Lessons from a Flipped Classroom with Jon Keune

Jon Keune, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, is exploring non-traditional teaching methods in one of the oldest fields of study. In a quest to see how changes to teaching style can affect student engagement, Keune is exploring transformational classroom models within the College of Arts & Letters. He has been experimenting with the “flipped classroom model” in his REL 340…

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Campus Partners Collaborate to Combat Islamophobia and Antisemitism

The rise in anti-Muslim and antisemitic attacks over the last several years has prompted two campus leaders and faculty members to join forces to educate the Spartan community about the harm caused by Islamophobia and antisemitism. Yael Aronoff, Director of the Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel and Professor in James Madison College, and Mohammad Khalil, Director of the Muslim Studies Program and Professor…

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MSU African American and African Studies ‘Unicorns’ Drive Black Futures Beyond Survival Into Wellness

The Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) was initially founded as a Ph.D. granting program in 2002. On July 1, 2019, AAAS became a department. In Spring 2020, MSU appointed Ruth Nicole Brown the inaugural chair.

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New BA Degree in African American and African Studies Now Offered at MSU

For the first time in Michigan State University history, undergraduate students can major in African American and African Studies.  This semester, MSU’s College of Arts & Letters launched the Bachelor of Arts degree in African American and African Studies through the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) that was founded in February 2019.  Ruth Nicole Brown, AAAS Professor…

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Ph.D. Student Honored with Community Engagement Scholarship Award

Committed to raising awareness about critical issues and the academic or community-based work being done to solve them, Sharieka Shontae Botex, a third-year Ph.D. student in MSU’s Writing and Rhetoric program, created the Shaping Society Through Scholarship and Action event, which featured Black women scholars and their community-focused work as well as the important work of local leaders and community organizers.…

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The Cube Wins Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant to Fund Three Projects

The Cube, which is housed in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) and offers publication resources for the Michigan State University campus community and beyond, has won a 2021-2022 Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant (CEIG) to support three of its projects. CEIG funding is awarded to projects that aim to create a more inclusive educational and work environment for all. The Cube…

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Alumnus Reflects on Legacy as a Student Activist and a Black Student Alliance Founder

In the midst of student protests over racism nationwide and on campus, Barry D. Amis helped found the Black Student Alliance at Michigan State University in 1967 and served as its first president. He has notebooks filled with news clippings and photos from his years as a student activist. “What we did at the time at MSU was groundbreaking,” said…

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