End of the Year: Events and Preparing for Finals

(Sigma Tau Delta inductees from L to R)
Raven Davis; Tarrolyn Barras: India Hunter:
Chandler Wilson: Trelani Green 

     April was a busy time for the LLP department.  First, we held our fourth installment of the "I Want to Write Poetry Conference."  This two-day workshop series and poetry festival honors poetry month through free, one-hour poetry and spoken word workshops. This year's theme -- Resistance and Representation:  the Aesthetics of Advocacy -- was a reflection of our current political climate, said event organizer Dr. Michelle Pinkard.  "This year's theme, and the goal behind the series, is to encourage attendees to see their poetry and their voice as an agent for change." 

     That event included the final installment of the Black Film Series, which was a screening and discussion of the film School Daze. Participants had a lively discussion that explored issues of race on an HBCU campus.  As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the film, there was much opportunity for comparison. 

Dr. Chris Field

     LLP also held its induction ceremony for Sigma Tau Delta.  As one of the participants, I was honored to be a part of it. After the ceremony, there was a reception where students were able to mingle with faculty like the event organizer Dr. Cindy Murillo and our department chair Dr. Samantha Morgan-Curtis.  We played games and ate cake. Fun was had by all!

      But now it is time to get serious. Finals are around the corner, and papers are due. Fortunately, Dr. Field, an LLP a professor, has a simple solution to acing your finals and coming out on top. He offers this sage advice:

      "My advice would be simple: Form a study group with others in the class. This can help students compare notes with others and to talk about the material in a way that parallels the classroom environment. This, of course, would not apply to situations where students are given a take-home final or where they are working on papers, as this may lead to instances of plagiarism. However, in situations where students are preparing for an in-class final exam, a study group can be invaluable”

A few other common tips for preparing for your finals are:

1. Organize- Organize the materials that you are going to study and put a time limit on how long you will study specific materials.

2. Nourishment- This tip is ancient, but eat something before the test to give yourself energy. You do not want to fall asleep during your exam and you will require maximum alertness. 

3. Positivity- Go into the exam with a positive mindset. If you have prepared and studied, then you can confidently ace your final exam.

May the Odds Be Forever In You Favor! Happy Testing!!

Chandler Wilson

A Conversation with Dr. Bowie: The Passing of Dr. James Montmarquet and the State of the Philosophy Department

Dr. James Montmarquet

I recently caught up with Dr. Charles Bowie, a Philosophy professor in our Language, Literature, and Philosophy Department. We discussed many things concerning the Philosophy facet of the department.

The passing of Dr. Montmarquet was devastating and he will be greatly missed by many who knew him.  Dr. Bowie explained that Dr. Montmarquet was more than a colleague, he was a friend.  “He was a great mentor and he always had your back,” he said. 

Dr. Bowie met Dr. Montmarquet at Vanderbilt University while he was a graduate student in 2002. He credits some of the foundations of his teaching at Tennessee State University to Dr. Montmarquet. Dr. Bowie said he personally will miss the intellectual conversations they had pertaining to philosophy and religion. 

Dr. Charles Bowie

Dr. Montmarquet has been in the Philosophy Department for a span of 31 years and his favorite courses to teach were Introduction to Philosophy, even though he specialized in Logic. "He felt that if he had sparked one person’s interest in Philosophy that he had done his job," Dr. Bowie said. 

Dr. Bowie would like to continue to build on this legacy by making the Philosophy minor stronger for interested TSU students. He wants to continue efforts that he and Dr. Montmarquet started, such as expanding the minor, creating more upper division Philosophy courses, and offering more religious studies classes. 

Dr. Bowie is currently teaching two Introduction to Philosophy courses, a Religious Studies course, and Special Topics: Black Comics and Graphic Novels with Dr. Field.  Eventually, Dr. Bowie would like to integrate more literature into the Philosophy courses that he teaches to improve the structure of the curriculum. 

