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As part of the effort to enhance the strength of the University and develop the College’s programs, the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) is currently implementing four new initiatives. These initiatives have been undertaken in order to improve and expand upon the capacity for the College to provide a first-class educational experience to the growing student body. The new initiatives are also helping to build relationships with groups in the area, especially in providing a cultural and educational contribution to the Riverside community.
THE PUBLIC POLICY INITIATIVE
The Public Policy Initiative is an interdisciplinary initiative that is currently in the early stages of planning. The initiative seeks to bring together faculty and students from a variety of disciplines to discuss and work on issues of importance to the region. Emphasis in building the program is placed on “policy research and training,” provided by an already strong faculty of experts in a variety of related areas. The focus of research is likely to be “social, human development, and environmental problems unique to the region” however, it will not be limited to those realms alone.
The scope of the program that the initiative will create will be interdisciplinary in that it will bring together researchers, policy-makers, analysts, and others to create a program that will better help educate and train the policy-makers of the future. Through this training and research program, UCR plans to contribute to the community by training the future leaders and policy makers that may someday manage it. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to develop a School of Public Policy and a well-supported Public Policy Program, in order to train students and facilitate research on a consistent level. Undergraduate major and minor degrees as well as different types of graduate degrees are expected to be offered.
Although the Initiative is in its early stages of development, its expansion has already been entrusted to the Director of the Initiative, Economics Professor Anil Deolalikar. As a first step, working group teams of faculty members from various disciplines have been organized along thematic lines. These working groups are responsible for the expansion of the program and contribute to the overall development of the program. A steering committee that consists of several distinguished faculty from various departments will oversee the the overall effort. A town hall meeting to discuss the initiative was also recently held.
Over the next two to three years core courses in public policy areas will be created as the nucleus of the program. The research component of the Initiative is expected to begin by the end of the 2005-06 school year. A Public Policy Seminar Series for the Spring 2005 quarter was been launched to create awareness about these issues and the public policy program, and also to foster discussion between students, administrators, faculty, researchers, and policymakers alike.
For more information about the Public Policy Initiative, please visit our website: http://www.ppi.ucr.edu/
SOUTHEAST ASIA: TEXTS, RITUALS, PERFORMANCE INITIATIVE (SEATRiP)
The SEATRiP Initiative will focus on coordinating resources for faculty and students interested in learning about the arts, humanities, and languages of the many cultures of Southeast Asia.
SEATRiP will bring together faculty and students interested in studying and actively analyzing these works in an effort to develop a better knowledge of how these ideas and practices are formed and expressed in that regions.
A number of specialties throughout several departments will contribute to the discussion of these cultural facets. The initiative seeks to create dialogues between these specialties along with input from discussions with and/or studies of “authors, performers and audiences, individuals, communities, ideological regimes, local practices and the global movement of ideas” in order to better understand the cultures and practices themselves. Areas of interest within the program include: cultural and literary translation, ethnomusicology, ritual and religious studies, and gender and sexuality issues, to name a few.
Professor Hendrik Maier of the Comparative Literature Department has been appointed as Director of the Initiative and will continue to oversee the implementation of the project. Under Maier’s direction, the program is expected to expand the number of faculty included in the program, as well as the number and breadth of courses offered, many of which are currently only offered through the UCR Extension Center.
Professor Maier commented that he “hopes that beginning next academic year UCR will be able to attract students for the graduate program in Southeast Asian Studies.” He added that “(the program) is different from other similar programs around the country” because of the fact “that it emphasizes humanities and arts rather than social sciences.”
The library has already been awarded a grant to purchase materials related to Southeast Asian Studies. Faculty members involved with the program are also currently working on several other grant proposals to expand the resources available through the program.
In the recent past, several conferences and seminars have been held on topics with titles from “30 Years Beyond the War: Vietnamese, Southeast Asian, and Asian/American Studies” to “Lao New Year Rung in with Rituals, Traditions.” Professor Maier stated that because a number of faculty have been added to the program “activities will be organized on a more regular basis.”
Although SEATRiP is still in its initial stages of development, graduate and undergraduate majors in Southeast Asian studies have been proposed, and plans to further develop the program are in the works. Once the proposal has been accepted by the administration, SEATRiP will be fully implemented. An undergraduate minor in Southeast Asian Studies is already in place.
