American Communities Program Fellows Share Research – CSULA University Times

The culmination of the research was on the theme of The Humanities & American Cultures Stakes and Specificities.

Marcela Valdivia, Staff Reporter April 26, 2017 Filed under News

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On Monday April 17, the American Communities Program (ACP) held a symposium where current ACP Fellows discussed their research on the theme of The Humanities & American Cultures Stakes and Specificities.

The American Communities Program is a non-profit organization jointly funded by Cal State LA and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The focus of the program is promoting humanities-based inquiry to engage faculty, staff, and the communities in teaching and learning through innovative research.

Maria Karafilis, Director of the American Communities Program, presented the culmination of research from the 2016-2017 ACP Fellows: Dr. Priscilla Leiva, Dr.Andrew Knighton, and Dr. Jose Anguiano. We are dedicated to examining the formation of individual and communal identities in America, said Dr. Maria Karafilis.

Dr. Priscilla Leiva, Chicana/o and Latina/o Cultural Studies and History Professor, shared her research on The Peoples Field: Race and Belonging in the City and Beyond. She opened her presentation with a story about the Christophers, an African American family that owned a house directly behind the right field pavilion of Griffith Stadium in Washington D.C.

I start with the Christophers to think about a shared history of Griffith Stadium in Washington D.C.; a history in which African Americans claimed ownership and belonging to the stadium located in a mixed class black neighborhood, said Dr. Priscilla Leiva.

Griffith Stadium, a desegregated stadium, was built by African American laborers and visited by white residents in a predominantly African American population. When plans to expand the stadium emerged, the Christophers opposed the idea, so the expansion of the stadium was built around their home.

As the expansion of the stadium continued, more decks were built on top of other established decks making Griffith Stadium a paradise for the neighborhood. By examining the history of Griffith Stadium, Dr. Priscilla Leiva has taken into perspective political, economic, and cultural aspects in historical sites of struggle.

Stadiums are in fact racial arenas that are not only windows to the city, but they are actually critical sites of racial formations for whites and communities of color, said Dr. Priscilla Leiva.

Dr. Andrew Knighton, English Professor, shared his research about Taking Thomas McGrath out of Baton Rouge. He spoke about the New Criticism movement in literary theory during the 1930s and 1940s. New critics considered this movement as the most influential in American literature studies that highly focused on a critical engagement on the format and structure of poems.

A poem is understood as a structural object in a context of isolated unity defined by tensions and by the way literary devices resolve those tensions. In other words, the reader of poetry should analyze the poems materiality, that is the architecture that holds it together, figuring out how the words work, and how they are arranged makes meaning, said Dr. Andrew Knighton.

Dr. Andrew Knighton played the poem Odes for the American Dead in Asia for the attendees to listen to the delivery. The monotone style in the delivery of the poem was completely intentional from the poet. McGrath didnt want the subjectivity of the poets voice to distract from the listeners appreciation of the formal and structural features of the poem, said Dr. Andrew Knighton.

Dr. Jose Anguiano, Chicana/o and Latina/o Cultural Studies and Honors College Professor, shared his research about Listening to the audience of The Art Laboe Connection. Art Laboes obsession for radio emerged since his childhood and he pursed his passion at Stanford University in radio engineering. By the1950s he moved to Los Angeles and created his own innovated radio program by taking dedication requests from people.

His radio station airs six nights a week for over thirty hours, known as Oldies But Goodies. Art Laboes theme for his radio show includes a collective and interpersonal connection. Fans utilize social media, especially Facebook, to engage with the radio show and express their dedications.

The Facebook page itself then is a valuable digital archive of how fans engage on the show and pour their heart into the dedication ritual, said Dr. Jose Anguiano.

At the age of ninety-one, Art Laboe continues to impact the media industry with his talent by bringing a closer connection within the public. I would say Art Laboe is one of LAs iconic voices, expressed Dr. Jose Anguiano.

The American Communities Program will hold another symposium next year for the 2017-2018 academic school year with new ACP Fellows that will conduct research on the theme of civility.

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American Communities Program Fellows Share Research - CSULA University Times