5-11-99

OHIO STATE PRESENTS RACIAL LEGACIES AND LEARNING RESEARCH FORUM

COLUMBUS -- An upcoming Ohio State University research forum dedicated to issues of race and racism seeks to increase understanding about race issues in American society.

The Racial Legacies & Learning Spring Research Forum takes place May 20 from 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union Conference Theatre, 1739 N. High St., on the Columbus campus. The event closely follows a May 17 university-sponsored town meeting (see related news May 11 release), which also is connected to the national Racial Legacies and Learning Initiative in which Ohio State is involved.

The daylong forum will feature Ohio State faculty from a variety of disciplines who have conducted research pertaining to race and racism. Presenters will discuss their findings in three panels: "Institutional Racism and Social Control" (8:30-9:30 a.m.), "Race, Identity, and Behavior" (9:40-11 a.m.), and "Race and Education" (1:30-3:30 p.m.). (See presenters below.)

Keynote speaker Claude Steele, professor of psychology at Stanford University and an Ohio State alumnus, will present "A Threat in the Air: How Stereotypes Shape Intellectual Identity and Performance." His 11 a.m. lecture will address achievement barriers faced by women and African Americans; he also will discuss practices that can reduce the negative effects related to stereotype threat -- the fear people have that others' judgments or their own actions will negatively stereotype them.

President William E. Kirwan has emphasized that enhancing diversity at Ohio State is among the priorities of his administration. The Racial Legacies & Learning Spring Research Forum is part of an ongoing dialogue about race on campus.

"To capitalize on our own scholarship and knowledge as a university, it is appropriate that research be a part of this dialogue," said Martha M. Garland, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies.

The Research Forum, sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Ohio Union, is free and open to the public. No registration is required.

Presenters are:

Institutional Racism and Social Control

-- David Jacobs, sociology, "The Determinants of Deadly Force: A Structural Analysis of Police Violence"
-- Keith M. Kilty, social work, "Institutional Racism and Sentencing Disparities for Cocaine Possession"

Race, Identity, and Behavior

-- Daniel J. Christie, psychology, "A Model of Intercultural Sensitivity"
-- K. Viswanath, journalism and communication, "Indian Ethnic Media in the United States: An Exploratory Study in Integration, Assimilation, and Social Control"
-- Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, history, "Gender, Sexuality, and Race: Dr. Margaret Chung's Negotiations of Public and Private Identities"

Race and Education

-- Christine Ballengee-Morris, art education, "Appalachian- Americans: Races and Cultures Infused"
-- Kenneth M. Hale, pharmacy, "Social and Professional Border Lines: The Experiences of African-American and White Pharmacy Students at a Predominantly White and Predominantly Black Institution"
-- Jan McCrary, music, "The Effect of Age and Ethnic Identity on Young Learners' Social Interactions and Responses to Music by Performers from Different Ethnic Groups"
-- Merry M. Merryfield, teaching and learning, "Why Aren't We Preparing Teachers to Teach for Diversity, Equity and Global Interconnectedness? A Study of Relationships Between Race and Teacher Educators' Abilities to Teach for Equity, Diversity and Interconnectedness"
-- Linda James Myers, African-American and African studies, "The Hidden Side of Racism in Education and Human Development"

Contact: Alice Churchill or Joan Lorenz, Academic Affairs, (614) 292-5881