For more information about the SEATRiP Initiative, please visit our website: http://www.seatrip.ucr.edu/
CENTER FOR CALIFORNIA NATIVE NATIONS (CCNN)
The California Native Nations Initiative seeks to link the research and learning capabilities of the university with the resources and culture of California Native Americans. The main feature of the initiative is to develop a center for research on Native American culture and language as well as policy issues that affect Native American populations. Participation with local Native American tribes is the cornerstone of the initiative.
While contributing to a relationship with local Native American tribes, plans for the initiative also include collaborative research and learning opportunities for students and faculty alike. The Center, once developed, will offer conferences, archives, residential programs, media, and many other resources. The Center is also planned to function as a resource for faculty and students in a wide variety of specialties, in order to facilitate a better and more positive learning experience in the future. The implementation of the California Native Nations project is also in its initial stages of development.
One of the group’s main focuses has completed the development and implementation of a significant research project on tribal gaming and its impact on tribes and the surrounding community in Winter 2006. The group has also been working to create the partnerships with local tribes that will form the basis of the educational and research experience offered through the center. A Takic Language Revitalization Project has already been created that partners UCR’s language program and the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians near Temecula in an effort to teach and preserve various Native American Dialects, specifically Takic Languages. In addition to these community-based programs, the program is also responsible for helping bring several events, conferences and guest speakers on Native American culture and other issues to the UCR campus.
The Native American Studies Program at UCR encompasses more than 40 courses in several departments. M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Native American History, as well as a B.A. in Ethnic Studies with an emphasis in Native American Studies are also currently offered. The aim in the future is to expand these programs, improve on the educational value offered, and overall provide a better educational and research experience to those with interest in this area.
For more information about the CCNN Initiative, please visit our website: http://www.ccnn.ucr.edu/
BARBARA AND ART CULVER CENTER OF THE ARTS
With the booming growth of the Inland Empire in recent years, one of the most exciting areas of development at UC Riverside has been its commitment to increasing its presence in the community. Academic departments across UCR’s College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) have emphasized building a synergy between what they call “theory” and “practice”: between the academic theories and artistic and cultural work being produced by practitioners at the university, and the members of the surrounding neighborhoods. For example, the Dance Department, along with other arts departments, regularly performs student works both on campus and also at local high schools, retirement communities, and other public venues in Riverside.
At the forefront of this creative nexus being formed between academics and the community is the Culver Center for the Arts. The Culver Center is a unique partnership between UC Riverside, private philanthropists, the City of Riverside, and the State of California. It will be located in downtown Riverside, on the Main Street walking mall, directly adjacent to UCR’s California Museum of Photography and the newly relocated Sweeney Art Gallery. The Center will be devoted to emerging graduate and undergraduate arts programs, faculty research and performances, and will also house an interactive arts center. The Center will complement the UCR/California Museum of Photography and Sweeney Gallery, and provide a lively forum for new and cutting-edge digital and interactive art-works. It will provide a catalyst not only for the crucial intersection of arts and technology, but will also provide a space for advanced research and instruction in the arts. It will house a state-of-the-art intermedia studio, dance studios and digital work space, a screening room, the permanent home for the Sweeney Art Gallery, and a café. The Center will also work to preserve, store, and support the world-famous Keystone-Mast Stereographic Collection now housed in the Museum of Photography. “By fusing art and technology in a renovated landmark building, bringing together the university and the city far more powerfully than before, the Culver Center will embody the best of Riverside’s past even as it helps spark a brighter cultural and economic future for the city and the region.” (Joel Martin, former Interim Dean, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, UCR)
The Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts takes its name from the former Press-Enterprise co-owners and longtime community leaders and patrons of the arts, Barbara and Art Culver. The building was made possible by Anthony Culver, son of Barbara and Art, who, after making a generous donation of $5 million to the University, named the Center after his beloved parents. With the Culvers’ initial grant, and also with complementary funds from the City of Riverside and the State of California, the Culver Center will open its doors in 2009.
