Jayne Drake, Associate Professor & Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Liberal  Arts  at  Temple  University in  Philadelphia,  PA,  has  been  selected  as  the recipient of the Virginia N. Gordon Award for Excellence in the Field of Advising from the National Academic Advising Association as part of the 2012 Annual Awards Program for Academic [...]

Save the date — the New Faculty Orientation session for tenure track and non-tenure track faculty will be held on Thursday, August 25, 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., in 1221 Anderson Hall.

Out of Left Field: Jews and Black Baseball, a new book by Professor Rebecca Alpert, tells the story of Jews involved in black segregated baseball during the Great Depression. The book explores the complex economic and social negotiations between blacks and Jews in the first half of the 20th century, the role of social justice as a primary Jewish value and the intersection of race, religion and sports in America.

“In the News” is a weekly round-up of highlights from recent stories about the College of Liberal Arts in the local, national, and international media. This week CLA faculty spoke to news outlets about child’s play, the relationship between sex and politics, the appeal of the city to young adults, and the deadly consequences of Sin City.

Drs. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Kelly R. Fisher, along with PhD candidate Kuba Glazek, were awarded $15,000 by Mattel, Inc. for their study, “Exploring Contextual and Play Material Constraints on Creative Thinking and Problem Solving in Early Childhood,” which explores the impact of play-based (including free and guided play) and didactic instructional approaches on children’s problem-solving and creativity.

By Kim Fischer – Temple’s John Raines, professor of religion, was invited to “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for a taping of “Oprah Honors American Heroes: The Freedom Riders Reunite 50 Years Later.” The episode, marking the 50th anniversary of the first Freedom Ride, which aired May 4th. Raines was one of 183 former Freedom Riders [...]

The following CLA faculty and students have been selected for a variety grants, awards, and other notable accomplishments. A warm round of congratulations goes out to our faculty and students!

The best of the humanities are on full display this week at Temple University! Twenty-seven humanities scholars from around the world descend on campus this week for a cornucopia of conferences and lectures at the Center for Humanities at Temple (CHAT).

The CLA Alumni Association recently continued its tour series of Philadelphia landmarks, hosting nearly 100 alumni at the city’s Masonic Temple. Guests were treated to a reception, guided tour, and brief lecture held by Dr. Seth Bruggeman, assistant professor of History and American Studies. Dr. Bruggeman is also the coordinator of the college’s Center for Public History, giving alumni special insight into the building’s historic nature.

CLA History and American Studies professor Bryant Simon takes Washington Post’s Andrea Sachs on a tour of the Atlantic City boardwalk in this weekend’s edition of the paper. “Atlantic City: This is your life” takes a look at the past, present, and future of the city nicknamed “America’s Playground”.