Faculty Association holds Research and Creative Activity Fair

Faculty Association holds Part-Time Research and Creative Activity Fair

In an effort to shed light on the research and creative contributions of part-time faculty, the Mount Allison Faculty Association recently held a Research and Creative Activity Fair of the work of part-timers.

“Our part-time members are paid by the course and they earn only a fraction of what our fulltime members earn,” MAFA President Richard Hudson told the crowd. “They are doing fine work outside the class room and it’s important for us all to acknowledge this,” he said.

Ten part-time members displayed their work, including well-known Drama designer Decima Mitchell’s costume designs and painted model of a theatrical set. Those in attendance heard a recording of a recent recital by Copper Ferreira (Music) and colleagues, as well as a visual and sound presentation by Lorne Altman. Other part-time members, including Rob Cupido, Philip Loosemore, San Patten, Toni Roberts, Jeremy Schmidt, and Michael Thorpe, displayed samples of their written work.

The event also included a launch of a new book by Geoff Martin and Erin Steuter, entitled Pop Culture Goes to War: Enlisting and Resisting Militarism in the War on Terror (Lexington Books, 2010).

Martin and Steuter say that the research shows that while popular culture is enlisting support for militarism, it is also serving as a major source of resistance to the War on Terror through the traditional mediums of music and movies and increasingly through the satire of The Daily Show, The Onion, The Simpsons and South Park.

“In our book we hope to educate and enlighten those who want greater insight about the role of Hollywood and the entertainment industries in rallying both the troops and the public for the war on terror,” Martin says.

Readers will learn how war toys serve to prepare us for military engagement, and how war games can serve as vehicles for effective military recruitment of our youth. The book documents the way in which post 9–11 patriotic fervor is communicated through collectibles and comic books that support swift and deadly retaliation against those who we characterize as our enemies.

“We examine the songs of dissent that are censored and the soundtrack for war that stirs hearts and minds for battle. The way in which Hollywood works hand in hand with the Pentagon to sell militarism on the big screen is explored,” he says.

The book is available locally at Tidewater Books in Sackville.

For more information, call Geoff Martin at (506) 364-2289.