wASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL ANTHROPOLOGISTS |
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WAPA Event Archives: 2008-09
Sunday, September 14Welcome Back Fall Party, 2-6 p.m.
Location: Mie N Yu Restaurant, Venetian Reception Room
3125 M Street, NW., Georgetown
Washington, DC 20007
www.MieNYu.com
Every Fall WAPA gathers at a different Washington DC neighborhood to experience the rich diversity that our great city offers. The WAPA Tribe is gathering once again for the first event of the 2008-2009 season! Join your fellow anthropologists, friends and family in the heart of Georgetown for this annual event!
Indulge your senses with the sights and sounds of "A Silk Road Celebration" at Mie N Yu!
Mie N Yu combines Contemporary American cuisine with flavors from Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. Mie N Yu will have a delicious blend of hors d'oeuvres and appetizers for our reception, as well as themed music for the environment and stunning Belly Dancer performances!
We look forward to seeing you there and kicking off another great WAPA year!
Tuesday, October 14
Reporting Qualitative Research in a Quantitative World
Speaker: Fran Norwood
Multi-disciplinary research has gained increasing attention in contract research as a means to apply the strengths of different perspectives to solve health and social problems. After 15 years conducting government contract research, I find that qualitative research methods in anthropology are gaining acceptance in what has largely been quantitative-dominated fields of health and social policy. Even so, every time I present research to a quantitative audience, I continue to struggle to communicate qualitative methodologies in language that quantitative readers will understand and accept. Using methodology from a 15-month qualitative study of euthanasia and home death in the Netherlands as an example, I want to explore with the audience options and strategies for communicating qualitative research in what continues to be a largely quantitative-dominated world.
Frances Norwood is a medical anthropologist with a PhD from the University of California-San Francisco and Berkeley and a Masters in anthropology from American University in Washington, DC. Dr. Norwood is currently finishing a book based on euthanasia and end-of-life care in the Netherlands. Using qualitative data from general practitioners, end-of-life patients and their family members, the book will offer a critical look at American end-of-life care and policy by using ethnography to highlight differences between the Dutch and American systems. The book is slated for release in 2009 with the Ethnographic Studies in Medical Anthropology series at Carolina Academic Press.
In addition to the book, Norwood has authored several articles on chaplains and spirituality care in the hospital (2006), on euthanasia and health care reform (2007, 2006), and numerous government contract research reports. Dr. Norwood has nearly 15 years experience conducting government contract research. She is currently Director of Research and Grant Writing at Inclusion Research Institute, a small, non-profit in the District specializing in training, technical assistance and innovative pilot projects to support persons with chronic illness and disabilities. There, Dr. Norwood is conducting a nationwide, quantitative study of evacuation practices for persons with disabilities funded by the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research with colleagues from Louisiana State University and West Virginia University.
Recent publications include:
Forthcoming 2009. Maintaining the Social: Preventing Social Death Through Euthanasia Talk and End-of-Life Care. Lessons from the Netherlands. Pamela Stuart and Andrew Strathern, series editors. Ethnographic Studies in Medical Anthropology, Carolina Academic Press (book project).
2007. "Nothing More To Do: Euthanasia, General Practice, and End-of-Life Discourse in the Netherlands." Medical Anthropology 26(2)139-174.
2006. "A Hero and a Criminal: Dutch Huisartsen and the Making of Good Death Through Euthanasia Talk in The Netherlands." Medische Antropologie 18(2):329-347.
2006. "The Ambivalent Chaplain: Negotiating Structural and Ideological Difference on the Margins of Modern-Day Hospital Medicine." Medical Anthropology 25(1):1-29.
2006. "Authors Reply to Responses to the April 2006 Article-of-the-Month, An Ethnographic Study of Chaplains." ACPE Research Newsletter, Spring 2006 4(3): http://www.acperesearch.net/Spring06.html.
2006. "The Ambivalent Chaplain: Negotiating Structural and Ideological Difference on the Margins of Modern-Day Hospital Medicine." Reprinted as April 2006 Article-of-the-Month on Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) website http://www.acperesearch.net/apr06.html.
Tuesday, November 18
Ethnicity and Oil on the Niger Delta
Speaker: Deirdre LaPin
The strategic importance of the oil-rich Niger Delta -- to global energy markets and to national and regional stability -- is a persistent theme widely discussed in policy and military circles, development agencies, human rights and peace organizations, and the popular media. Dissent surrounding fifty years of oil activity in the region has gained intensity in the past two decades. Violence is now well entrenched, claiming over 1,000 lives annually and posing a threat to local livelihoods and welfare and to the national and global economy and security. Political will inside and outside Nigeria to address the region has been weak, built internally on a stated policy of "carrot and stick." Approaches to peacemaking, strategic planning, and regional development have been largely ineffective and often counterproductive.
The history of Nigeria's delta region shows that the interplay between oil, state, and society accounts for the current downward spiral in social and economic indicators. A common thread in this process has been the influence of ethnic identity on political economy and resource control among three principal stakeholder groups: oil companies, governments, and an ethnically diverse society.