The University plans to house the Center in the historic Rouse Building on Riverside’s downtown Main Street. This building formerly housed the Rouse Department Store, a staple of the downtown Riverside scene from the late nineteenth century until it was closed in 1964. The University will refurbish the original basement, spectacular skylight atrium, and its original outside glass display cases in order to reflect the way it looked during its heyday in the Roaring ‘20s. The fact that the University plans to rehabilitate this important building, preserving its historic frame, demonstrates UCR’s commitment to preserving historic buildings. It suggests that historic and cultural memory is integral to UCR’s vision of Riverside’s future.
December 2004 saw the Riverside City Council unanimously approve the concept of contributing $2.25 million in redevelopment money. The recent passage of Measure 1D provides the remaining funds for the completion of the project. As notable community members and UCR officials attest, the Center is well worth the expense because it will revitalize the city’s underdeveloped downtown sector. According to Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge, the Culver Center is “part of the emergence of downtown as a major arts and culture center.” Similarly, City Councilman Dom Betro says, “To my way of thinking, it’s an essential project because it brings people downtown.” UCR Chancellor France Cordova emphasizes that the Center will not simply benefit UCR’s academic programs, but will greatly benefit the community: “It is the city that will realize the payoff in terms of community vitality and economic development.”
The initial phases of the project were overseen by first,UCR Chair of Art History, Patricia Morton, and then the Chair of Creative Writing, Juan Felipe Herrera. They oversaw the selection of the architectural firm Leddy Maytum Stacy to undertake the program confirmation aspect of the project and then helped to select the architectural firms, Fields Devereaux Architects and Chu+Gooding Architects, to oversee the design and construction of the Center. These latter two firms worked together on the design and construction of the UCR Fine Arts Building. In addition they have done a number of notable historic restorations, including the El Caption Theater in Hollywood and the Kentucky Museum of Art and Design, which involved the renovation of a historic cast iron building in Louisville. The firms have been involved in such projects as offices for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association in the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Arts Media and Communication Building of CSU, Northridge, and the T1 North Entry addition to the J. Paul Getty Center.
With such an innovative architectural team, and also with the city of Riverside standing one-hundred percent behind the project, the Culver Center for the Arts is well on its way to completion, its vision of collaboration between the University and the community soon a reality. Professor Morton says it best: “The Culver Center has the potential to benefit UCR, Riverside, and the Inland region. It will form a new hub of day-night activity, complement downtown Riverside’s flourishing arts community, and provide state-of-the-art facilities for UCR faculty and students. In addition, we believe this public/private enterprise is a model for future collaborations between UCR and the community.”
Global Studies is a broad-based study of processes and problems that transcend national boundaries, preparing students to become global thinkers and problem-solvers for the twenty-first century. Global Studies crosses disciplines, drawing on the social sciences, arts, humanities, and sciences.
The Global Studies major includes the study of global historical processes that have made the world more interconnected as well as fragmenting forces of global politics, violence, and security. The UCR program focuses on issues of global migrations, travel and social movements, global literature, arts and media, global economic systems of trade and finance, and issues of global health, disease and environmental change. Global Studies is a way to give powerful support to reconceptualizing the meaning of place in the contemporary world and to retool faculty and students to become global thinkers. It surpasses international studies by focusing on transnational processes rather than relations between nations.
UCR's Global Studies major teaches students to relate knowledge of area geographies to the larger trends and issues that affect all societies: the transnational interactions of peoples, cultures, economies and polities; the globalizing processes of communications media; technological and environmental changes; the search for world order, law and human rights, and the sometimes violent political, ethnic and religious responses to what is perceived as cultural and economic homogenization on a global scale.
