Department of Humanities and Politics
Fall 2024 Department of Humanities and Politics Newsletter
Chair Message
Welcome to the Fall 2024 DHP Newsletter! There have been new wrinkles in the space-time continuum of the Department of Humanities and Politics over the past few months. As the incoming chair, I am excited to continue highlighting the amazing work of our passionate and dedicated faculty, talented students, and engaged co-curricular groups and academic teams (there are too many to list!).
​​
If you read our Winter 2024 newsletter, you already know that our former chair of over 5 years, Dr. David Kilroy, retired from NSU and moved back to his home country of Ireland. Though a sad day for his colleagues, I can report that he is happy to be home with his family and friends (and adorable dogs). During his tenure, Dr. Kilroy navigated us through several mergers, brought in the largest ever donation to the humanities, and found a dedicated space for our Center for Applied Humanities in the Alvin Sherman Library. He left shoes that are impossible to fill. Fortunately for me, it’s Florida so I can wear flip-flops.
​
Our department faculty and students have been busy this past semester—publishing, conferencing, putting on professional and cultural events, expanding clubs and societies, travel studying, and more. I’m exceptionally proud of all the work achieved by our students and professors.
​
Our department continues to grow in outstanding ways. This fall, we welcome a new faculty member, Dr. John Vsetecka! We are thrilled to welcome “Dr. V” (as his students have taken to calling him) to the DHP family. Please read more about his work and expertise further on in this very newsletter.
Though much of the hullabaloo on campus has been about the grand opening of a certain fried chicken chain, I would posit to you that the most exciting ribbon cutting this fall has been the opening of our Center for Applied Humanities space – you can read about that as well below.
I hope your fall has gotten off to a tremendous start! Remember to take care of yourselves and those around you. As my favorite philosopher of the 20th century once wrote: “It’s a Magical World.”1
​
1. It was either this or “Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat” – so I think this is an apropos choice.
Fall 2024
Newsletter
7 January 2025
Humanities and Politics Institutes
Center for Applied Humanities
Unveiling of Vogel African Art and Artifact Exhibit
The NSU Center for Applied Humanities hosted a significant event on  September 19, 2024. It represented a celebration of the generous donation of Dr. Charles Vogel that helped make possible for the first time, dedicated physical space for the Center, and the unveiling of the Vogel African art and artifact exhibit. The Center’s new space is located in the Alvin Sherman Library, 2048 and would not have been possible without the ongoing support of James Hutchens, Vice-President of Information Services and University Libraries.  The program was MC’ed by DHP Chair, Dr. Nelson Bass; incoming NSU President, Dr. Harry Moon welcomed the attendees, after which additional remarks were given by Halmos College of Arts and Sciences’ Dean Holly Lynn Baumgartner, Center for Applied Humanities Director Dr. Marlisa Santos, and Dr. Vogel himself.  Following the ribbon-cutting, tours of the space concluded the evening. 
​
President of NSU, Dr. Moon, Dr. Vogel, and Dean Baumgartner
James Hutchens VP NSU Libraries, Diane Klein Director of Library Partnerships, Dr. Vogel, Dr. Bass, and Dr. Santos
Dr. Vogel with professors from the Humanities and Politics Department
7th Annual Crossroads Humanities Student Conference
Student Organization
Model United Nations
This fall the Nova International Relations Association (NIRA) as well as the POLS 2400 Model UN course were scheduled to participate (as usual) in the Florida Model United Nations Conference in Gainesville. This would have been our 13th year competing in this statewide competition (which also draws schools from as far away as North Carolina).
Unfortunately, 13 remains an unlucky number and Hurricane Milton acted with completely undiplomatic disregard for our conference. Given that the Gainesville conference always must work their schedule around the football schedule, rescheduling in the fall became impossible.
However, on Saturday, November 16th, NIRA worked with Broward College to set up our first ever local scrimmage between the two teams. Using the background guides and country assignments we had already received from FMUN, we ran a day long simulation of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The committee was chaired by NIRA President, Paula Recio Rey, and NIRA members Sarah Abushi and Cristal Da Silva assisted in running the event. From the POLS 2400 class, we had 12 delegates as well: Kyle Bell, Lyndzee Bensky, Avalyn Crosson, Ella Fidanze, Varun Jagarlamudi, Brinei Jones, Farhan Labib, Rahul Pandit, Emily Troy, Diogo Zapata, Justin Zisk, and Imad Zmarou.
