Tuesday, December 3, 2013

December 2-8, 2013




ANNOUNCEMENTS:
  •        CALL FOR LECTURES  AT CLACS  FOR SPRING 14
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean studies invites faculty and graduate students (in the last stage of their dissertation writing) to present at the Lecture Series Spring 14

Lecture presentations take place in an informal, friendly, and supportive setting where you share any selected aspect of your academic research with graduate and undergraduate students and faculty. Our aim is not only to promote students but also to involve faculty to participate and share their work.

Typically the presenter speaks for 40 to 50 minutes and then invites audience for questions, comments and discussion.

Brown Bags presentations at CLACS are held on Thursdays from noon to 1:30pm in 101 International Studies Building, 910 South Fifth Street in Champaign.

CLACS can provide a lap top and a projector.

I schedule presenters on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested you can sign up for any of the following dates:

If interested contact Angelina Cotler (cotler@illinois.edu)

Available Dates:
- February 6, 20, 27
- March 6
  •        LIBRARY NEW ACQUISITION
The Library has acquired four sets of primary sources. You can access them through the Library’s Online Journals and Databases at http://openurl.library.uiuc.edu/sfxlcl3/az  Search for “Archives Unbound” or the specific collection title and follow the links.
      The sets are:
Please let us know if you have trouble accessing any of these sets.

Dr. Antonio Sotomayor, Ph.D.  (asotomay@illinois.edu)
Assistant Professor
Latin American and Caribbean Studies Librarian
Adjunct Professor Department of Recreation, Sport & Tourism

  • NEW COURSES:
    • LAST 490 (section ASG): HISTORICAL SOCIOLOGY OF BRAZIL
Dr. Guimarães is professor titular in sociology at the University of São Paulo. He will join the Lemann Institute for Brazilian Studies as Distinguish Visitor during Spring 2014. He completed his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin in 1988 and conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University in 1994. He will be teaching “A Historical Sociology of Brazil”, focusing on a reading of major elements of the literature on Brazilian social and national experiences.

    • SPAN 316B: LITERATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN LATIN AMERICA
MWF 10-10:50 am
A source of profit, a source of life. Mother Earth and the savage wilds. El Dorado and Montezuma’s revenge. Apocalypse and Paradise. This course will explore diverse ways that Latin Americans have portrayed the relationships between humans and the environment in literature and film. What is “nature” and what is the place of our species within it? How is environmentalism related to racism, sexism, and imperialism? Can fiction promote environmental justice? Readings and class discussion will be in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPAN 250 or consent of the instructor

    • SPAN 535 Seminar Latin American Literature- AFRICA IN COLONIAL SPANISH AMERICA: EXPERIENCES, IDENTITIES AND COLONIAL NEGOTIATIONS
TU 11:00 am-1:50pm
This course examines the dynamics of identity construction of the black subject in colonial Spanish America and its intrinsic relations to issues of race, gender, sexuality, spatiality, and ecology. We will explore the racial politics of Church and State and the evolution of racial constraints as seen through legal documents, chronicles, piracy accounts, religious literature, poetry, newspapers, and visual documents. The course focuses on how black bodies were categorized and constructed within specific political and cultural contexts by colonial authorities and other intellectual sectors of the population, such as creoles and mestizo writers. On the other hand, we also study how these subaltern subjects destabilized and contested the colonial order in their search for freedom and power. Works to be studied date from the early sixteenth century to the late eighteenth century. Part of the class will be devoted to the study of theoretical articles on the concept of race and issues of subjectivity, identity, space, and ecocriticism. We will conclude our readings with Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá’s novel, La noche oscura del niño Avilés (1984), which narrates an eighteenth-century black revolt in the city of San Juan and the subsequent seize of the city by black slaves. Our reading of this novel will center on the novel’s metacritical nature, specifically the manner in which colonial historiography is re-written and re-invented with blacks being protagonists at the center of historical “facts”. Spanish reading knowledge is required.
    • CWL 151: CONSPIRACY NARRATIVES AROUND THE WORLD
MWF 2-2:50
Aliens. Foreign governments. Dolphins. Terrorists. In this class we will explore narratives of conspiracy and paranoia across national contexts to investigate how conspiracy works. How do we tell stories of conspiracy? How do these stories construct plausible explanations of the world around us? How do these stories differ across countries? Why do conspiracy narratives sometimes just feel right? Why is paranoid thinking at the center of how we relate to technical progress and political systems? These are some of the questions that will guide our class. Readings and films from Argentina, the United States, Russia, and Mexico. Latin American authors that will be considered: Jorge Luis Borges, Roberto Bolaño, Rodolfo Walsh, Rafael Bernal. 