For more information about the CCNN Initiative, please visit our website: http://www.globalstudies.ucr.edu/
The University of California , Riverside , has recently established UCR ARTSblock (http://artsblock.ucr.edu/) on the Main Street pedestrian mall in downtown Riverside , California . Located in three adjacent renovated historic buildings, ARTSblock consists of three autonomous arts institutions: the Sweeney Art Gallery ( http://sweeney.ucr.edu ), UCR/California Museum of Photography ( http://www.cmp.ucr.edu ) and the Culver Center of the Arts, to open in 2009. The Sweeney Art Gallery possesses approximately 3200 square feet of exhibition space and normally mounts five exhibitions per year, three different film series, and various other performances and events. UCR/California Museum of Photography is one of America 's most comprehensive photographic museums, offering photography and video exhibitions, a community digital studio, touring shows, an expansive website, and one of the world's largest photographic collections. When the Culver Center opens it will offer studios and performances spaces for dance, music, theatre, digital art, photography, creative writing, poetry and film. Together with other downtown arts institutions including the Riverside Art Museum , the Mission Inn Foundation and the Riverside Metropolitan Museum , ARTSblock will contribute to creating an energetic focus both for the Inland Empire and for the arts corridor between Los Angeles and Palm Springs.
The mission of ARTSblock is to create research, educational and collaborative opportunities for UCR faculty and students, for regional, national and international artists, for K-12 students and teachers in the Riverside area and for the Southern California community at large. The University of California , Riverside is now searching for the inaugural Executive Director of ARTSblock who will help realize this mission.
The ARTSblock represents a collaborative endeavor between the city of Riverside and the University of California at Riverside . Built on dialog and interaction, the ARTSblock will help the continued revitalization of downtown and bring ambitious art exhibits and events to Riverside and Southern California .
To showcase this new collaboration, UCR is in the process of establishing a series of major artistic events that will signal to Riverside and Southern California the excellence and energy of the university's arts and film curriculum, its public galleries, and its cultural programs.
The Labor studies Initiative seeks to build a community of labor scholars among UCR students and faculty and to strengthen their connections with local unions and working class organizations. This is a particularly ripe moment for this, as the Inland Empire faces a rapidly growing population and rising employment in warehousing, health care, casinos, and other industries. These economic changes, and the challenges which accompany them, make the Inland Empire and Southern California a crucial learning site. The timing for this grant could not be better given that a number of labor unions are launching new organizing drives, or expanding ones already underway, in the Inland Empire . These unions and others view Riverside County as a key site for expanding the labor movement in the Southwest. We are currently in the process of expanding and improving UCR's Labor Studies program and minor. We received a one-year (2008-9) grant from UC's Miguel Contreras Labor Studies fund to support that effort. This grant will be used to expand internship opportunities for Labor Studies students, develop new Labor Studies graduate and undergraduate courses, and to fund field trips, conferences, and guest speakers.
UCR's Labor Studies minor is an interdisciplinary minor that focuses on the conditions, activities, and struggles of workers and other members of the working class from an international, contemporary, comparative and historical perspective. Although trade unions are the primary focus, students will also examine other forms of working class organizing, including community organizing, and organizing by women and people of color. Courses focus on work in formal workplaces, including service, industrial, clerical, professional, and managerial work, and may also address other forms of work, such as unpaid housework, prison labor, or work in the informal economy. The minor addresses issues affecting workers, including governmental policies, technological change, globalization, neoliberalism, and alternative models for organizing for social justice. In addition to taking academic courses, students gain hands-on experience through a one-quarter internship with a union or related organization. This minor helps to prepare students for careers in labor and community organizing, labor law, or labor regulatory agencies. The requirements for the minor consist of five courses (at least 20 units), which include LABR 001: Introduction to Labor Studies, an internship course, and three classes from an approved list. For more details, see the "academic programs" section of our website: http://www.laborstudies.ucr.edu .
The Labor Studies initiative will also be organizing a series of talks and conferences focusing on labor issues. These events will feature outside speakers, including labor scholars and representatives from local unions and community organizations. Our conference in Spring 2008 will focus on immigrant workers and efforts to organize them and our fall conference will focus on the state of the local labor movement.
Professor Ellen Reese (Sociology) is overseeing the Labor Studies initiative, along with other program faculty, including Edna Bonacich (Professor Emeritus, Ethnic Studies/Sociology), Amalia Cabezas (Women's Studies), Christopher Chase-Dunn (Sociology, Institute for World Systems Research), David Fairris (Economics), John Medearis (Political Science), Todd Sorensen (Economics), and Devra Weber (History). For more information about the Labor Studies program, please visit our website: http://www.laborstudies.ucr.edu or contact Ellen Reese (ellen.reese@ucr.edu).