In the spirit of camaraderie amongst local teams, no awards were given – however decorum was observed, coffee flowed, pizza was devoured, and everyone was able to practice their delegate skills in a friendly environment.
There will be a chance at awards this year though, as the team has already registered for their first ever NY conference: the World International Model UN Conference (WIMUN) which will take place February 3-6, 2025!
.jpg)
Delegates from Nova Southeastern's and Broward College's Model United Nations Teams
DHP Travel Study
Civil Rights Trail
Birmingham Theater
This past October, Associate Lecturer Dr. Drewry Wofford led our first ever travel-study for HIST 3850 – “The Civil Rights Trail.” This life-changing trip took ten of our DHP undergraduate students as well as four members of NSU’s Lifelong Learning Institute to Atlanta, Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery over a five-day span to walk and see historic sights and monuments. Dr. Amanda Furiasse and Dr. Nelson Bass also chaperoned the trip.
In Atlanta, the students visited the Carter Center and Presidential Library. In Birmingham they toured the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the 16th Street Baptist Church – where tragically four girls were killed during Sundy school in a bombing in 1963.
In Selma, the students walked across the Pettus Bridge – where the infamous “Bloody Sunday” attack on protestors occurred in 1965. They also visited the Lowndes Interpretative Center which is dedicated to those who eventually made the peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery.
In Montgomery they toured the Rosa Parks Museum hosted by Troy University, the Civil Rights Museum and Equal Justice Institute run by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the powerful National Memorial for Peace and Justice (also known as the Lynching Memorial).
On the last day back in Atlanta, the group visited the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, and the King Center.
​
The trip was an amazing experience for all involved –heart wrenching to see first-hand the details of the struggle, but also empowering to encourage us to continue pushing for a more just world. Dr. Wofford’s knowledge and expertise were on display as he designed a truly immersive travel-study trip. We look forward to running the class again in the Fall of 2026 – we hope to see you there!
Students in front of MLK Jr. Monument in Atlanta, GA
National Memorial for Peace & Justice in Montgomery, AL
Students in front of the Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL
DHP Events
The Reel
NSU’s Annual Film Series, The Reel, kicked off its eighth year with an exciting lineup of film screenings across the fall semester attended by over 100 students, faculty, and members of the NSU community. Organized and programmed by Dr. Yair Solan, the series presents free, curated movie nights with discussions of the films and the cultural issues they raise. The Reel’s audience has continued to grow in its 2024-25 season, which opened with the atmospheric and affecting I Saw the TV Glow in September, followed by the darkly satirical indie thriller Fluorescent Beast in October, and a Homecoming Week Barbie program in November.
The Reel includes lively audience talkbacks as a regular feature of its film events. September’s screening of I Saw the TV Glow was accompanied by a thoughtful discussion led by Dr. Amanda Furiasse, who touched on issues of media escapism and identity formation. At the October show, after watching Fluorescent Beast the audience was joined by its writer/director Paul Osborne, on Zoom from London, in a Q&A session moderated by Dr. Solan that addressed the film’s themes and cinematic influences. During November’s Homecoming program, Dr. Aileen Miyuki Farrar facilitated an engaging discussion of all things Barbie and hosted The Reel’s first-ever costume contest in its biggest event of the semester.
These events were made possible by The Reel’s collaborations with on-campus and off-campus organizations. The Reel’s I Saw the TV Glow event was co-sponsored with NSU’s Society of Animation, Gaming, and Entertainment (SAGE) and the student-run film club, Fin Films, both of which have had longstanding partnerships with the series. Fin Films organized film screenings of its own across the semester, holding movie nights twice a month that included showings of Hereditary, The Birdcage, Mamma Mia!, and Legally Blonde (for more on Fin Films, visit the club’s Instagram page @finfilmsnsu). October’s Fluorescent Beast screening was presented by special arrangement with Paul Osborne and the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. DHP’s collaboration with FLIFF also extended to the formation of a student internship program this fall in which two Film Studies students, Parker Morgan and Alivia Klipp, interned as a Programming Assistant and a Production Assistant. Thanks to the enthusiastic support of the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, The Reel’s Barbie show in November was selected as the college’s Homecoming event of 2024.
