Six faculty members within the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University have been awarded fellowships from the West Virginia Humanities Council. This year’s recipients are Rose Casey, Catherine Gouge, Matthew Jacobsmeier, Jamie Shinn, Michele Stephens and Jesse Wozniak.
Rose Casey, assistant professor in the Department of English, will convert a paper into a book chapter for her book , “Novel Justice: Property Law and Narrative Form in Postcolonial Literature The chapter will examine collaborative women's authorship and intellectual property law in the South African novel, David's Story, by Zoë Wicomb. Casey joined the Department of English in the fall of 2016. She received her doctorate in English from Cornell University.
Catherine Gouge, associate professor in the Department of English, will draft a chapter of her book, “Divergent Paths: Paying Attention to Noncompliance in Health and Medicine” with the support of the WVHC Fellowship. In order to improve communication and coordination of care in health and medicine, 'Divergent Paths' analyzes documentation of behaviors considered to be noncompliant or non-adherent and identifies ways that medicine might more productively engage with such behaviors. Gouge joined the Department of English in 2003. She received her doctorate from West Virginia University.
Matthew Jacobsmeier, assistant professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Political Science, will research how political factors such as ideology and partisanship affect public engagement with --- and support for--- the arts and humanities. He will also explore how state governments represent citizens’ preferences related to the arts. Jacobsmeier joined the Department of Political Science in the fall of 2013. He received his doctorate from the University of Rochester.
Jamie Shinn, assistant professor of geography in the Department of Geology and Geography, will write an article based on her research in Botswana for the project, “Culture and Conservation in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: The implications of World Heritage Site designation for the Wayeyi people and their homeland.” Shinn joined the Department of Geology and Geography in the fall of 2016. She received her doctorate from Penn State University.
Michele Stephens, assistant professor of history and director of Latin American Studies, will be working at the Archivo General de la Nación in Mexico City, the Instituto de Estudios Jurídicos in Mexico City and the Archivo Feneral del Estado de Yucatán in Mérida, Mexico during her award period. Her research will investigate Yucatec Maya women and criminal law in early 20th Century Mexico. Stephens joined the WVU history department in the fall of 2013. She received her doctorate from the University of Oklahoma.
Jesse Wozniak, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology,
will build upon prior work studying the reconstruction of the Iraqi police force
and expand his study to include members of the judiciary. He will conduct an
experimental survey and in-depth qualitative interviews with police and judges
in Slaymaniyah, Iraq. Wozniak joined the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the spring of 2013. He received his doctorate from the University
of Minnesota.