As a basis for discussion, this talk will offer an overview, drawing on specific examples, of ethnic patterns of interaction beginning in the colonial period and continuing through conflicting expectations created in the modern era of oil production. Consideration will be given to issues of reciprocity and exchange, ownership of resources, social inclusion, structures of authority, warfare and territoriality, spiritual life, and use of media and persuasion. Most important is the evolution of ethnic identity as a social, political, and militant force which now shapes the conflict in the region.
Deirdre LaPin holds a Ph.D. in African Studies, with a focus on anthropology and expressive culture, and an MPH in international health. She now works as an international development specialist with longstanding experience across industry, government, multilateral agencies, and academia. For a dozen years she designed and managed programs and projects in social and health development for major donor organizations. She then joined the private sector as a development expert and community advocate, shaping best practice corporate social investments. She is currently a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars pursuing research on the Niger Delta.
In 2007 Dr. LaPin completed a study for the US Institute of Peace on corporate strategies for peace and development in the Delta region. For the International Finance Corporation she has evaluated the institution's stakeholder engagement projects worldwide and designed the first website on community development in extractive industry (www.commdev.org). She also serves as an advisor to the World Bank on its program strategy for the Niger Delta.
Previously, Dr. LaPin served as social investment manager in Oman for a major oil company in 2002-2003. This assignment expanded an earlier role in the Niger Delta where for five years she led the design, staffing, implementation, and evaluation of a $60 million/year sustainable community development program serving the oil producing region. Dr. LaPin also previously managed a worldwide health and population communications project for USAID and held senior UNICEF field positions in planning and implementing the country programs for Somalia and Benin. Dr. LaPin's prior academic experience includes university teaching and research in Nigeria and the United States. For more information see:
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.item&news_id=478897
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=sf.profile&person_id=472258
Sunday, December 7 WAPA Holiday Party
Members can bring a guest, and visitors are welcome. This will be an open pot luck so bring a dish if you wish: WAPA will provide a light meal including wine and beer.
Please RSVP by Dec. 4 by sending a message to Shirley at wapapresident@yahoo.com.
Tuesday, January 13
Use of Anthropological Theory in the Design and Implementation of Programs and Projects
Please join our discussants, Drs. John Mason, Mark Edberg, and Laurie Krieger, who will each speak briefly about their experiences. We will all then have a chance to ask questions and discuss the topic of the use of anthropological theory. Light snacks and (non-alcoholic) beverages will be served.
The Discussants:
John Mason received his Ph.D. in Social Anthropology and African Studies from Boston University. He has a long and distinguished career primarily in applied but also in academic anthropology. He focuses on international work and has worked in over 40 countries. Dr. Mason has been a project manager, independent consultant, program manager, and faculty member. He has led or served on numerous program and project evaluations and has also specialized in strategic planning and performance monitoring. He is currently an independent consultant.
Mark Edberg holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Virginia and a M.A. in International Relations from the University of California-Los Angeles and an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from The American University. He is an applied and academic anthropologist. He has worked in applied anthropology for almost 20 years in social marketing, communication, program design, and evaluation. Most of his work has been in the United States, but he has also worked in Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently he is Associate Professor in the Department of Prevention and Community Health/School of Public Health and Health Services and in the Anthropology Department at The George Washington University.
Laurie Krieger received her Ph.D. in Anthropology and M.A. in Anthropology and Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been an applied medical anthropologist for over 20 years and has also worked in the academy. Almost all of her work has been international and she has worked in over 20 countries. She has worked primarily in health communication, social change, gender issues, training, policy, and evaluation. She is currently Senior Advisor, Health and Social Science at The Manoff Group.
Tuesday, February 10
Getting a Job in the DC Area
Several WAPA members will lead discussions and share their expertise on job and career opportunities in the DC area. Ruth Sando and Shirley Buzzard will hold a round-table on consulting and starting your own business. Jenny Masur will discuss employment opportunities and application procedures with the U.S. government. Frances Norwood and Deborah Murphy, WAPA's jobs coordinators, are to discuss networking, informational interviews, and interviewing skills. John Mullen, WAPA's membership coordinator, and principle at WSSI/Thunderbird Archeology, will speak about the job options in contract archaeology and cultural resource management.
Tuesday, March 10
New AAA Ethical Guidelines
The American Anthropological Association is revising the ethics statement that sets guidelines for all anthropologists. Few things are more important than understanding the issues and concluding where you would like to see our association and the profession/discipline stand on major issues. To help us with the discussion will be Damon Dozier, Director of Public Affairs for the AAA. David Vine, assistant professor of anthropology at American U, will be on hand to offer the viewpoint of the Network of Concerned Anthropologists, a group that supports a hard look at the use of anthropologists in the military.