More film programs are coming up next semester! Future events will be announced on The Reel’s website and through DHP’s social media – for more information, contact The Reel’s coordinator, Dr. Yair Solan (ysolan@nova.edu).
Dr. Amanda Furiasse facilitates a discussion of I Saw the TV Glow
Director Paul Osborne joins the audience for a Q&A on his film
Fluorescent Beast
Dr. Aileen Farrar leads discussion following the Homecoming screening of Barbie
Students and faculty dressed in costumes and in pink for The Reel’s Barbie event
Resources
Style Us
In the past year, the Department of Humanities & Politics has added a new major (Medical Humanities) and a new minor (Holocaust and Genocide Studies) while also updating the curriculum in our other majors and minors. These updates include new courses in Legal Studies, Digital Humanities, Asian American Literature, Literature and Science, Chinese Language and more.
The Style Us: Writing and Professionalization Series has organized information on all majors, minors, and related extracurriculars on a new Majors & Minors webpage: https://nsudhp.wixsite.com/opportunities/majors-minors
Check out this page to take control of your degree planning, and always feel free to ask your professors for advice and guidance!
Style Us is a series housed in the Department of Humanities & Politics that focuses on preparing students with the skills necessary to navigate writing and professional expectations in our fields. In the past, the department has hosted workshops focusing on topics ranging from creative writing and academic publishing to conference preparation and etiquette for students majoring and minoring in the humanities. Explore our archived resources, created and collected by your Humanities & Politics professors, on the Style Us website: https://nsudhp.wixsite.com/styleus/index
For more information, please contact the Style Us coordinator, Dr. Aileen Miyuki Farrar (afarrar@nova.edu).
Students
El Cafecito
Language Conversation Practice
Our department hosted several language and culture events this past semester in conjunction with NSU’s Alpha Alpha Zeta chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma: National Collegiate Foreign Language Honor Society.
Early in the semester on Thursday, Sept. 12, we held our first language event: the Au Café French Language Hour from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Mailman Hollywood 235. The event was moderated by our part-time French faculty, Professor Maud Cassagnol. Participants engaged in conversations on a wide variety of topics and played several interactive games. Light refreshments were provided. NSU’s Alpha Alpha Zeta Chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma co-hosted this event.
On Wednesday, October 30th, we held an ASL practice event, also co-hosted by the NSU chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma. The event was moderated by Professor Riva Markowitz, of the Patel College of Health Care Sciences, and her student assistants. The event was held from 12-1 p.m. in the Patio of the Student Affairs Bldg. Over 50 participants were introduced to some ASL culture and were taught some basic signing. Light refreshments were provided.
The semester concluded with a joint Chinese and Spanish language and culture event to celebrate International Education Week. The event was held on Wednesday November 20th from 12-1 p.m. in the UC Second Floor Lounge. Dr. Yvette Fuentes, Dr. Joanne Urrechaga and Dr. Ying Ma served as moderators. NSU’s chapter of Alpha Mu Gamma co-hosted the event. Participants were placed in groups by language level and had the opportunity to play games, learn basic Chinese calligraphy strokes and engage in casual conversation.
Students practice sign language at ASL Event
Au Café French Language Hour
Students
Honors Societies
The Alpha Nu Iota Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society) has been busy this semester!
This past fall, Gloria Mendez and Anjaly Kappen, co-presidents of STD, have led the charge in expanding our society. On November 22, the Alpha Nu Iota Chapter inducted one of its largest cohorts, including Isabella Gonzalez, Annaliese Kerkman, Cassandra Stevens, and Rachel Taylor. Each of our members have demonstrated high academic achievement and represent scholarly pursuits in the areas of English, Education, and Digital Media. Congratulations to each of our new inductees!
Sigma Tau Delta induction ceremony
Alumni
Legal Studies Alumni
​​
In this section of the newsletter, we normally present two or three stories of graduates from the Humanities and Politics Department who have done very well. I would like to take a little different approach and speak to you about the track record of the Legal Studies Major that extends back more than thirty-five years. All of this is very familiar to me because I was on an Internal Review Committee that evaluated the major in October 2024.
