Educators give lessons through published works

April 14, 2008 —

SVSU faculty and staff recently displayed research, writing, and creative works in the Roberta Allen Reading Room.

Assistant Professor of English Fenobia Dallas displayed her publication entitled "Hanging on to my Commodore 64 as I Stream Across the Technological Border: Reaching and Teaching Others." Her article focuses on technology.

"I don't feel like you need to have a math and science background to be involved in technology," Dallas said.

She thinks that if students introduced to technology in the correct way, they can learn it. Dallas attended many conferences concerning technology along with around 60 other individuals, where she was asked to write her work.

Dallas said the most challenging process of the writing she did was that it was originally a Web document.

"It wasn't simply taking it off a Web site and putting it into a chapter. It was actually having to rewrite the entire thing," she said.

Dallas recently finished submitting a manuscript that will hopefully hit the bookshelves within two weeks. The publication involves the discussion of technological communication and addressing the fact that there is little mention of African Americans in technological communications.

Assistant Professor of Geography Sara Keough also displayed her work entitled "Constructing a Canadian National Identity: Conceptual Explorations and Examples in Newfoundland Music."

Her influences for writing this piece were the research she did while writing her thesis, her interest in Canadian identity issues, and her experience as a musician. Keough said that popular music in Newfoundland portrays what social, cultural, and political problems are going on in society.

Keough said that it's hard to say how long it took to write her article because of the series of revising one does. Her advice to SVSU students looking to publish writing is to learn to draft.

"Don't worry about sentence structure and word form at first. You need to get your ideas down," she said.

English Department Chair Eric Gardner displayed two publications. "Of Bottles and Books: Reconsidering the Readers of Harriet Wilson's Our Nig" and "Jennie Carter: A Black Journalist of the Early West." Both of Gardner's works focused on African American women authors in the nineteenth century who used literature to improve social conditions and to fight racism.

Gardner's advice for SVSU students looking to publish their own journals or books in the future was to consult professors in their discipline to learn specialized information. He also said that getting experts to read the work and giving their assessment of the works is crucial.