African-Americans in Congress / Writings of Ben Jonson /

Book analyzes 'Rocky Horror' / Tifft receives national award

Book explores African-Americans in Congress

The role that African-Americans have played in Congress is explored in a documentary history co-authored by assistant professor of history Stephen Jones.

 

Jones, along with Eric Freedman of Michigan State University, published “African Americans in Congress: A Documentary History,” the first of its kind to comprehensively explore the African-American political experience and history of African-American legislators in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

 

The first section of the book is a chronologically arranged history of the development of African-American empowerment, from before the Declaration of Independence until contemporary times. The second section comprises thematically structured chapters that explore various issues that have confronted or involved African-American members of Congress.

 

More than 120 primary documents and narratives about each document help to tell the story of the struggles of past and current African-American legislators. Issues and events covered in the book include the debate over slavery, the civil rights movement and political empowerment, and the struggle for economic justice, among others.

 

Jones is an authority on African-American history, African-Americans in the legal process and African-American literature. A 20-year veteran of the journalism industry, Jones worked as a reporter and copy editor for the Associated Press, Detroit Free Press, Detroit Sunday Journal and Ypsilanti Press.

 

The book was published in October 2007 by Congressional Quarterly Press in Washington, D.C.

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Anthology examines writings of Ben Jonson

Associate professor of English Kristen McDermott has shed new light on the works of 17^th century writer Ben Jonson in a new anthology that she edited entitled “Masques of Difference: Four Court Masques by Ben Jonson.”

 

The book presents an annotated version of four 17^th century entertainment texts written by Jonson for the court of James I, including two texts that have not previously been anthologized for student readers.

 

The stories reflect the confidence and anxieties of the English aristocracy of that period. The royal court is presented as moral and just while groups such as Africans, Irish, witches and Gypsies are portrayed as chaotic and exotic.

 

The book was published by Manchester University Press in December 2007, as part of its acclaimed Student Revels Editions Series.

McDermott teaches courses in Shakespeare, English drama, film studies, and English literature before 1800.

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Book analyzes 'Rocky Horror'

English department faculty member Jeffrey Weinstock describes his newest book quite simply: “A cult film analyzed.”

 

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is the first book-length scholarly analysis of the world’s most famous cult film, said Weinstock, an associate professor of American literature and culture.

 

Within just a few years, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” grew from an oddball musical to a celebrated cinematic experience of midnight features and outrageous audience participation.

 

Weinstock’s analysis tells the story of the film from initial reception to eventual cult status. The book was published by Wallflower Press in October 2007.

 

Weinstock is an authority on popular culture, American literature and literary criticism.

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Handbook receives national award

A book co-edited by sociology professor Larry Tifft was one of only 25 sociology titles to be named “Outstanding Academic Book” for 2007 by Choice magazine.

 

The book, “Handbook of Restorative Justice: A Global Perspective,” is a collection of essays that offer a critical assessment of the theories, principles and practices of restorative justice. It was published by Routledge International in December 2005.

 

“The diverse essays not only explore the various methods of responding nonviolently to harms by persons, groups, global corporations, and nation-states, but also examine the dimensions of restorative justice in relation to criminology, victimology, traumatology, and feminist studies,” said Tifft, who is an authority on radical criminology and restorative justice.

 

These essays also contain prescriptions for how communities might restructure their family, school, and workplace activities according to restorative justice," he said.

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