    • HIST 396 (section C) HISTORY OF “BLACK” MUSIC
    • HIST 507 RACE AND REBELS IN THE AMERICAS
    • ANTH 499 (Section KM) ANTHROPOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY MEXI
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  •  The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the Lemann Institute for Brazilian Studies would like to invite you to the
CLACS/Lemann Cinema Series

On TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3rd @ 6:30pm
Lucy Ellis Lounge, Foreign Language Building
Free Admission
The YEAR MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION/ O ANO EM QUE MEUS PAIS SARAM DE FRIAS
Brazil, 2006 - Film in Portuguese with subtitles in English


Drama- November 2006 (Brazil) 
-Director: Cao Hamburger
-Running time: 110 minutes
-MPAA rating: PG

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0857355/






If you have any questions, please contact
CLACS Outreach Coordinator, 
Alejandra S-Seufferheld
amsseu@illinois.edu



  • On (Brazilian) Counterculture

  • THE CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STUDIESLECTURE SERIES
    Presents
NILS JACOBSEN, Associate Professor, History

REVOLUTIONS AND CIVIL WARS IN THE REPUBLIC OF PERU, 1825-1895: BETWEEN CLIENT NETWORKS AND MOBILIZATION FROM BELOW


Thursday, December 5th
12PM
101 International Studies Building

This work in progress is part of a larger collaborative project to compare the cycle of civil wars and revolutions in several Spanish American nations during the century after independence. The goal is to understand the commonalities and differences in the causes, processes and outcomes of civil wars and revolutions in the emerging Spanish American national political cultures. I argue that modes of mobilization and logistics, types and levels of violence, ideologies and forms of post-revolutionary settlement offer an intense diagnostic test for the peculiar political cultures of the emerging nation-states between the 1820s and 1910, and how those national political cultures evolved over the cycle of civil wars and/or revolutions.  Among central criteria for our comparison will be the connection of civil wars to electoral processes, the role of religion, political parties, regionalism, and ethnic and class structures, as well as the forms of mobilization and procurement of armament and finances.     
The ten civil wars and revolutions with national repercussions shaking Peru between independence and the beginning of the “Aristocratic Republic” combined mobilization through horizontal and vertical networks with grass roots mobilization of social and ethnic collectivities. In contrast to some other Spanish American republics, the contending forces cohered little on the basis of religion and political parties. What mattered more in Peru were regional conflicts, overlaid by client networks and locally expressed ethnic and social conflicts. Semi-autonomous indigenous fighting forces played a considerable role in the revolutions or civil wars of the early post-independence decades, but by the time of the revolution of 1894-95 indigenous struggles were viewed as largely separate from issues of national politics. At that time, Indians entered the civil war primarily as conscripts on both sides. I will show that by the 1890s the republican notion of “citizens in arms” had begun to give way to a notion of a social conflict in the grassroots mobilization of the revolutionaries fighting the Cáceres government.      

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  • THE CENTER FOR LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STUDIES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Title VI Application 2014-18
Deadline: DECEMBER 20, 2013 
 
Application Information:
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) invites current and prospective CLACS affiliated faculty and units to submit proposals for possible consideration in its application to the U.S. Department of Education Title VI for renewal its status as National Resource Center (NRC) for the AY 2014-1018 period.
CLACS has been a NRC for the past 50 years and received money to cover program expenses, language fellowships, and programming. With over 100 faculty representing all colleges and professional schools across the campus, CLACS fosters knowledge and engagement with Latin American issues. The Center prides itself on its uniquely interdisciplinary and inclusive approach, reflected in all areas of the Center’s engagement and support to faculty, academic programs, and in outreach and public engagement.
CLACS encourages projects from any discipline and fields of study that support research, teaching, and outreach activities that focus upon understanding the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Potential Activities:
  • Course development (including study abroad and direct support for the instruction of Less Commonly Taught Languages)
  • Organizing activities (conferences, symposia) that will deepen our understanding of policies and problems affecting the region
  • Public engagement and outreach
  • Developing teaching resources, professional training opportunities, and public programs for researchers, educators, students, business leaders, media, governmental agencies, civic organizations and members of the community
  • Encouraging interdisciplinary proposals, linking faculty from across campus in collaborative partnerships to encourage research, course and degree development, and outreach
  • Collaborative projects with other institutions including, but no limited to other universities, community colleges, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies
Funding requests may include support for travel; hosting of lecture series, workshops; service learning initiatives and student research

Priorities:
Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose activities that meet the invited priorities of the Title VI grant. While those priorities have not yet formally announced, through technical meetings and conversations with program officers CLACS anticipates the following priorities to be articulated in the sponsor for proposals:
  • Foreign language training, foreign language instruction across disciplines, and innovative approaches to foreign language pedagogy development
  • Diversity and engagement with underrepresented minorities
  • Fostering and supporting a K-12 pipeline of foreign language and area studies expertise for teachers and students
  • Engagement with professional schools
  • Strategic partnerships with other countries
  • Outreach to business, media and policymakers 
Evaluation criteria
All proposals must broadly address and support CLACS mission. Preference will be given to interdisciplinary projects across campus and partnerships; expecting lasting outcomes, broad-impact; potential for leveraging internal or external resources.

Budget
Applicants may propose activities for a single year during the cycle or annual/recurring activities across 4 years. In the past cycles, the following amounts have been awarded to faculty-led initiatives under Title VI:
  • Lecture series, symposia and conferences: up to $3,000 per year
  • Course development grants: up to $3,000 
Proposal Requirements
The project should not exceed three pages (on single PDF) Each proposal should include
  • Project goal
  • Rationale for the approach pursued
  • Description of implantation plan, including a timeline
  • Specific outcomes
  • Budget

Proposals must be received by Friday, December 20, 2013 for full consideration. Awards to be included in the Title VI application will be announced as soon as thereafter possible. Proposals should be submitted to Angelina Cotler in one sigle PDF to cotler@illinois.edu
 
What can NOT be funded under Title VI Grant:
  • Alcohol and food
  • Direct support for research (although conferences, graduate and professional seminars are permissible)
  • Student travel (Faculty travel is allowable. Note that international faculty travel is allowable only with prior approval from the US Department of Education and compliance with government regulations.
For more information on CLACS’s mission and programs visit our website at http://www.clacs.illinois.edu

