Summary of Title III Grant Funded Conference Name: Courtney Mack, MLS Position: Instructional Services Librarian and Instructor of Information Science Library liaison departments: teacher education; psychology; philosophy and religion; mathematics; computer science Conference: Society of Cross‐Cultural Research (SCCR) annual conference; held jointly with the Society for Anthropological Sciences (SASci) and Anthropology of Children & Childhood Interest Group (ACCIG). Date(s): February 22‐25, 2012 Location: Riviera Hotel ‐ Las Vegas, Nevada SCCR Purpose The Society of Cross‐Cultural Research is a multi‐disciplinary organization. Its members all share a common devotion to the conduct of cross‐cultural research. SCCR members are professionals and students from the social science fields of Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, and related fields including Education, Family Studies, Social Work, Human Development, Psychiatry, Communications, Ethnic Studies, Business, etc. Compared with other academic organizations, SCCR is fundamentally inter‐disciplinary and provides members the opportunity to network with scholars from a wide variety of approaches. The purpose of SCCR is to support and encourage interdisciplinary, comparative research that has as its objective the establishment of scientifically described generalizations about human behavior. As the field of cross‐cultural studies evolves into the 21st century, SCCR keeps its door open to a variety of theoretical and methodological viewpoints. The full range of papers presented at its annual meetings now includes approaches (most often comparative) that are cross‐cultural or multi‐
cultural, etic or emic, scientific or applied, quantitative or qualitative, and focused on both human universality and diversity. The Society sponsors the quarterly journal Cross‐
Cultural Research (Sage Publications) and also publishes the SCCR Newsletter. 1 Reflection SCCR 2012 Conference Las Vegas is one of the world’s largest living cultural laboratories. The fast growing urban centers, diverse population and desert environment combination creates an interesting socio‐
cultural experiment deserving of study and perfect location for the Society of Cross‐Cultural Research conference to be held. Memorable sessions included ƒ
Keynote speaker: Eugene P. Moehring, Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas presentation on The Most Unlikely Metropolis, Las Vegas: Its Historical Development, Cultural Appeal and Social Problems. o Technology implication – Use speaker’s account of Las Vegas hotels and the struggle for historic hotels (Riviera & Flamingo) to stay relevant in the modernized, thriving Las Vegas strip and apply comparison to academic libraries. Constantly promote and incorporate modern technology (e‐books; audiobooks, Kindles; research calculator; etc.) in student’s research and learning environments. Use social media (Facebook, Twitter) for promotion, announcements, trivia and gift give‐a‐ways. ƒ
SCCR Symposium: Cultural Realities of Afro‐Caribbean Americans in the U.S. Presenters: (1): Victoria Anyikwa (Saint Leo University), Linda Tavernier‐Almada (Saint Leo University) & Janis Prince (Saint Leo University): Cultural Realities of Caribbean Americans in the U.S.: The Aging Caribbean in the United States. (2): Janis Prince (Saint Leo University): Don’t Put Salad on the Menu! Strategies for Making Mental Health Services Available to Caribbean Families in the U.S. (3): Tavernier‐Almada (Saint Leo University): Afro‐Caribbean Americans: Being Haitian Americans. o Technology implication – Use social media like Flickr and Tumblr of various famous Caribbean’s to engage students in interactive discussion of identifying their nationalities; preference in self‐identification (black, Afro‐Caribbean); perception of mental illness as it relates to religion, Voodoo and Santeria; varying stereotypes and generalizations of Caribbean/West Indies descents. ƒ
SCCR Symposium: Understanding Ethnicity, Identity & Personality Presenters: 1): Tiia Tulviste (University of Tartu) & Pirko Tõugu (University of Tartu): A Comparison of Socialization Values of Ethnic Estonians and Russian‐Speaking Minority (2): Jaak Rakfeldt (Southern Connecticut State University): The Singing Revolution: Song Festivals and National Identity in Occupied Estonia 2 (3): Greg Kim‐Ju (California State University, Sacramento): Effects of Context on the Independent and Interdependent Self‐Construals in Asian and White Americans (4): G.E. Kawika Allan (Southern Utah University): Pacific Islander Identity Development: Multivariate profile analysis of biracial identity (5) Mette Toft Nielsen (Aalborg University): Overlapping between Hate Crimes and Discrimination? The Case of Egypt o Technology implication – Use social media like Flickr and Tumblr of famous biracial/multiracial/transgendered celebrities to engage students in interactive discussion of identifying their nationalities; self‐identification versus society’s imposed identification; impact on legal documents and census forms; stereotypes and generalizations. ƒ
SCCR Symposium: Conflict, Crisis & Community Presenters: (1): Dung Ngo (University of Texas at Tyler): The psychological impact of the Gulf Coast Oil Spill on the Vietnamese fishing community (2): Duong Hoang (BPSOS): A Cross‐Cultural intervention method for Vietnamese trauma survivors (3): Christopher Bartlett (Iowa State University): Cross‐Cultural Differences in Cyberbullying Behavior: A Short‐Term Longitudinal Study (4): Muhammad Azam Tahir (University of Balchistan): A Study of Behavior Indicative of Bullying among Young and Juvenile Male Offenders: A Study of Perpetrator and Victim Characteristics among Pakistani Borstal Prisons (5): William Costanza (Georgetown University): An Interpretive Framework to Assess the Radicalization of Youth Towards Violent Extremism Across Cultures (6): Olorunloba Ogunmola (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis), Kathyrn Coe (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis), Tilicia Mayo (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis) & Khadijah elShabazz (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis): Causes, Effects and Strategies for Ending Intro‐Cultural and Inter‐Cultural Conflicts. o Technology implication – Use social media such as YouTube, Flickr; Tumblr and reputable news sources to show students the impact of violence and natural disasters. Encourage activism and advocacy against discrimination and hate crimes. 3 Methodist University ƒ
Presentation – A Conversation on Cultural Diversity: Reflections of the SCCR 2012 Conference was held on March 16, 2012 in the Davis Memorial Library. ƒ
Summary and resource packet – A summary and resource packet was provided at the Teacher Education Committee on April 9, 2012 in Alumni Dining Room. Resource packed included: o Cultural Diversity and Cultural Competency Self‐Assessment Checklist o List of Multicultural Web Resources ƒ
Worked closely with Professor Audrey Houser SPE 255 Educating Diverse Populations (3 s.h.) survey course during the Spring 2012 term. The course introduces social, cultural, socioeconomic, emotional, and physical factors affecting diverse populations and their implications on education. It is a required course for all Teacher Education/Special Education; Psychology; and Social Work majors. ƒ
Created Multicultural Resources website: http://www.methodist.edu/library/subsplus/subjects/guide.php?subject=mutli_res ƒ
Multiculturalism in Folk Tales books were on display in the Teaching Materials Collection area of Davis Memorial Library during the Spring 2012 term. o
Anansi Gives Wisdom to the World (Ghana) o
Plain, White Salt (Austrian) o
Bring Me Three Gifts (Chinese) o
The Best Match (Mayan) o
Can Turtle Fly? (Lakota) o
The Brother Who Gave Rice (Korean) o
Does a Candle Keep You Warm? (Turkish) o
The Frog Who Stirred the Cream (Russian) o
I Am La Luna (Yaqui Tribe of Mexico) o
The Secret Water (Chinese) o
Juan Bobo: Goes Up and Down the Hill (Puerto Rican) o
Who Needs Two Wings? (Cuban) o
Leave Bees! (Thai) o
Mamo is Trading Again! (Ethiopian) o
Maria and the Baker’s Bread (Peruvian) o
Mouse‐Deer Must Be Quick (Indonesia) 4