In conjunction with the event, the American Studies Program will sponsor free admission to MASS MoCA’s ‘The Workers’ exhibition for the public at 4:30.  Curator Susan Cross will introduce the exhibition.

At 5:30 members of the American Studies faculty will host a public conversation in MASS MoCA’s Bldg 1, raising topics related to the Occupy Wall Street movement.  How can we understand this movement in terms of the political use of public space, the deployment of technology and social media, its rhetoric, its racialization, and its relationship to international and national social movements past and present?

This event reflects American Studies’ commitment to thinking across academic disciplines, as well as to thinking publically in relation to work being done outside the academy as well as within it.

To preregister for courses with American Studies faculty, you can see the following faculty:
Liza Johnson, Chair;
Cassandra Cleghorn;
Ji-Young Um;
Dorothy Wang;
Merida Rua

Short Films by Alex Rivera Screening and Discussion (open to the public) Paresky L02, Performance Space Tuesday, April 26, 4-6pm

Digital media artist and filmmaker Alex Rivera will screen and discuss a selection of his short films on labor, immigration, technology, and politics. Rivera’s unique style of visual storytelling blends animation, archival, and interview footage to raise consciousness and reflect on the lives of immigrant laborers and the transnational communities they make and maintain.

Select Short Films: The Borders Trilogy (2002), Las Papas del Papa (8 min. 2000), Why Cybraceros? (5 min. 1997 Mockumentary), Papapapá (25 min. 1995 Documentary)

Filmmaker and artist Alex Rivera will on campus on APRIL 25, 2011 to screen his award-winning film SLEEP DEALER. THE SCREENING, FOLLOWED BY A Q&A WITH RIVERA, WILL BE HELD AT IMAGES AT 7PM. SLEEP DEALER is a unique film set in Mexico, and told mostly in Spanish, about a near-future, militarized world marked by closed borders, virtual labor, and a global digital network that joins minds and experiences. It tells the story of three strangers who risk their lives crossing boundaries to connect with each other and break the barriers of technology. This film taps into the cultural and economic fears that have come with a globalized planet, addressing themes of labor and immigration, technology and ethics, globalization and the environment. As the filmmaker has described it, this film is a new kind of third world science fiction.

At 4:00 p.m. April 12, Schapiro Hall, Classroom 141, Bolin fellow Kiara Vigil (who taught Intro to Native American Studies in the fall and will teach it again next spring) is going to give a talk for students and faculty based on her scholarship in the field. She’ll have a discussion with the audience afterward, which will in turn be followed by a book party in honor of new books by three members of the program faculty:

http://www.amazon.com/Speaks-Margaret-Garner-Mark-Reinhardt/dp/0816642591/ref=sr11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298923146&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Ethnography-Padilla-Latinos-Chicago-Midwest/dp/0252077636/ref=sr11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298923178&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Ogimawkwe-Mitigwaki-American-Indian-Studies/dp/0870139878

Are you interested in questions of: POWER? Everyday culture? SOCIAL DYNAMICS? ARTISTIC Expression? RACE? Ethnicity? GENDER? Class? SEXUALITY? What it MEANS to be an AMERICAN?? What does American Studies? entail anyway, and why has the number of majors doubled in recent years? Well, now’s your chance to find out. Please join the faculty and majors in American Studies for food, refreshments, and the opportunity to answer all of these burning questions and more. Wednesday, April 28 7:00 pm-8:30 pm Hopkins 401 classroom We also invite you to contact the following faculty members for further information about American studies at Williams College: María Elena Cepeda (mcepeda@williams.edu) Cassandra cleghorn (ccleghorn@williams.edu) Liza Johnson (liza.johnson@williams.edu) Mark Reinhardt, Chair (mrein@williams.edu) Mérida Rúa (mrua@williams.edu) Ji-young um (ji-young.um@williams.edu)

Fiction Reading: On Friday, February 13, at 4:15 p.m. in Griffin 3, author Lewis Robinson will read from his new novel, Water Dogs (Random House, 2009). Robinson is also the author of the book, Officer Friendly and Other Stories (Random House, 2004), which won the PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Award. Water Dogs brings its setting alive as it explores the complexities of family and class in a small town in coastal Maine. Calling Robinson Water Dogs “a smart, suspenseful, absorbing first novel” by “a terrific writer,” novelist Curtis Sittenfeld (Prep, American Wife), observes that Robinson “evokes the moods and landscapes of Maine as deftly as he examines the conflicts and alliances within a family.” More information on the books is available at: http://www.lewisrobinson.com. This event is free and open to all members of the campus community and the general public. A book signing and reception with the author will follow the reading. Sponsored by American Studies and English.

Williams College invites applications for a two-year Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in Asian American Studies, to begin in the fall of 2008, preferably with a specialization in cultural history, cultural studies, film studies, contemporary politics, and/or social movements, although other specializations may be considered. New Ph.D.s are encouraged to apply.The successful candidate will have an appointment in the American Studies Program and will teach one course per semester, including lower-level courses such as the Introduction to American Studies and upper-level courses from his or her area of specialization. The successful candidate will also advise students conducting research in Asian American Studies and American Studies.The Mellon Fellows at Williams are included in the activities of the American Studies Program and of other related departments and programs as regular junior faculty members. They work closely with a faculty mentor; they participate in Williams’ Project for Effective Teaching; and they receive feedback on pedagogical skills and teaching effectiveness through our standard evaluation procedures.The fellowship includes a salary of $36,000 plus benefits and funds to support research and travel. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States, or expect to pursue a teaching career in the United States.Please submit a letter of application, c.v., a graduate school transcript, three letters of recommendation, and a brief description of teaching interests. Review of applications will begin on November 1, 2007 and continue until the search is completed. Send application materials to:K. Scott WongAmerican Studies ProgramStetson HallWilliams College Williamstown, MA 01267Williams College is a coeducational liberal arts institution, offering undergraduate education to its 2,000 students. The College has built its reputation on a long tradition of outstanding teaching and scholarship and on the academic excellence of its students. Among the opportunities that Williams offers its students and approximately 260 faculty members are interdisciplinary programs and centers, including the Multicultural Center, the Oakley Center for the Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Center for Environmental Studies as well as extensive library and museum collections, state-of-the-art theatre and dance facilities, a center for information technology, and well-equipped laboratories. See also Williams College website (http://www.williams.edu).An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, Williams College especially welcomes and encourages applications from women and minority candidates.

The WIT group has produced a functional version of the American Studies Program website using the content management system Symphony. See the credits page for more information and keep visiting the website for more news and events!