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GRANTS/FELLOWSHIPS

•          FOREIGN LANGUAGE FELLOWSHIPS (FLAS) INFORMATION SESSION (support study in modern foreign languages in combination with area studies and international studies) 
FLAS FELLOWSHIPS FOR GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 2014-2015

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING  QUECHUA, PORTUGUESE OR ANY OTHER AMERINDIAN LANGUAGE? APPLY FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND AREA STUDIES FELLOWSHIPS!!
FLAS Fellowships support undergraduate and graduate study in modern foreign languages in combination with area studies, international studies, or international or area aspects of professional studies. The following languages, classified by Center, are approved by the U.S. Department of Education for FLAS fellowships at Illinois. Undergraduate fellowships are only available for intermediate to advanced study of less commonly taught languages, which are defined as modern languages other than Spanish, German or French.
INFORMATION SESSIONS: December 4th @ Noon & December 5th @ Noon @ Room 126, GSLIS Bldg., 501 E. Daniel, Champaign
For more details on information sessions and how to apply visit the FLAS website for UIUC: http://publish.illinois.edu/illinoisflas/
Any Questions contact Alejandra Seufferheld amsseu@illinois.edu
  •      TINKER PRE-DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIPS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN LATIN AMERICA
Are you interested in exploring a research project in Latin America this summer? The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies offers summer fellowships for graduate students (from any nationality) in any discipline.
Information Meeting: Friday January 31 at 12pm in Room 200 International Studies Building
Information and requirements about the fellowship: http://www.clacs.illinois.edu/academics/fellowships/tinker.aspx
Deadline to apply: MONDAY February 24, 2014
Any questions contact Angelina Cotler, Associate Director. cotler@illinois.edu
  •   2014-2015 LEMANN GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS FOR BRAZILIAN STUDIES
The Lemann Institute of Brazilian Studies offers fellowships to UIUC graduate students doing research about Brazil. For the academic year 2014-2015, fellowships will pay $18,000.00. The Lemann Graduate Fellows will have tuition and fee waivers from LAS units and participating professional schools. Applicants should check with their Departments and Schools to verify that their home units offer tuition waivers. The number of awards varies year to year and may depend on the strength of the applications received.
Deadline to apply: Monday February 24th, 2014
Information and requirements:  http://www.clacs.illinois.edu/lemann/fellowships.aspx
Any questions contact Camila Führ Diel  diel1@illinois.edu
  • IPRH FACULTY AND GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS, 2014–15
IPRH is pleased to announce that the 2014–15 IPRH Fellowship year will be a themeless one. IPRH occasionally suspends its fellowship theme, as was the case for the 2010–11 academic year. IPRH welcomes applications from scholars in all disciplines and departments with an interest in humanities and humanities-inflected research. The projects proposed to IPRH for 2014–15 Fellowships may investigate any subject, and the proposals will be evaluated on their scholarly excellence. IPRH is especially interested in fostering interdisciplinary work.
 All Fellows are expected to maintain residence on the U of I campus during the award year, and to participate in IPRH activities, including the yearlong Fellows Seminar. 
Complete fellowship application guidelines for 2014–15 will be posted on the IPRH website in summer 2013. Applications must be submitted through an online portal. No paper or emailed applications or letters of recommendation will be accepted.
The submission URLs are as follows:
Faculty: https://my.atlas.illinois.edu/submit/go.asp?id=613
Graduate Students: https://my.atlas.illinois.edu/submit/go.asp?id=614
Eligibility:
Applications are invited from full-time, tenured or tenure-track U of I faculty members, and advanced graduate students engaged in dissertation/thesis preparation.
Award:
Faculty Fellows receive release time for one semester in residence, and $2,000 in research funds to be transferred to the faculty member’s departmental research account. (The department will be compensated $12,000 for releasing the faculty member; in the case of faculty members with two percentage appointments, these funds will be distributed in accordance with the department that holds the course offering/s).
Graduate Student Fellows receive a $10,000 stipend and a tuition and fee waiver.
Deadline:
All application materials, including letters of reference, must be submitted by midnight, Friday, DECEMBER 6 2013, when the submission portal will close. IPRH strongly recommends, however, that submissions be made prior to 4:30 p.m. on the day of the deadline, as IPRH staff will not be available to assist with troubleshooting after close of business on Friday, December 6.
For more information about the IPRH Faculty and Graduate Student Fellowship program, please visit IPRH on the web at http://www.iprh.illinois.edu.

  • IPS INTERNATIONAL GRANTS PROGRAM
International Programs & Studies (IPS) is happy to announce the call for proposals for the IPS International Grants Program (formerly the Hewlett International Grants Program).  As you may know, each year International Programs & Studies disburses a limited amount of money to sponsor international conferences on the Champaign-Urbana campus as well as international research travel by Illinois faculty and staff.  The program grants were generated from funds originally from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, matched by our campus and private donors. You can find out all the pertinent details and requirements at the websites listed below:

IPS International Conference Grants
http://international.illinois.edu/faculty/ipsconf.html

IPS International Research Travel Grants
http://international.illinois.edu/faculty/ipstravel.html

.  The deadline for proposals this year is DECEMBER 15, 2013.  Proposals should be submitted electronically (.pdf preferably) to:  ips@illinois.edu. 

