2108 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052

Thursday, February 2, 2023

1913 - NYC's Grand Central Terminal opens.

1962 - 8 of 9 planets align for 1st time in 400 years.

2009 - "RuPaul's Drag Race" hosted by RuPaul premieres on Logo TV.

2020 - Palindrome Day: the date 02022020 reads the same forward and backward (last one like this 11 November 1111).

The College Board Strips Down Its A.P. Curriculum for African American Studies. The New York Times.

Britain grinds to a halt as half a million workers go on strike. The Washington Post.

Image credit: Zilana Lee

This newsletter, we are excited to feature Zilana Lee (BA ‘22), a recent graduate from the Department of American Studies. After selecting GW for its exciting city campus and opportunities in the District, Zilana chose to pursue a major in American Studies with a minor in Law and Society. She became interested in the major after taking courses that taught her to critically analyze American history and culture; noting the impact of Professor McAlister’s “Critiquing Culture” course and the discussion of affect theory and performance theory. During her time at GW, she interned with Bloomberg News and The Hill, as well as other organizations in the media and journalism world. Following her graduation last year, Lee began her legal career in New York City, where she was accepted into Brooklyn Law School as a recipient of the Richardson Scholarship, and hopes to work in matrimonial and family law.

As a marketing and communications assistant for the Greenberg Traurig LLP firm in New York, Zilana now works in award nominations. This includes conducting interviews, collecting data, as well as crafting press releases and statements. Zilana notes that working in marketing teaches the ins and outs of the law profession—which takes a lot more than just attorneys. Last year, Greenberg Traurig won six awards from Law360 for its work in real estate, media, and entertainment, and represented high profile clients including Brittany Spears. Although Zilana is not currently pursuing the American Studies field, her firm’s unique work in fame, family matters, and the entertainment industry creates an intersection of American culture she finds fascinating.

WGSS 50th Anniversary Celebration

"Gender, Violence, and the Geopolitics of Feminism"

Featuring Professors Lila Abu-Lughod &
Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian

When: Thursday February 2, 2023; 6:00-7:00 PM
Where: Zoom (Register Here)

GW Department of Philosophy

"Crafting Character: East and West"
Professor Philip Ivanhoe, Georgetown University

When: Wednesday February 22, 2023; 11:00 AM
Where: GW/Textile Museum, Myer's Room (1st Floor)

RSVP Here

This lecture compares and contrasts Chinese and Western philosophy on self-cultivation. Many early Greek and Roman philosophers and early Chinese philosophers agree that there is such a thing as human nature and that the good life for creatures like us has to be understood in terms of the possibilities and limitations our nature poses for us. These two traditions offer a plausible and appealing basic approach and scheme to ethics, which roughly is: how do we understand first nature and how can we shape or transform first nature into a second nature that enables the best kind of lives for creatures like us? This talk will focus on early Chinese works that employ such an approach. It will compare the Chinese approach to key features of early Western virtue ethics and draw upon contemporary research in empirical and evolutionary psychology and cognitive neuroscience for support.

Associate Professor Libby Anker was interviewed by the BBC discussing January’s contentious Speaker of the House votes. Download the full clip.

Associate Professor Suleiman Osman was quoted by The New York Times in the article “America, the Bland.’’

Shealyn Fraser, current BA/MA student in American Studies, recently had their paper entitled “Black Culture? I know that’s right! The Commodification of the Jordan 1 sneaker, and the subculture behind it” accepted for publication in the forthcoming issue of New Errands: The Undergraduate Journal of American Studies.

Kwabena Slaughter, current PhD candidate in American Studies, recently had their essay entitled “A Peripheral Vision: Tracing the Camera’s Kin Onto the Social Epistemology of Photography” accepted for publication in an upcoming issue of Critical Inquiry.

Call for Applications: Professor Cohen-Cole is currently seeking a research assistant, located in DC, to conduct library and archival research at GW and off-site locations such as the Library of Congress. This is a FWS position only. To learn more and apply, click here.

Call for Papers: "Feminist Methodologies in Research on Violence, Displacement, and Power" // GWI's Research Scientist Alina Potts is seeking papers for a special journal issue. Contributions of original research, reflection articles, and case studies, with the central theme of using feminist methodologies to explore issues of violence, displacement, and/or power are welcome // Deadline: March 1, 2023.

Call for Applications: The Society for Historians of the Early American Republic is seeking applications for their fellowship program to foster research on “the rich complexity and enduring significance of the early American republic.” SHEAR will offer two research fellowships to scholars examining Latinx, Indigenous, Asian American, Pacific Island, and/or African diasporic history from 1776 to 1861. Read more here // Deadline: March 1, 2023.

Call for Applications: Advancing Justice | AAJC seeks a Research Manager to contribute their scholarly training to their research team, which supports the organization’s Policy and Programs Department through rigorous, fact-based research. The position is offered through the ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship Program // Deadline: March 15, 2023.

Need Support?

What does GW do to combat food insecurity on campus? 

GW’s The Store is a student-run food pantry that provides resources and supports students living with food insecurity. Find out more information here.

I’m a current student and I need to apply to graduate. Where do I begin?

First, you may view the deadlines to apply to graduate here. Second, you may view the application instructions here. If you have any questions about applying to graduate, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

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