​
I want to share this information for present students, alumni, faculty, and even future students who might read this newsletter. The Legal Studies Major having existed for more than thirty-five years is quite possibly the oldest, or second oldest, major at the Halmos College. While the Legal Studies major has been in existence, it has produced more than eight hundred graduates. You may ask: what happened to these eight hundred people? While our records are not perfect, (though they are getting better and better) it appears that this May or next, the hundredth student from Legal Studies will complete a J.D. degree at the Shepard Broad College of Law. Another eighty-eight alumni have completed J.D. degrees at law schools across the nation. At least twenty are in law schools right now. More than forty graduates have completed advanced degrees in business (MBA), education (MA or EDD) or politics (MA or PhD). This is an impressive record, and it should be celebrated.
​
Since 2019, the Humanities and Politics Department has arranged Alumni Reunions in the middle of February each year. This year, we have planned an event for Sunday February 16, 2025, at 3 pm. in the Club Room of the Rick Case Arena. The 2025 alumni get-together will be followed at 5 pm. by a lecture delivered by Peter Watson, an international lawyer and professor from Scotland, who will speak about the Gecas case and litigating the Holocaust. An invitation to the alumni reunion is attached on the next page of this newsletter.
​
If you are a graduate of Legal Studies or any of our majors in the Humanities and Politics Department, we want to find out how you have done in your professional life since leaving NSU. Drop Stephen Levitt a line and he will continue to update the records. (levitts@nova.edu)
Alumni
Annual Alumni Reunion
Alumni
NSAIR Alumni Panel Event
Faculty
New Faculty in the Department
​​
Dr. John Vsetecka joined the Department of Humanities and Politics as Assistant Professor of History in Fall 2024. Prior to coming to NSU, Dr. Vsetecka was the Jaroslaw and Nadia Mihaychuk Postdoctoral Fellow in Ukrainian Studies at the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University. He specializes in the history of famine and transitional justice within the geographies of eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and Ukraine. When he is not teaching or writing, Dr. Vsetecka does humanitarian work in Ukraine to assist Ukrainian civilians and military personnel during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. He has published widely in academic journals, books, online blogs and magazines, and newspapers. Dr. Vsetecka regularly gives interviews about his research and the war in Ukraine to outlets around the world, including NPR, El Mercurio (Chile’s newspaper of record), Radio Free Europe, Reader’s Digest, and The Washington Times. Dr. Vsetecka has three forthcoming articles in 2024-2025 in the Journal of Public Health Policy, Ukraina Moderna, and the History Workshop Journal as well as three book reviews in Harvard Ukrainian Studies, H-War, and The Polish Review. In June 2025, Dr. John Vsetecka and Dr. Daria Mattingly will publish their co-edited book, The Holodomor in Global Perspective: How the Famine in Ukraine Shaped the World (ibidem-Verlag Press, distributed by Columbia University Press).  
In addition, Dr. Vsetecka was featured on the Department's "Applied Humanities Podcast" this semester. The episode is titled, "The Holodomor Through History: Dr. John Vsetecka on Famine and Its Global Impacts."
​
Faculty
Faculty Highlights
Dr. Yvette Fuentes served as Co-Pi with Dr. Amanda Furiasse on the “Florida 2100” grant funded by Florida Humanities. She is co-producer and co-host of the grant’s Florida 2100 podcast. Dr. Yvette Fuentes was the moderator of the “Future of Spanglish” roundtable discussion with Dr. Philip Carter (Florida International University) and Dr. Andrew Lynch (University of Miami), on September 30, 2024. The event was part of the Center for the Applied Humanities annual Hispanic Heritage Month Series. 