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OPPORTUNITIES
  •    RESEARCH TRAVEL SUPPORT  FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is sponsoring a Research Travel Grant competition for undergraduate students seeking to conduct research outside of the University of Illinois campus.  The goals for this initiative are to provide students with funds necessary to conduct on-site research at an archive, lab, research center, museum, or a location that has materials not readily available at UI.  The Office of Undergraduate Research recognizes that UI students are conducting cutting edge research on campus, but that funding for research travel is sometimes lacking.  We hope that this competition will both broaden and deepen the type of research being conducted by undergraduate students on campus, and that the recipients are able to use this opportunity as a way of engaging with their fields.

Eligibility Requirements:
•         Students must be an undergraduate at the time of their research trips.
•         Students have to demonstrate that the resources needed to conduct their research are not available at UI.
•         The research destination must be outside of the University of Illinois campus.
•         Students must be conducting their own research, and therefore cannot conduct research on the behalf of faculty members.

Additional Requirements:
•         A faculty member, familiar with the student’s research plans, must provide a letter of support.
•         If students use the research as the basis of a presentation at a conference or campus event, there must be an acknowledgement of the Office of Undergraduate Research for its support on the poster or in the paper.
•         Students must provide a one page summary of their research project to OUR following the completion of the project.

Funding Restrictions:
•         The applications must itemize how the students will spend their time and daily budgets for the duration of the research trips.
•         Support for the following expenses is permitted: airfare, mileage, lodging, copying on site, and use of equipment.
•         No funding will be provided for meals, making copies at the University of Illinois libraries, or for the purchase of equipment.
•         The travel funds will be dispersed on a reimbursement basis only; students must produce receipts for expenses incurred during travel.
Application:
•         Applications are available at https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/4810618
•         There is no deadline for applications, but they must be submitted no later than six weeks prior to the dates of the travel.

Questions?  - send queries to ugresearch@illinois.edu
  •  SUMMER 2014 ETHNOGRAPHIC AND LINGUISTIC FIELD SCHOOL IN ECUADOR
Amazonian Indigenous Development and Eco-Tourism

 
June 1-July 1, 2014
Appalachian State University (UNC)
6 Credits (Ethnographic Field School [3] and Introduction to Kichwa [3])
$3,300

Program cost includes:
Roundtrip airfare from Charlotte, NC to Quito, Ecuador
Housing for one month
All in-country transportation
Entrance fees to tourist sites
Three meals per day (vegetarian options available)
End of program excursion to Cotopaxi National Park

Not included:
Undergraduate tuition (approximately $792 in-state $912 out-of-state)
Now in its sixth year, this program will give students the opportunity to travel to Ecuador for one month where they will study indigenous development and eco-tourism in the Amazon. The majority of the program will be spent on the shores of the Napo River. This is an anthropological-based program in which students will take two courses. In the first, Ethnographic Field School, students will learn how to construct a research project, learn interviewing techniques, and gain valuable experience in ethnographic methods and analysis. We will be studying indigenous activism in Ecuador (focusing upon the impact of oil, eco-tourism, and rainforest management on identity and representation), working with Kichwa (Quichua)-speakers of the upper Amazon. The program also strongly focuses upon an engaged and applied anthropology through which students will develop collaborative partnerships with local community members with regards to activism and tourism initiatives. For the second course, students will have the opportunity to undergo intensive study of indigenous language of Kichwa with native speakers and teachers, while learning methods in language documentation and analysis. In addition, there will be numerous excursions for students to learn about forestry conservation, biodiversity, and environmental citizenship. 
Students have come from Pennsylvania State University, Cornell University, Indiana University, Tufts University, Louisiana State University, University of New Mexico, University of Alabama, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Georgia State University.

Alumni of this program have been accepted for graduate study at the University of Michigan, University of Chicago, and the University at Albany-SUNY, while others have used this experience to land internships and work with NGOs after graduation such as The Carter Center for Human Rights, AmeriCorps, Université de Lausanne, Yellowstone National Park, Cornell University BABY Lab, North Carolina One Health Collaborative, and Latino Health Program of the High Country (and many others).

NOTE: This program is limited to 20 students. Please consider applying early ($300 deposit).
For more information on how to apply, please visit http://anthro.appstate.edu/field-schools/ethnographic-and-linguistic-field-schools/summer-2014-ecuador

Download the poster here: http://anthro.appstate.edu/sites/anthro.appstate.edu/files/2014%20FieldSchoolNEW.pdf

Find the program on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/413757278749998/
  •    ISLA MUJER ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELD SCHOOL
Isla Mujeres, Mexico  

Summer 2014

 Culture & Environment • Latin America & Caribbean
Medical Anthropology • Gender & Identity
History, Space & Meaning





Two 6 Week (43 day) Advanced Sessions
May 17 to June 28
July 5 to August 16
Two 3 Week (22 days) Practicum Sessions
May 31 - June 22nd
July 19th - August 10th
(Session dates can be modified for specific groups)

NOTE: The First Summer Session of the Methods Practicum Course and The Advanced Methods Course will include a special series on Medical Anthropology and HIV Prevention.  Dr. Cabrera (see Faculty page) will guest lecture and lead an HIV outreach effort along with Dr. Pierce.  Students should indicate if they are interested in this medical anthropology training in their application.
We are writing to inform you of the Isla Mujeres Ethnographic Field School, located on a small Caribbean island off of the coast of Cancun in Quintana Roo, Mexico.  For our summber 2014 program we are offering two six-week Advanced Methods sessions, as well as two three-week Methods Practicum sessions.  We will also offer a special three-week Medical Anthropology session on Health and Nutrition in September of 2014.  

