College of Arts and Sciences Newsletter

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Volume 3, Number 7, July 2015

Beyond the Ivory Towers

Professor Brian Glyn Williams' story is everywhere. It's been in Rolling Stone magazine, the Boston Globe, the Standard Times, and even the University's website. His book, Predators: The CIA's Drone War on al Qaeda, inspired Matt Bellamy, lead singer of Muse, to write a concept album about the dehumanizing aspects of drone technology. "He has a whole song about reapers and he talks about the CIA," said Williams. "I have a whole chapter on reapers, so that song leapt out as being inspired by me."

As amazing as it is to inspire a national rock band, Williams is even more excited that his thoughts and ideas are reaching mainstream America. While writing his books, Williams focuses on his audience, and he tries to make his ideas accessible to everyone. "I don't write for the ivory towers, I try to reach a larger audience," he said. "Inspiring a rock band is proof that I am achieving my goal."

Right now, Williams has another goal. He wants to write for his students. As an expert on the Global War on Terror, Williams shares his expertise with his students and teaches a terrorism course. While teaching, he realized that his students didn't have a textbook that explains the whole war from beginning to end. So he is working on one. "My dream for all my books is to break down these important misunderstood concepts in the Middle East," Williams said. "I want to make them accessible for students and the larger world."

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Lessons From The Star Story

Collaborating with Dartmouth Community Television, three students and one English professor took a semester-long stroll down memory lane. Professor Anthony Arrigo joined three students - Nikhila Vijaybhaskar, Ross Gelmete, Brooke Lyons - as they produced The Star Story. The documentary highlighted one of New Bedford's oldest buildings - The Star Store. "From its time as a shopping center to its new life as a hub of art and creativity, the Star Store has stood watch over downtown New Bedford," Lyons said. "It is driving a sort of 'revival' of the area as a hot spot for people to get their creative and cultural fix."

The documentary was a creative fix for the production team. As a team, they scheduled interviews, researched, wrote the script, and edited the material. Most of the material was shot during the last October AHA night in downtown New Bedford. "As I think back to the night when we did the majority of our filming and interviewing, the atmosphere of the area and getting to meet and talk to so many people was an amazing experience," Lyons said.

Not surprisingly, The Star Story experience provided some key takeaways for the group. They learned some lessons in teamwork, and they also learned some personal lessons. Vijaybhaskar, who now works as a documentation specialist at Akamai Technologies, learned that she has what it takes to get the job done, and she brought that lesson with her to Boston. "I think the documentary project made me that much more responsible, that much more fearless," Vijaybhaskar said. "And I'm a little more confident about going out into the world and doing something that I will be proud to show people."

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Double Major Doubles Her Opportunities

This summer Kendall Denose, a double major in Psychology and Crime and Justice Studies, conquered her biggest fear. Instead of staying on the ground in Oaxaca, Mexico because she was afraid of heights, Denose chose to face her fear. She hiked for hours, climbed mountains, and even filmed her feat at the edge of a cliff. For her, Mexico was a chance to do everything she was afraid of. "Before Mexico, I never left the country," Denose said. "This trip was about bringing opportunity to myself."

Denose's opportunity actually began last February when she learned about Professor Eric Larson's faculty-led program in Oaxaca, Mexico. She wanted to go abroad and take his Foundations in Justice Studies course, because she saw it as a smart career-building move. "When you fill out resumes, you can put that you studied abroad," Denose said. "It helps you a lot." But Denose had two big concerns - money and time. Would she fall behind in her studies? Could she afford it?

Those questions were answered by the International Program Office at UMass Dartmouth. The office informed Denose about the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship. The scholarship offers grants to U.S. undergraduates who might not be able to study abroad due to financial constraints. Although it is a highly competitive scholarship, Denose applied, and in May she was notified that she had won. "Winning this scholarship helped me realize that there is a way to pay for studying abroad," she said. "And I can even get ahead in my studies."

As only the second UMass Dartmouth student to win the scholarship, Denose hopes to share her experience with other double majors. To do this, she plans on starting a program called, "Double the Opportunity." She wants to show them that they too can study abroad. "I've realized that students lack knowledge about options for studying abroad, especially within the double major community," Denose said. "Other students should have the opportunity to further their life experiences."

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