 
Dr. Aileen Farrar published “Collins’s Heart: Childlike Sympathy and Coincidence in Late-Victorian Literature and Science Debates.” Victorians: A Journal of Culture and Literature, vol. 145, Summer 2024, pp. 87-104. Dr. Farrar gave a conference presentation titled, “Fairy Tale, Myth, and Science in Collins and Wells,” at the North American Victorian Studies Association (NAVSA) and Victorians Institute (VI) Event 2024 in Atlanta, GA, 20-22 September 2024. Additionally, Dr. Farrar gave two invited talks: “H. G. Wells: Webs of Consciousness,” Lifelong Learning Institute, Nova Southeastern U, 29 October 2024 and “The Digital Age and the Death of Art,” The Arbor at Delray & Lifelong Learning Institute, Nova Southeastern U, 17 October 2024. 
 
Dr. Amanda Furiasse published “The Model is the Message: Modelling and the Future of Humanities Scholarship,” in Digital Humanities Quarterly 18 no. 3 and gave three presentations: 1.) “The Vogel Collection of African Arts & Artifacts,” presented at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s NEH Summer Institute on the Health Humanities 2.) “Navigating Medicine's Borderlands: Curanderismo and Community Partnerships in Health Education,” presented at the Society of Biblical Literature & American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting and 3.) “Biohacking the Soul: Cyberpunk and Religion’s Biomedical Futures,” presented at Implicit Religion's Annual Conference, Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln UK. 
 
Dr. Darren Hibbs conducted a logic workshop on November 4th for students preparing to take standardized tests for graduate or professional school (the LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, or GRE). 
Dr. Teng Li helped organize and participate in the following events: In 2024 Fall, the Legal Studies (Prelaw) program hosted the annual “Finding Your Field” and “LSAT Logic Tips” events. In September, interested students listened to Dr. Bass, Prof. Levitt, Dr. Toscano, and Dr. Zelden discuss undergraduate curriculum, professional school choice, and career planning. In November, students who are preparing for LSAT received a crash course on deductive and inclusive reasoning and drills on common fallacies involving antecedents and consequences. In addition, Dr. Li hosted a series of LSAT study sessions in October; 5 devoted students set aside their Friday afternoons to focus on LSAT preparation and provided support and accountability toward each other. 
 
Associate Professor Stephen Ross Levitt, LL.M., presented three talks to the Lifelong Learning Institute: “the British Election” October 21, “the Rise of Rightwing Parties in Europe” November 4, and “the Trials and Tribulations of Richard Grune (Part 2)” November 18. 
Dr. Ying Ma published “Reading Meredith Talusan’s Fairest: A Queer Decolonial Critique of the U.S. Empire.” Language, Literature, and Interdisciplinary Studies, vol. 6, no. 2, 16 Oct. 2024, pp. 1.1–1.16. Dr. Ma also presented “Meredith Talusan’s Coalitional Trans Feminism: A Post-colonial and Transnational Approach” as part of the panel titled Queering Capitalism to Utopic Dreams, American Studies Association, November 15, 2024, Baltimore. 
Dr. Yair Solan, published a review of Fascination: Trance, Enchantment, and American Modernity by Patrick Kindig in the current issue of Studies in American Naturalism. Dr. Solan also presented "Whose Story to Tell?: Questions of Representation and Erasure in Oppenheimer and Recent Historical Films," Open Classroom series, Farquhar Honors College and Alvin Sherman Library, September 24, 2024. Additionally, Dr. Solan moderated a Q&A with writer/director Paul Osborne for The Reel's screening of his film Fluorescent Beast, October 17, 2024. 
Dr. Vicki Toscano is a contributing seminar Faculty. “One Person Can Change the World.” NSU Farquhar Honors College. Teagle Foundation Grant. PI Andrea Shaw Nevins. 2022-2026. Dr. Toscano also participated in an invited interview for the podcast, FABGab, the podcast for the International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics. Episode 1, 2024 published May 2, 2024.
​
Dr. Jeremy Weissman won the Provost's Research and Scholarship Award in the Early Career category for Arts, Business, Humanities, Law, and Social Sciences. 
​
Dr. Zelden gave many interviews about the November election to television stations including all of the local South Florida TV stations, as well as the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Tallahassee Democrat, WIOD 610 Radio and media outlets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).
Credits
Credits
Newsletter Committee
​
Associate Professor Stephen Ross Levitt, LLM
​
Dr. Amanda Furiasse, PhD
Dr. John Vsetecka​​, PhD
​
DHP Graduate Research Assistant: Amber R. Paquette, BS