Learn more about Dr. James Montmarquet (excerpt from obituary)

Dr. James Montmarquet

Dr. James Montmarquet taught at Tennessee State University in Nashville from 1986 to 2017, and was dedicated to both the field of philosophy and his students. He specialized in the Philosophy of Religion, Theory of Knowledge, and Moral and Analytic Philosophy. He authored three books, Epistemic Virtue and Doxastic Responsibility, Conversations on Moral Issues, and The Idea of Agrarianism. He co-authored Reflections: An Anthology of African American Philosophy with William H. Hardy.  Dr. Montmarquet wrote numerous articles and reviews for professional journals and publications, and was the recipient of many grants and awards.

In addition to teaching and writing, Jim was an avid runner, cyclist, and swimmer. During his time as an assistant professor at Washington State University in the late 1980s, Jim established a baseball league with the neighborhood children. He had the only lawn in town with designated bases and a pitcher’s mound. He was loved by all of the children there. He was a member of the Nashville Striders for many years, and enjoyed running 5Ks with his son, Michael.

Jim was blessed with a great sense of humor and the ability to tell a captivating story. He also possessed a robust memory and could recall minutia from books read long ago, as easily as he could recall stories from his childhood.

Fight of Flight: Post Midterm Survival Guide

I recently caught up with LLP Interim Department Chair Dr. Samantha Morgan-Curtis to receive Five Tips to turn the semester around if you have failed one or more of your midterm exams.  Her was her advice:

Dr. Samantha Morgan Curtis
LLP Interim Dept. Chair

1^st Meet with the Professor- Ideally if you have not met up with your professor, this is the time to confront those grades head on. Many of us need to see reports of progress before we discuss grades. Make an appointment and honestly let the instructor know that you are willing and ready to turn this grade around. When meeting with your professor admit to the weaknesses and get tips on how to proceed in the class.

2^nd Grade Algebra is Key- All professors provide a break down of their grading systems. Do the calculations and be realistic on what can be done to continue in this class. It is hard to drop classes when financial and academic standing comes in to play.

3^rd Impact of University Standing- If you realize that you can not get through the class with a passing average, it’s time to talk to your advisor. There are many options and a few outcomes, which include dropping a class. Be cautious in dropping classes as there are often university requirements and scholarship obligations to consider. Dropping a class only means taking it again if it is academically required for graduation.

4^th Decisions- So you have talked to your professor and advisor about your fate in the class, and you have decisions to make; Flight or Fight! You have decided to fight and continue in the course, its time to look at your resources. As a student, there are many options for help on TSU’s campus such as: office hours to receive help from your professor, Tiger Tutoring, the Write Center, and much more. Students pay for these sources!! Be sure to get the most bang out of your buck!

5^th Time Management and Study Habits- Analyze what was going on in your first attack and make changes in your strategies for the second half of the course. Take more time to study and stay organized.

Good luck Tigers.  

Chandler Wilson

*PS, Don't forget to Mark Your Calendar with some rather cool events being hosted by LLP faculty:

- This Friday (3/23), The Black Film Series is screening and discussing  Higher Learning at 10a, in Poag Auditorium.
-  Next Friday (3/30), The Gay Straight Alliance is screening and discussion The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson at 10a, Humanities 113. 

P.R.I.D.E. Ally Training

     The Gay and Straight Alliance will partner with Vanderbilt in conducting P.R.I.D.E. Training at Tennessee State University.  It will be the first GSA activity on campus since October 2014. 

   

Dr. Jill Anderson

   Dr. Jill Anderson, a professor in the English Department, explained that P.R.I.D.E. stands for Pursuing Respect Inclusion Diversity and Equity. She is the facilitator for this event; she and administrators have been working diligently to make this program possible and to provide a place to “help students find each other.”
     The training session will educate participants on issues and resources regarding the LGBTQ community. At the meeting, there will be exercises and information available for people who may not be as knowledgeable on LGBT terminology and laws in the United States, Tennessee, and Nashville. Also, effective communication will be discussed.

