Faculty members named ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars

trevor.kenney — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 18:02:19 +0000

Three ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty members, Dr. Abdie Kazemipur (Social Sciences), Dr. Kas Mazurek (Education) and Dr. Josephine Mills (Fine Arts), have been appointed by the U of L’s Board of Directors to three-year terms as ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars – a program that acknowledges exceptional research, scholarship and performance.

“The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholar program helps talented faculty members more actively pursue their respective research areas by granting them financial resources as well as time to further explore their interests,” says Associate Vice-President (Research) Lesley Brown. “These three new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars, who are tremendous representatives of the U of L’s world class faculty, will also have increased opportunities to disseminate their work publicly.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars receive a research grant totaling $5,000 over three years, in addition to $1,500 over three years that may be used towards conference travel, conference registration, speaking and/or performance engagement expenses, or other activities used to disseminate their research activity. One course relief in teaching duty will be granted in each year of an appointment.

Each ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholar will give a public lecture or performance as part of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars Series at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge during the three-year term of their designation.

One ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholar in each of Education, Fine Arts and the Social Sciences is appointed in one particular year, and one in each of Health Sciences, the Humanities, the Natural Sciences and Management, the alternate year.

The terms of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars appointments begin July 1, 2014.

Dr. Abdie Kazemipur

Dr. Kazemipur's work is targeted towards developing a better understanding of the role and place of religion in sociopolitical developments that involve Muslim populations. His work will explore the integration of Muslim immigrants in western liberal-democracies, including Canada. As well, Kazemipur will investigate secularization as well as the interplay of Islam and democracy in the Middle-Eastern countries of Iran, Turkey and Egypt. Through this work, Kazemipur hopes to add a Canadian perspective and a Canadian voice to these ongoing debates.

Dr. Josephine Mills

Dr. Mills will work to advance the outcomes of the Complex Social Change research project. Recently funded through the Interdisciplinary Research Development Fund, this project aims to study and enact collaborative strategies to overcome the inertia that discourages action. The project brings together curators, artists, students and scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds with a common interest – a deep commitment to activism, Liberal Education and to exploring the boundaries between the academy and the public realm. As a U of L Scholar, Mills will be curating a related series of exhibitions and public programs related to activism and social engagement.

NOTE: Dr. Mills is not receiving course relief. Rather, a contract staff person will be hired to work with her on gallery projects.

Dr. Kas Mazurek

Dr. Mazurek’s work explores how Alternative Language Programs meet the needs and aspirations of Alberta's culturally and linguistically diverse populations. His research will document perceptions of administrators and teachers regarding the cultural dimensions of their programs to investigate how these extend beyond language instruction and maintenance. The information that is obtained from Mazurek’s work will inform our understanding across numerous domains. These include how the cultural components of a program are defined, how a program and its teachers are part of a cultural and linguistic community, what makes a program unique, the needs of students and parents an Alternative Language Program meets that other public school programs cannot, and teacher competencies that facilitate successful delivery of a culturally-based program.

Understanding teaching through open minds

trevor.kenney — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:53:17 +0000

Dr. Kas Mazurek believes that understanding the profession of teaching begins by understanding, and accepting, the education systems of other nations.

A researcher with a special interest in comparative studies in the Faculty of Education, Mazurek emphasizes that, as an educator, there is a responsibility to be open to broader concepts. He is adamant that we should never rely solely on the "knowledge and experience that local researchers, practitioners and education systems possess and generate."

Instead, Mazurek argues that we need to draw on the best practices from the widest pool of information.

"Professional knowledge is out there to be reinvented, in terms of successes and mistakes," says Mazurek.

Dr. Kas Mazurek trumpets the idea that by accepting ideas from the education systems of other nations, teachers will better understand their profession.

He adds that training teachers to compete in a global economy means, "ensuring that they have an understanding of how educational objectives and practices work with other cultural components within a given society."

Technology has, of course, made it convenient for us to draw from a much broader knowledge base and better understand all educational systems. But in order for future educators to fully understand what is required of them in professional practice, there is no substitute for global experience.

Students in the Faculty of Education have the opportunity to take part in practicum placements in Africa, Europe, Australia and throughout North America. The possibilities for teaching internships in international settings are essentially limitless and with technology improving our ability to communicate between schools and faculties of education throughout the world, it enables faculty supervisors to provide quality support to students without necessarily visiting that location.

For Mazurek, refining knowledge and continual experimentation are fundamental and ongoing aspects of teacher education and practice. He's pleased to see that so many U of L education alumni have such an acute understanding of the value they have to offer the world, and similarly the value a global experience can offer them, through international professional practica.

This story originally appeared in the Legend. For a look at the February issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Kas Mazurek

Faculty members named ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ Scholars

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Understanding teaching through open minds

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Faculty members named ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholars