African and African American Studies Hosts Third Lecture in 2013-14 Brown Bag Series

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Caree Banton, Benjamin Fagan (top); Brandon Jackson, Valandra (bottom)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The African and African American studies program in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences will continue its Brown Bag Lecture Series at noon Wednesday, Dec. 4, in Old Main, Room 412. Valandra, assistant professor of African and African American studies and social work, will present "The Experiences of African American Women Survivors of Sexual Violence with the Men in Their Lives." Her scholarship examines how traumatic experiences related to gender-based violence intersect with systems of privilege, oppression and poverty. 

The 2013-14 series highlights research by the program's four jointly appointed faculty members. All members of the university community are welcome to attend the lectures.

Previous lectures in the series have included: "Shifting Frontiers of Freedom, Citizenship and Nationhood in Caribbean Post-Emancipation and the African Diaspora" by Caree Banton, assistant professor of African and African American studies and history, and "Constructing Brotherhood: Racial and Gendered Emotion Culture as a Strategy to Navigate Predominantly White Settings" by Brandon Jackson, assistant professor of African and African American studies and sociology and criminal justice.

The Brown Bag Lecture Series brings together faculty and graduate students from a variety of disciplines including communications, English, history, political science, social work, sociology, and world languages and is coordinated by Benjamin Fagan, assistant professor of African and African American studies and English. Watch for additional announcements about the series, which will continue during the spring 2014 semester.

Banton, Jackson and Valandra arrived at the University of Arkansas in August 2013. They joined Fagan, who joined the faculty in August 2012. As part of their official appointments, these scholars teach courses, conduct research and provide service to the university in the African and African American studies program as well as their academic department.

The African and African American studies program is an interdisciplinary program that expands on the core disciplines of a traditional liberal arts education. Through multiple fields of study, students explore the legacy of the African diaspora and African-descended people's global experiences and the importance of race with a focus on Africa, the United States and the Caribbean. Calvin White, Jr., associate professor of history, serves as the program's director.