: Islam and the Modern Middle East 12-12:50 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday by Katrina Yeaw What are the root causes of the Arab Spring? What are the origins of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? What role does Islam play in Middle Eastern politics? This course focuses on these and other issues fundamental to understanding the modern Middle East from the 19th century to the Arab Spring demonstrations in 2011. This course will address the following topics: the decline of the Ottoman Empire, imperialism and colonialism, nationalism, the emergence of modern nation states, oil, political Islam, the Arab-Israeli conflict, gender identities, American intervention, and the Arab Spring. HIST 4356 and HIST 5356: History of Race and Ethnicity Online course by John Kirk The course examines the history of race and ethnicity in the United States from prehistory to present with a focus on selected topics in the experience of the nation’s diverse and multicultural heritage. ��The course is unique in being the only one at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to provide a comprehensive history of race and ethnicity in the United States and is one of two core classes for the Race and Ethnicity minor. HIST 4393: Haitian Revolution in World History 6-8:40 p.m. Monday by Nate Marvin This course explores the events and significance of the Haitian Revolution (1789-1804) from its beginnings to the present day. The revolution that transformed the largest and most brutal of Europe’s slave plantation colonies into the independent nation of Haiti unfolded in a series of major historical precedents. What began as a home-rule movement among white colonists became a civil rights struggle among free people of color, eventually setting the stage for the largest slave uprising in the history of the Americas. Despite its world-historical significance, the Haitian Revolution was once marginalized in historical writing and college curricula. In this course, students will think critically about that obfuscation and other such “silencings” of history and analyze the wealth of new scholarship on the importance of the Haitian Revolution in world history. Topics will include the revolution’s effects on the demographics and culture of the early United States; politics and philosophy in France, Great Britain, and Germany; Latin American independence movements; the African slave trade; the abolition movement; and other 19th- and 20th-century struggles against racial inequality and colonialism. INTS 2303: Intro to International Studies 12:15-1:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm This course provides a broad interdisciplinary introduction to globalization. The course will explore the many different facets of globalization: economic, political, cultural. Students will examine important debates about globalization such as its affects, whether it is positive or negative, whether it is a new phenomenon, and what the future may hold. In addition, the course will discuss various forms of resistance to globalization. PHIL 3370: Existentialism 6-8:40 p.m. Wednesdays by Keith Robinson In philosophy, literature, and film, existentialist ideas problematize our understanding of freedom and responsibility and challenge our attitudes to the meaning of life and death. Existentialist thinkers pay special attention to moods like nausea, anguish, and anxiety and the ways in which they structure our experience of daily life. This course explores this influential philosophical and literary movement through readings of selected texts as well as viewings of selected films with existentialist themes. PHY 4399 and PHY 5399: Biophysics 3-4:15 p.m. Monday and Wednesday by Gregory Buisbiers This is a new class at the boundary between physics and biology. This class will give students the tools they need to understand the living world from a physicist’s perspective. This class will cover topics that students will not see in any other class, such as scaling laws, fractals, and bio-tribology. POLS 4331: International Organizations 10-10:50 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm Many are concerned that international organizations like the United Nations and the World Trade Organization increasingly affect our lives. This course will explore the conception and modern functions of international organizations and the international and domestic political forces that impact their effectiveness to help people assess whether such concerns are overblown. In particular, the course will focus on the role of international organizations in issues of war and peace, human rights, and development. Students will conduct research on and participate in international organization models, including a United Nations Security Council simulation. POLS 4341: International Human Rights 9-9:50 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm This course provides a philosophical and political exploration of human rights. It will begin with an intellectual history of human rights before examining the international politics of human rights. Students will look at international law dealing with human rights, and the different ways in which human rights are promoted globally. Students will discuss the conditions under which countries are likely to comply with international human rights law and norms, as well as the circumstances under which states are willing to enforce human rights obligations. RELS 3300: Theories of Religion 9:25-10:40 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays by Edward Hale This course provides an overview of theories about religion, as well as methods in the study of religious traditions. It explores such questions as “What makes something religious?;” “What is the relationship of religious practices and beliefs to other areas of life?;” and “Where did religion come from?” It covers approaches to the phenomenon of religion from several disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, psychology, and history.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students win free trip to New York City to explore African-American history

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 17 May 2018 14:23:19 +0000

Eight University of Arkansas at Little Rock students have won a free trip to New York City to explore African-American history after winning an essay contest.�� In honor of Black History Month, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity held an essay contest in February for undergraduate students. In 600 words or less, students answered the question: How has any one organization, movement, place, or period in New York City’s history contributed to the African-American struggle for freedom and equality? Winners include McKenzie Baker, international studies major; Deuntay Bennett, economics major; Sean Corrothers, accounting major; Jessica Doyne, professional and technical writing major; Ravan Gaston, political science major; Kimberly Maurer, English-secondary education major; Tieranee Ransom, elementary education major; and Tori Williams, English major with a creative writing emphasis. The eight winners will visit New York City July 9-15. Airfare, lodging, meals, and entrance to site visits will all be covered. Students will stay at and visit sites such as the Studio Museum of Harlem, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the African Burial Ground National Monument, Black Theater of Harlem, Apollo Theater, Ellis Island, Louis Armstrong Museum, and Grant’s Tomb. The Anderson Institute began the essay contest in 2017 in which eight ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students won a trip to Washington, D.C. to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture and other historical sites.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock class to cover history of African-American film and theatre

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 13:06:07 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s latest class for the 2018 spring semester will cover the history of African-American film and theatre from 1820 to the present. The three-credit hour course, THEA 4340-01 African American Theatre and Film, will take place from 3:05-4:20 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays during spring 2018. Using performance texts as a springboard, the class will look at key artists, companies, and movements to analyze and discuss concerns and representational strategies in African-American dramatic works across various eras and in different media. “We will engage with the critical discourse surrounding dramatic performances by African-American artists, and consider how stage and screen are used in writing, representing, and preserving history,” said Dr. Lawrence Smith, assistant professor in the Theatre Arts and Dance department. The class explores many plays and films, including works by Amiri Baraka, Carlyle Brown, Charles Burnett, Alice Childress, Julie Dash, Lydia Diamond, Lorraine Hansberry, Zora Neale Hurston, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Spike Lee, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Oscar Micheaux, Suzan-Lori Parks, Tyler Perry, Ntozake Shange, Bert Williams and George Walker, and August Wilson. The class also counts toward the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock minor in race and ethnicity. For more information, contact Dr. Lawrence Smith at ldsmith11@ualr.edu.

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