We would greatly appreciate it if you could pass the information about the field school onto your students and others who may be interested.  Our website goes in to greater detail regarding what the field school offers, and also has an informational flyer that can be easily printed to pass out to students or post to your department’s bulletin board.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Todd G. Pierce, PhD
Director
Isla Mujeres Ethnographic Field School

www.anthrofieldschool.com
Facebook Page --> 
http://www.facebook.com/Islamujeresethnographicfieldschool
LinkedIn Page --> 
http://www.linkedin.com/company/isla-mujeres-ethnographic-field-school-ifs-?trk=company_name

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IN THE MARKET
  • EducationUSA Advising Center- Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano (CEN) Position:  EducationUSA educational adviser (Full time)
Location:  Guayaquil
Application deadline: 11/22/2013

The EducationUSA Center in Guayaquil, located at the Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano (CEN) seeks  a qualified individual to fill  the full time position  of EducationUSA  Adviser. Training will be provided.

EducationUSA  is  a network of advising  centers  in 170 countries  that assist  international students  to find accurate,  comprehensive, and current information about how to apply to accredited U.S. colleges and universities. EducationUSA advisers and staff work with U.S. higher education professionals to promote international student enrollment. EducationUSA also helps promote study abroad opportunities for U.S. citizens. www.EducationUSA.info

Qualifications:  Direct experience with the U.S. system of higher education: graduate education required with either undergraduate or graduate education from a U.S. university, preferably in counseling, education, language, international affairs, information science, social sciences and humanities,  or areas related to business.   Knowledge  of the U.S.  and Ecuador  educational systems.   Proficiency in English and Spanish. Excellent writing skills in English required. Experience in advising  or university administration, with international students and professionals helpful.

Competent computer skills: word-processing, e-mail, power point, use of Excel spreadsheets and databases. Ability to manage Social Media: (website, Facebook, Blogs, Twitter); familiarity with on-line conferencing tools such as Skype, GoToMeeting or other.

Managerial skills:  planning, budgeting, supervising, and training. Multi-tasker. Other skills and attributes:  interviewing, oral presentations, proposal and report writing, and customer service oriented.

Responsibilities: The educational adviser, in coordination with the Country Coordinator and/or REAC, carries   out  the  following educational advising  functions.  The  employee works  in collaboration with  and under the general supervision  of  EducationUSA  Country Coordinator/Head of Office.
1.  Provide educational advising services to students, scholars and professionals seeking to study in the United States. Information is provided in person, and via e-mail, website, social media and telephone in both Spanish and English.
2.  Participate in the planning and implementation of special advising programs  such as pre- departure orientations,  outreach programs,  in-country training for new advisers,  and country workshops and approved university fairs.
3.  Foster  opportunities  for  interaction between departing and returning students  and scholars; use returning grantees and alumni as resources.
4.  Provide information on education in Ecuador, in English for U.S. university representatives or other non-host country inquiries.
5.  Produce educational advising materials, such as handouts and site lists for specific fields of study.
6.  Aid in maintaining  contacts  with individuals and organizations  engaged in educational advising in and outside the U.S.
7.    Assist in providing research service for office and country coordination inquiries.
8.  Assist in maintaining liaison functions with the Fulbright Commission and other agencies.
9.  Aid in developing  business plans, annual plans, budgeting, marketing, funding requests, and strategic planning for income-generating activities.
10. Maintain and report statistics on center users and activities
11. Maintain a database of advisees.

To Apply: Please send resume/curriculum vitae, cover letter explaining interest in the position, and contact information for two references to: Country Coordinator for Educational Advising, by e-mail to advisingposition2013@gmail.com .

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CALL FOR PAPERS

  •  TRANSNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN URBAN LATIN AMERICA (16th to 19th century)

September 9 to 13, 2014
Berlin

Symposium at Association of European Historians of Latin America (AHILA)'s XVII International Congress which will treat the specialized technical and administrative knowledge used during the foundation, administration, enlargement and reforms of Latin-American cities between the XVI and XIX centuries.
Proposal deadline: January 31, 2014
Contact information:
Catarina Caetano da Rosa
E-Mail: cdr@ifs.tu-darmstadt.de
Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany

Jorun Poettering
E-Mail: jpoettering@fas.harvard.edu
Harvard University, USA
Additional information:
Since the colonial period specialized knowledge originated not only in local cultures and the Iberian „mother countries”, but other regions also contributed. After the independencies of the Latin-American countries the origins of knowledge got even more diversified. Engineers, architects, urban specialists, civil servants, military officers and other professionals from different countries orchestrated the development of Latin American urban infrastructure, fortifications, harbors, streets and bridges, systems of water supply, sewerage, means of communication, public transportation, gas and electricity. Urbanization processes were closely connected with the circulation of knowledge.
  1. The role of experts: Where did they come from? What possibilities did they have to qualify? How did they acquire specialized knowledge and transnational experience? Which role did academic institutions play?
  2. The paths of ideas: Where did the ideas about public works and urban reforms originate? How did they circulate among different actors, authorities and countries? Is it possible to talk about the emergence of transnational forms of knowledge?
  3. The ideologies and practices: Which conditions promoted or prevented the implementation of concrete schemes? What role did concepts of common good, prosperity, modernity and progress play in relation to practical knowledge? What relationship existed between ideologies and implementations?
The session aims at contributing to a history of culture and technology in relation to Latin American cities. The specific moments when transnational knowledge exercised its effects, and the conditions under which this happened will be studied. Furthermore, techniques such as mapping, surveying and accounting, etc. which shaped the thinking about improving infrastructure and influenced the development of cities, are to be taken into account in a historical perspective.

