Department of English Faculty Recognized with Several Awards and Professional Recognitions

The Department of English at Michigan State University is home to a myriad of talented faculty members actively engaged in research and creative activity with several of these scholars and artists recently earning awards and professional recognition for the books they have written. These celebrated publications examine topics like linguistic justice in English education, queer literature and theory, color in…

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Working to Dismantle Systemic Racism in Healthcare Delivery

A leading Michigan State University language and literacy scholar will extend her groundbreaking work in antiracist and anti-Blackness teacher education to pediatric medicine and public health with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. April Baker-Bell, Associate Professor in the Department of English and Department of African American and African Studies, recently received a $218,000 Mellon New Directions Fellowship to support two new studies underway with the University of Washington.

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Professor Honored for Anti-Racist English Language Teaching and Scholarship

April Baker-Bell, Associate Professor of English and African American and African Studies, and Mimi Henderson-Hudson, Language Arts Teacher at Detroit Denby High School, have received two prestigious awards from Michigan State University honoring their inspired community-university partnership between MSU’s College of Arts & Letters English Education program and a network of high school English teachers and students in Detroit. The…

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New AAAS Department to Focus on Black Feminisms, Black Genders, and Black Sexualities

Being built to blaze a trail in higher education with its focus on Black Feminisms, Black Genders Studies, and Black Sexualities Studies, the architects of the Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS), the newest department within MSU’s College of Arts & Letters, are unapologetic in this focus as they build the unit they have long dreamed about.  Dr.…

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MSU African American and African Studies Seeks ‘Technologies of Living for Survival Into Wellness’

The latest segment of MSU Today explores the vision, mission, and values of Michigan State University’s Department of African American and African Studies with Dr. Ruth Nicole Brown, Inaugural Chairperson and Professor of AAAS, Dr. Tamura Lomax, Foundational Associate Professor of AAAS, Dr. Kristie Dotson, Executive Academic Advisor to AAAS and Professor of Philosophy, and Dr. April Baker-Bell, continuing member of the transition team and Associate Professor of Language, Literacy, and English Education.

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Welcome AAAS Minors

Dear AAAS Minors,Welcome to the new Department of African American and African Studies (AAAS) at Michigan State University! We are Dr. Ruth Nicole Brown, the Inaugural Chair, and Dr. Tamura Lomax, Founding Associate Professor. Together we make up the two 100% appointed faculty in the new AAAS Department. On the first day of classes, it is our pleasure to officially welcome you to an exciting upcoming academic year!  We bring with us densely rich…

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2019 Alumni Board Awards Presented

College of Arts & Letters faculty and students were recognized for their outstanding achievements in leadership, teaching, innovation, and community engagement at the College of Arts & Letters Alumni Board Awards ceremony on March 30 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. Hosted by the College of Arts & Letters Alumni Board, three different awards were presented at the event,…

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Early Career Award Honors Baker-Bell for Language and Literacy Work with Black Youth

As a high school English teacher in Detroit, April Baker-Bell says she felt ill-prepared to address her Black students' language and literacy needs and found that she was not alone. This experience planted the seed from which her research took root and has been the driving force throughout her career. Now an Assistant Professor in Michigan State University’s Department of English and…

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Addressing Issues of Teaching in the Wake of Racial Violence

Three College of Arts & Letters faculty members recently worked together on editing a special issue of English Education journal that focuses on teaching in the wake of racial violence. Published earlier this month and titled From Racial Violence to Racial Justice: Praxis and Implications for English (Teacher) Education, the faculty members who guest-edited the special issue include: April Baker-Bell, Assistant Professor of…

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Faculty and Student Work Honored at National Convention

The College of Arts & Letters was well represented at the 2016 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference with Tamara Butler, Assistant Professor in the Department of English and African American and African Studies, receiving the Promising Researcher Award and work produced within the College presented by faculty, students and recent alumni at the national convention held in…

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