Top Story
| AU Professors Weigh in on White House Correspondents Dinner Controversy |
| AU professors provided insight on the controversy surrounding Michelle Wolf's monologue at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Capri Cafaro, executive-in-residence in the School of Public Affairs, appeared on Fox News. Cafaro said, “When a woman goes after another woman, it sets everyone back.” Caty Borum Chattoo, director of the Center for Media and Social Impact, co-authored an opinion article for The Hollywood Reporter representing a different view. Chattoo and her co-author wrote, “Comedians have no fear of telling journalists directly what they are doing wrong… Satirists are intent on telling Washington journalists that they exhibit a too cozy relationship to power.” (4/30, 5/1) |
Additional Feature
| Competing Visions of Islam Will Shape Europe in the 21st Century |
| The Atlantic Magazine interviewed Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, for a feature article about his new book, “Journey Into Europe,” which explores Islam's place in European history and society. Ahmed said, “While many people talk of a ‘Judeo-Christian' Europe, the fact is that it is the Judeo, Christian and Islamic religions, i.e. the Abrahamic faiths, that came together… to create and nourish what we now know as European civilization.” (5/2) |
Faculty Authors
| What North and South Korea Can Learn From German Reunification |
| In the aftermath of the North-South Korea meeting, School of International Service Professor James Goldgeier wrote an opinion article for The Washington Post comparing a possible Korean reunification to the reunification of Germany. Goldgeier wrote, “We understood unification in 1990 as East Germany being absorbed into the West. It is unlikely Kim (or Xi Jingping) will see unification in similar terms today.” (4/28) |
| Did Bin Laden's Death Help the Islamic State? |
| Tricia Bacon, assistant professor of public affairs, co-authored an opinion article for The Washington Post analyzing the role Osama bin Laden's death played in the rise of the Islamic State. Bacon and her co-author wrote, “On the basis of our research into bin Laden's leadership… we propose that, unlike his successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden was sufficiently capable as a leader that he may have been able to prevent the rupture with the Islamic State.” Bacon also spoke to WTOP-FM about bin Laden's death. (5/2) |
Expertise
| In a Revived Durham, Black Residents Ask: Is There Still Room for Us? |
| Derek Hyra, associate professor of public affairs, spoke to The New York Times about the effect gentrification is having on downtown Durham, North Carolina, and what can be done to maintain the city's diversity. Hyra said, “Grassroots organizations have to get involved, mobilized, and have to put pressure on developers and politicians to divert money to small businesses. It won't just naturally happen.” (5/1) |
| America is More Diverse Than Ever -- but Still Segregated |
| Assistant Professor of Sociology Michael Bader spoke to The Washington Post about the legacy of segregation in housing. Bader said, “What's interesting about [Prince George's] County is that it was white in the ‘70s and ‘80s. As the black middle class moved in, the white middle class stopped moving in.” (5/2) |
| Women in Prison Take Home Economics, While Men Take Carpentry |
| Washington College of Law Professor Brenda Smith spoke to The Atlantic about the gender disparity in vocational offerings for inmates in prison. Smith said, “In the earliest prisons, women washed, sewed, cooked, and cleaned- more often than not for the male staff and also for male inmates.” (4/30) |
| Cultural Appropriation & Holidays: When Does Celebrating Become Stereotyping? |
| Juliana Martinez, assistant professor of World Languages and Culture, appeared on WAMU-FM's The Kojo Nnamdi Show to discuss the fine line between celebration and stereotyping when it comes to holidays such as Cinco de Mayo. Martinez said, “More than creating a list of do's and don'ts, we should think about why certain people or certain businesses are so interested in celebrating certain things. Are we really celebrating a particular culture, or are we just using it as an excuse to have a party?” (5/2) |
| Trump, Buhari Pledge to Close Counter-Terror Operation |
| School of International Service Associate Professor Carl LeVan spoke with Voice of America about President Trump's controversial comments on African countries and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's visit to the United States. LeVan said, “I think Nigerians will not forget those sort of comments, but I think they are also eager to move forward and to get back to some kind of relationship with the United States which is mutually beneficial and mutually productive.” (5/1) |
| Reporters in D.C. and Around the World Shaken by Bomb Attack |
| Bill Gentile, journalist-in-residence at the School of Communication, talked with WUSA-9 about the dangers journalists face after a bombing in Kabul killed 26 people, including nine journalists. "We were considered to be objective, professional journalists out there doing a job. Now we are perceived as being agents of the occupiers," Gentile said. (4/30) |
|