Wednesday, April 1
WAPA Happy Hour
Join us in DC's Columbia Heights neighborhood for happy hour at a favorite local hangout, the Wonderland Ballroom, 1101 Kenyon St NW, Washington, DC 20010, (202) 232-5263. It's about 10 minutes east of the Columbia Heights Metro station (Green Line), at Kenyon and 11th streets NW. See their website for more information: http://www.thewonderlandballroom.com/. From the Columbia Heights metro station, walk 2 blocks east on Irving St., then turn left on 11th and walk one block north to Kenyon. They're on the northwest corner in an extremely unassuming building. There are outdoor picnic tables; weather and crowd permitting you will find WAPA there. If you can't find us, ask. Everyone is welcome; bring a friend!
Tuesday, April 14
Anthropologist as Filmmaker
Speaker: Filmmaker and Public Anthropologist Nina Shapiro-Perl, Public Anthropologist in Residence at American University
A PhD anthropologist, Shapiro-Perl has been working outside the academy for 25 years; as a producer at Maryland Public Television, the Service Employees Union, on the documentary film Through the Eye of the Needle: The Art of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz, and now Unseen & Unheard: Documentary Storytelling in the Other Washington. The discussion may include samples of various films. In the past year, Nina has been introducing film-making techniques to students using very innovative, community-based teaching techniques.
Wednesday, May 6
WAPA Happy Hour
The May WAPA Happy Hour, starting anytime after 5:30 p.m., will be at Bar Louis, near the Gallery Place Metro. Bar Louis is part of the Verizon Center complex and is only a few blocks from Metro Center. The address is 701 7th Street (between G and H). They have an outdoor patio and we will be there if weather permits. Please RSVP to wapapresident@yahoo.com if you plan to attend, so we can save enough space for everyone. The Bar Louis phone is (202) 638-2460. An area map can be found online. Remember to bring an anthropologist who is not a WAPA member.
Tuesday, May 12
Anthropologists as Managers
A salon on Anthropologists as Managers with Adam Koons (IRD), Mari Clark (recently retired from the World Bank), and Phil Herr (GAO) (light refreshments provided).
June: Summer Picnic, Saturday, June 13, 2:30 p.m.
A special lunch is scheduled at the Cactus Cantina, 3300 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. WAPA will cover food costs but requests a $5 contribution each; participants will also pay for their own drinks.
Tuesday, July 7
DC Area Career and Jobs Workshop
This special workshop will include discussions and break-out sessions on building successful resumes and curriculum vitas, presenting yourself in an interview, and successful networking strategies within and outside of anthropology. Speakers will include Anna Litman and Marie Spaulding, Career Advisors with American University, and Michelle Carnes, Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA. We can accommodate up to 50 attendees; everyone is welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.
Scheduled Speakers:
Anna Litman, MA, Career Advisor, Career Center at American University
Anna advises CAS students on a variety of career topics, such as choosing a major or career path, identifying and evaluating job or internship opportunities, and writing an effective resume or cover letter. She also helps students to develop networking skills, practice interviewing, and better understand their interests, skills, and work values through career related self-assessments, including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory.
In her advising, Anna draws on her prior career counseling experience with community organizations, as well as on many years of professional work as a language instructor, translator/interpre ter, educator, and researcher. Her professional background also includes 10 years at the World Bank as a consultant for projects in education, health, and social safety nets in European and Central Asian countries.
Degrees:
MA, Higher Education Administration, George Washington University
MA, equivalent in Language Instruction, The National Pedagogical University (Moscow , Russia)
Marie, who joined the Career Center in 1987, advises students in the College of Arts and Sciences. She helps students, whose majors range from anthropology to women’s and gender studies, to find challenging internship positions that qualify for academic credit. She also advises on career planning, job search strategies, resume design, interview techniques, and networking. Additionally, Marie interprets the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, an instrument that can help students identify majors and careers that suit their personality traits and interests.
In addition to advising, Marie tracks trends and tools in new media to monitor their value for job searching, networking, and education. Her passions also extend beyond advising - she loves all art forms and is even a licensed pilot for single-engine planes. Her diverse life experiences include her work at AU, as well as in teaching, social work, city planning, arts administration, and fundraising.
Degrees
MA, Urban and Regional Planning, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 1977
BA, Political Science, Brown University, 1968
Michelle Carnes, PhD, Public Health Analyst, SAMHSA
Michelle M. Carnes earned her doctorate in Public Anthropology in Spring of 2009 in the Race Gender and Social Justice track at American University. Her dissertation focuses on Black working class women's same-sex desiring erotic parties in Washington , D.C. where Black women find acceptance, affirmation, and encouragement to be positively sexual and to receive culturally-competent health information in a nurturing, judgment-free environment.
Michelle is dedicated to supporting, promoting and creating grassroots health promotion efforts to increase linguistically and culturally comprehensive health access, health literacy and health empowerment for all people. Following her passion for public health as an essential human right, she now works as a Public Health Analyst and Federal Project Officer at the Center for Abuse Prevention at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Michelle works closely with community grantees to develop culturally competent prevention programming, core competencies and trainings to reduce abuse among women, racial/ethnic minorities and LBGTQ communities. She is an active WAPA member.
August 5
WAPA Wednesday Happy Hour
Beacon Hotel, Rhode Island & 17th Streets NW, just one block from Sumner School, Dupont Circle metro.
6 to 8 p.m., all are welcome.