Propositions for papers in Portuguese or Spanish including the title and an abstract of 200 words should be submitted by January 31, 2014. They should be sent via e-mail to cdr@ifs.tu-darmstadt.de and jpoettering@fas.harvard.edu. The coordinators will select the papers and inform applicants by February 28, 2014.


  • FICTION, NON-FICTION AND NEW JOURNALISM: THE ARTS IF STORYTELLING IN THE SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE SPEAKING WORLDS
Newcastle University, 20 and 21 June 2014

In the past few decades, popular Anglo-Saxon genres such as the graphic novel and the so called new journalism or chronicle have had a very powerful development in the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. This effervescence builds on a centuries-old tradition of chronicles, and matches a vibrant growth in other various fiction narrative formats in Spain, Portugal, Latin America and the Hispanic USA. Thus, versatile chroniclers use gripping fiction-writing techniques to narrate the roughest realities, not concerning themselves with hard facts or statistics, but the way these worlds are lived by those immersed in them, with rich contextual descriptions and well developed characters. In turn, fiction writers introduce social commentary in their stories, aiming at informing and startling their audiences as well as to entertain them.  New formats are being tried out and independent publishing houses and vibrant online platforms are disseminating the work of writers from different countries, who have in turn attracted a wide and avid transnational audience, traversing North and South America and Europe.

This two day international conference invites papers examining any of the following issues or others relevant to this explosion of genres and narrative production:
-          Exploration of the different genres analysing one of several authors, one or several examples of graphic novels, chronicles, short or long stories. 
-          The formats or platforms of choice supporting the circulation of this form of production; technical and financial aspects of these operations.
-          Social Media, collaborative story-telling and journalism as process
-          Local chroniclers and community sustainability
-          Storytelling and collective memory
-          Giving a voice to the voiceless? Challenging dominant narratives
-          Testimonial writing and new journalism
-          Journalism and football: fact, fiction and fanaticism
-          The tension/collaboration between social sciences and journalism, particularly on the reporting and analysing current violence and corruption in Latin America.
-          Formal and aesthetic borrowing between genres
-          Contributions of literary analysis to the study of chronicles
-          The importance of place paired with the global nature of themes, where migration, traveling, bi-nationality, or the experience of the other are central part of the stories.
-          Performative aspects of the relationship between writers and their audiences
-          The arts of story-telling and the creation of spaces for critical reflection and denunciation of social and political issues. 

Confirmed keynote speakers:
Daniel Alarcón (1977) writer, journalist and radio producer is author of the story collection War by Candlelight, and Lost City Radio, named Best Novel of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post. His fiction, journalism and translations have appeared in Granta, McSweeney’s, n+1, and Harper’s, and in 2010 The New Yorker named him one of the best 20 Writers Under 40. Alarcón is co-founder of Radio Ambulante, a Spanish language storytelling podcast, and currently serves as a Fellow in the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism. He lives in San Francisco, California. His most recent novel, At Night We Walk in Circles, was published by Riverhead Books in October 2013.
Javier de Isusi  (1972) is author of comics or graphic novels. Among other series, he is the creator of the acclaimed Los viajes de Juan sin Tierra, the story of Vasco, a postmodern traveller in Latin America, where de Isusi reflects on his extensive travels sharing his observations of the complexities of life, hardships and hopes   of Latin Americans of all walks of life. Translations of his work have been published in Italy, France, Portugal and Finland.
Gabriela Wiener (1975) is a prolific, versatile and controversial writer, journalist, poet and performer who lives in Madrid. She contributes with the most renowned online platforms for the New Chronicle: Etiqueta Negra, Orsai, Anfibia and contributes with columns in  Esquire, Paula, El Pais, La Vanguardia, La Republica, among many others.  She is head editor of Marie Claire in Spain. Her chronicles have been published in collected editions of New Journalism Mejor que ficción. Crónicas ejemplares (Anagrama, 2012) y Antología de la crónica latinoamericana actual (Alfaguara, 2012).  She is the author of Sexografias, Nueve Lunas and Mozart, la iguana con priapismo y otras historias  all acclaimed examples of gonzo journalism.
Guest to be confirmed: Jose Luis Peixoto.

Please send a 200 word abstract to Patricia.Oliart@ncl.ac.uk by 15 January 2014. 
This conference is organised by the Americas Research Group, and is part of the ¡Vamos! Festival programme 2014

  • ENVIRONMENTS, SOCIETIES, IMAGINARIES: THE AMERICAS IN MOTION
CALACS 2014 Congress
16-18 May 2014
Quebec City, Canada

The Americas are in the process of reconstruction and restructuring. The voices of civil society movements can no longer be silenced as they are calling for a cleaner environment, better living conditions, justice for all as well as respect towards indigenous people and cultural/ethnic minorities. This is also true for the demands of young people who want to explore new avenues for a better future. In order to free themselves from the influence of external powers, the people of Latin America and the Caribbean are redefining their models of society and asserting their independence. Regional solidarities—whether in the Caribbean, Central America or South America with the foundation of UNASUR—as well as contributions from different social and cultural groups reflect these important changes. The main challenge, however, is to make sure that all levels of society benefit from the progress made by these societal and political forces.