    Notably, this specific program encourages the support and knowledge of all LGBT individuals. Anderson said the program is about promoting and creating safe spaces for students to "truly be themselves." 

    Arguably, this program is long overdue here at TSU. Vanderbilt has conducted these workshops all over the city. Anderson contends that the training will be a valuable addition to GSA efforts on campus. 

     This training program is open to all administrators, professors, and students. For more information on this program, and other GSA programs, visit the GSA Web Page.  Training will be held between 1-4p, on Feb. 28, in the SSC119H. For more information, contact Dr. Jill Anderson. 

I hope to see you there. 

Chandler Wilson 

Black Film Series is Back!

Dr. Hayes presents Dope

Every semester the English, Women Studies, and History Departments team up to review and examine Black cinema. The Black Film Series Screening has a new theme that is very relevant to this campus and the experiences of the students here at Tennessee State University. This semester's theme is Race in Academia, and in this cycle of films race will be analyzed in all stages of Education. 

Every semester, the goal of the film series is to choose black motion pictures that display a positive representation of African American culture, and it often address issues in our society. I caught up with Dr. Jennifer Hayes, and we discussed the objective and purposes of presenting Race in Academia to the Tennessee State University campus. She says the Black Film Series committee was  searching for films that had relevance to a HBCU (Historical Black College and University) student in particular. 

Tigers who showed up to watch Dope

The film series started with Dope on Feb. 16th; this movie focused of race in high schools. Higher Learning is the second film and it displays race challenges for African Americans in a predominantly white school. The last film, School Daze, explores race relations at a HBCU. Dr. Hayes points out that the goal of this particular film series is:

“To consider race in a broad way, and think of how their educational experience is framing their understanding of race, and how different settings

with educational spaces can offer different type of experiences and understanding in race and race problems.”   

The event will take place on three different days and it will start at 10 am in the POAG Auditorium in Humanities. There will be a discussion after the screening and light refreshments that movie watchers can enjoy!!! Everyone is welcome, Students, Faculty, and Friends.   

Enjoy!

Chandler Wilson

Hello LLP Tigers!!!!!

My name is Chandler Wilson, and I am excited to announce that I’m the new LLP Social Media Intern!!! 

I would love to give you a little background information about myself! My anticipated graduation date is this May (2018) with a Bachelor’s Arts of English. My matriculation at Tennessee State University has been outstanding with the LLP Department. My love for English is like none other, and I want to become a High School English Teacher to share that love of literacy and promote critical thinking in all students. 

My long-term goal is to teach the English Language abroad in places such as: Ghana, Uganda, and Sierra Leone.  My favorite contemporary author is Jesmyn Ward and one of my favorite texts is Sula by Toni Morrison.

I am very delighted to start my internship with the LLP Department this semester. I will get a chance to enhance my writing skills through the reports of the upcoming events happening in the LLP department. My blog post will consist of all the fun and creative things happening in the department. All of my posts will be accessible via Twitter, Facebook, and the LLP page.

Looking forward to chatting with you soon!

Chandler Wilson

Social Media Intern

Welcome back Tigers!

            We are at the final stretch of the Fall 2016 semester, and it has been another wonderful year. Remember the course evaluations are due December 2^nd, finals begin next Monday, and fall commencement will be on next Saturday, December 10^th 2016. We hope that everyone had a great fall break, and we do hope that as we come to the end of the semester everyone is does outstanding on their finals.

            In the English Department, we have suffered a great loss of our interim department head Dr. Michael Cantanzaro, who passed away a few weeks ago. Personally, I only met him once but I did see him around the LLP office a few times and he was always very inviting and a pleasure to be around. Other English students had nothing but kind words and thoughts when asked about Dr. Cantanzaro as a professor and advisor.  For the students and staff that were not able to be present for his services, there will be a memorial  ceremony in the POAG Auditorium this Saturday, December 3^rd. 

            For more information please feel free to stop by the LLP office and ask questions and always be sure to check our Facebook and Twitter page of daily information.

Sincerely,

AB