In this vein, CALACS Congress invites participants to submit proposals on the theme “Environments, Societies and Imaginaries: The Americas in Motion” in all its variations. The aim is to focus on societal dynamics, political struggles and also artistic approaches which address issues such as a safe environment, sustainable cities, sustainable development, equality, peace, democracy, justice, and social stability.

In 2014, CALACS wishes to include the environmental sciences and thus addresses a special call to researchers/teachers/activists/officials and diplomats who work for the protection of natural resources—water, forests, soil, air—and biodiversity. The growing interest in sustainable development has generated new ideas, innovations, and participation of youth leaders, community organisations, educational institutions and other agents. The congress aims to portray the social actors and their strategies which put the Americas in motion. In keeping with the multi- and interdisciplinary spirit of the congress, we strongly encourage submissions from scholars working in all disciplines as well as practitioners in all fields and sectors.
We especially encourage submissions from scholars and other participants from Latin America and the Caribbean.

CALACS congress will be held at Laval University – Canada’s oldest institution of higher education and the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French. The university is located in Quebec City, one of the oldest cities in North America. The historic district of old Québec was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. Come and experience the old city’s heritage, culture, food and beautiful surroundings.
Selected panels and papers will be organized in the following program tracks:

1. International relations
2. Sustainable development
3. Migration
4. Indigenous peoples
5. African diaspora
6. Health, education, social policy
7. Industry/extraction of natural resources
8. Forests, oceans, biodiversity and environmental services
9. Water resources: natural hazards and vulnerability
10. Human rights, citizenship, democracy
11. Art and Memory
12. Decolonization
13. Human security and peace process
14. City, urbanization, population
15. Valorisation of immaterial cultural heritage and cultural tourism
16. Information workshops for students

Note: It is possible to submit proposals outside these program tracks.
We strongly encourage submissions panel proposals of three to four papers (plus chair and/or discussant), and up to five participants for roundtables and workshops. Individual papers are welcome. Proposals can be submitted in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Proposals and Deadlines
Please download submission form from the congress website: http://www.congrescalacs2014.fsaa.ulaval.ca and send by December 7, 2013 to calacs-congress2014@ffgg.ulaval.ca
Confirmation
We will review submissions and applicants will receive confirmation by January 31st, 2014.
Registration
Registration for congress will start in January. Please see our website for more details http://www.congrescalacs2014.fsaa.ulaval.ca
Funding
Funding for Congress participation is limited; only graduate students can apply. See our website for application details and deadline.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for funding at their own institutions.
Membership
Please note: All presenters must be members of CALACS and be registered in order to participate in the congress.
For more information about membership fees and payments, see http://www.can-latam.org/membership
For further information, please contact us at:
calacs-congress2014@ffgg.ulaval.ca

  • SILENCED VOICES: LEARNING FROM THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS  
April 17-18, 2014
Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL, 60660

Keynote Address:
Ben Dangl
Author, The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia

Closing Plenary Speaker: Amalia Pallares
Author, Peasant Struggles to Indian Resistance: the Ecuadorian Andes in the late Twentieth Century

We invite proposals of individual papers, panels or round-table discussion groups for an interdisciplinary conference. Papers focusing on art, anthropology, environmental science, history, language, music, philosophy, politics, as well as other disciplines are encouraged.

Our primary focus will be how to include the voices, histories, cultural contributions, and perspectives of indigenous people in our studies, activities and curricula. We are aware of the colonial legacies that structure the very study of indigenous people as an academic subject, as well as the many challenges posed by the rapidly changing global political context in which we work. While keeping in mind the ways that learning indigenous culture and history can help develop critical perspectives on western history and cultural hegemony, we also see the need to critically address contemporary contradictions and issues within indigenous communities.

We especially invite proposals on:
  • Theoretical approaches on the encounter with indigenous cultures that have practical implications for political activities, teaching, and comparative approaches to culture, art, religion or politics;
  • The efforts to theoretically and practically engage with real movements of indigenous peoples to preserve languages, protect biodiversity, and develop mechanisms of self-government based on their indigenous heritage;
  • The efforts to teach about specific regions or specific indigenous cultures without losing sight of global contexts;
  • Discipline and/or topic-specific pedagogical strategies, for example papers that explore the possibility of presenting this material in courses on environmental science, women and gender studies, and philosophy.
  • Research on how the study of indigenous cultures and their contributions can aid the effort to create alternative development strategies.
Guidelines for submission: Proposals should be limited to 500 words or less and sent as a word document via email attachment to both Carlos Briones (cbriones@oakton.edu) and Peter Hudis (phudis@oakton.edu)

In addition to individual paper proposals, we are accepting proposals for panels of three or four participants, or for a roundtable-style discussion group on a specific topic. Graduate student proposals are encouraged.
Proposal deadline: December 15, 2013
Contact information:
Carlos Briones (cbriones@oakton.edu) and Peter Hudis (phudis@oakton.edu)

  •   IMMIGRATION REFORM AND BEYOND?
The 5th Conference on Immigration to the US South
October 23-25, 2014
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Proposals due March 31, 2014

The 5th Conference on Immigration to the US South (formerly Conference on Immigration to the Southeast) calls for papers/panels for a multidisciplinary meeting on immigration to the US South. We also invite papers/panels that engage in comparative analysis of other regions and/or bring in transnational and global perspectives. Now that comprehensive immigration reform is back on the legislative agenda, we especially welcome presentations that promote an understanding of short-term and long-term challenges of immigration reform with an emphasis on finding practical and realistic policy alternatives. Because one of this conference's goals is to heighten the exchanges between our academic and community participants, we encourage presentations/panels that include interactive strategies to support this aim.

For proposals, submit abstracts online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/598LBWV
The conference is co-sponsored by the University of Florida’s Center for Latin American Studies and the Program for Immigration, Religion, and Social Change (PIRSC); Kennesaw State University Center for Conflict Management; the Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI) of Loyola University; and the Centro de Investigaciones Sobre America del Norte of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico.

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IN THE COMMUNITY
  •   SACHA RUNA RESEARCH FOUNDATION ANNUAL SALE
At the request of indigenous people in Canelos Quichua territory, Amazonian Ecuador, Sibby and Norman Whitten established this foundation in Urbana, Illinois, in 1975 and gained IRS not-for-profit status as a publicly supported institution in 1976. Every year we hold a sale in the Whittens' home (507 E. Harding Drive, Urbana) and the proceeds are used for a medical-care delivery program for participants in the program in Amazonian Ecuador. We offer very high quality indigenous arts together with handicrafts and other objects of interest.
You are cordially invited to join us this December 7 and/or 9. Here is the advertisement that is circulated in hard copy to people who have visited our sale before, or who have asked to be on our mailing list. If you would like to be on the mailing list please send a note to nwhitten@illinois.edu.
Announcement:
SACHA RUNA RESEARCH FOUNDATION ANNUAL SALE
 Saturday, 7 December, 1:00-5:00 P.M.
Sunday, 8 December 1:00-4:00 P.M.
507 E. Harding Drive, Urbana, Illinois
 CERAMICS AND WOOD CARVINGS
from Amazonian Ecuador
 PAINTINGS AND WEAVINGS
from Andean Ecuador
 EXQUISITE TAGUA (IVORY NUT) CARVINGS AND WOVEN MASKS
from Panama
 AND NEW: INDIGENOUS BEAD WORK (necklaces, bracelets, headbands, earrings, keychain attachments) from Amazonian Ecuador
 The Sacha Runa Research Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, supports a medical-care delivery program and scholarships in Amazonian Ecuador
For more information call: 217-344-1828 or email nwhitten@illinois.edu


  • YO SERE DOMINICANO- ART EXHIBIT

Artist Ana Ortega from Dominican Republic will be displaying her work at La Casa Cultural Latina from Nov 12, 2013 to January 31, 2014. The exhibit will open on Tuesday Nov 12 at 4:00 pm at La Casa. Ana will join us on Tuesday. If you want to see samples of her work visit  www.studioquisqueya.com  


  • ANNUAL TOY DRIVE

  • KALARTE GALLERY
Artworks from Kalarte Gallery’s collection of folk art and crafts from  around the world will be on display during the holiday season.

    Dates of show: Saturday, November 23 - Saturday, December 28

    Opening reception: Saturday, November 23, 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm

    Regular hours: Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

    Location: 112 W. Main St., Urbana, IL (inside Heartland Gallery)

The opening reception coincides with the artists’ reception for   Heartland Gallery’s Local Artists’ Showcase, highlighting works by  gallery artists. The reception is part of the downtown Urbana  gallery-wide holiday Open House, with several other galleries  providing special treats and hot cider.

The Heartland Gallery Local Artists’ showcase also runs from November  23 through December 28. See the Heartland Gallery Web site  (http://heartland-gallery.com/) for more details.

As you may know from the gallery newsletters, Heartland Gallery is  closing its doors in downtown Urbana after this show. Kalarte Gallery  has occupied a space within Heartland Gallery since its opening 7  years ago. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Heartland’s  owner, Jan Chandler, for her extraordinary generosity over these  years, both to our own gallery and to the arts community in  Champaign-Urbana in general. This is not a good-bye, because we trust  that she will resurface in another venue in our community in the near  future.

For more information on Kalarte Gallery:
    http://kalarte.com  |  kalarte2@kalarte.com

  • LAS POSADAS, La Casa Cultural Latina


Las Posadas is a celebration of “sharing” and “giving” to those in need. This tradition is practiced in most Latin American countries as well as in other parts of the world. The celebration maybe called differently Parrandas (Cuba); Aguinaldo (Colombia); Griterias (Caribbean); however the meaning of the celebration is practically the same.
This cultural tradition brings people together to celebrate the end of the year festivities as well as holidays in many parts of the globe. La Casa Cultural Latina, together with the Mexican Student Association, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the University YMCA, the Office for Volunteer Opportunities, and more than 16 RSOs want to take this opportunity to invite you to be part of our tradition and to come together as one community.
This event addresses the issue of inclusivity regardless of who you are or where you come from. It also shows the spirit of civic engagement with those in the community and transfer the idea that we all can construct better neighborhoods.
Our goal is to share up to 100 gifts and we need your support to make this happen. If you would like to donate a toy (infant to 12 years old) or contribute with monetary support, please let us know.

Thank you for your support.


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IN THE NEWS

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Angelina Cotler, Ph.D.
Associate Director
Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Lemann Institute for Brazilian Studies
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
201 International Studies Building
910 S. Fifth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
Ph: (217) 333-8419
Fax: (217): 244-7333
www.clacs.illinois.edu

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