Center for Social Research

Social Sciences Lunch Seminar Series Spring 2012

The Social Sciences Lunch Seminar Series resumes for the spring semester 2012, highlighting four faculty speakers who will present and discuss their research.

Friday February 17: Jennifer Jewett VanAntwerp, Associate Professor of Engineering: "Examining Calling as a Motivator in Career Decisions: A Comparison of Engineering Graduates from Secular and Christian Undergraduate Institutions"

Friday March 9: Mikael Pelz, Assistant Professor of Political Science: "Presidential Campaign Rhetoric and Partisan Change: The Case of Evangelical Protestants"

Friday April 13: Neil Carlson, Director, Center for Social Research: "Social Science on the Front Lines: Collecting, analyzing and visualizing survey and casework data from the Believe 2 Become Initiatives's Neighborhood Engagement efforts"

Friday April 27: Adel Abadeer, Professor of Economics: "How Informal Norms Marginalize Women in Collective Societies in Less Developed Countries"

All of the 2011-12 seminars take place at Calvin College, in the Alumni Association Board Room, 12:30 p.m. with lunch tickets free and available starting at 12:15 p.m.

Please join us for lunch, research, and discussion.

Sponsored by the Center for Social Research, the Dean for Social Sciences and Contextual Studies, and the Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Christian Perspectives on Political, Social and Economic Thought.

CSR’s New Director

The Board of Trustees has just confirmed the appointment of Neil Carlson as the director of the Center for Social Research. Formerly the center’s assistant director, Neil stepped into the director role unofficially last year when Jim Penning passed away. The governing board was pleased to appoint Neil to that position officially after an extensive review of the center’s administrative structure resulted in a redefined director position.

Please join us in congratulating Neil and thanking him for his continuing contributions to the Center for Social Research and the college.

 

DeVos Place Host to B2B ArtPrize Student Mural

When you’re checking out ArtPrize 2011, be sure to include a visit to “I Believe I Become,” the six piece mural created by a team of student artists from Grand Rapids Public Schools and sponsored by several local businesses and two local artists. You’ll find the mural at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids. By supporting strong schools, community partnership, parent resources, and student experiences, B2B hopes to help students achieve success in school, work, and life by the year 2025. Believe 2 Become is a partnership of Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS), Grand Rapids Student Advancement Foundation, dozens of community‐based and faith‐based organizations, and the Douglas and Maria DeVos Foundation. CSR’s assistance to the project through surveys and a shared database is ongoing as the B2B continues its work in our community.

Social Sciences Lunch Seminar Series for Fall 2011

The Social Sciences Lunch Seminar Series kicks off Friday September 23 with a talk by Martin Hughes, Assistant Professor of Sociology and movie buff. Dr. Hughes will discuss "Children Are Our Future: Changing Visions of Youth in Movies about the Future, 1950-2009."

All of the 2011-12 seminars take place at Calvin College, in the Alumni Association Board Room, 12:30 p.m. with lunch tickets free and available starting at 12:15 p.m.

Please join us for this and future Seminar Series Lunches.

Sponsored by the Center for Social Research, the Dean for Social Sciences and Contextual Studies, and the Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Christian Perspectives on Political, Social and Economic Thought.

Hellos and Goodbyes

A lot of new faces will be popping up at the CSR this month. Tom Sherwood, a Calvin grad who studied social work, will be taking on a leadership role as our new research associate. He’ll act as a project manager and student supervisor. We’re also welcoming Daniel Molling, a sophomore economics major; Traci Montgomery, a junior geography major; Brad Wassink, a junior political science major; and Kristen Napp, a junior social work major, as student research assistants. With these new additions, the CSR has students from nearly every social science offered by Calvin College. We’ll be a well-rounded group.

Some people are coming, and some are leaving. The CSR is bidding a fond farewell to three members of our team: Christina Vanden Bosch der Nederlanden, Debbie Velis Guzman, and Tyler Greenway. Christina, our fearless research associate, is going to grad school at University of Nevada, Las Vegas to study experimental psychology and music cognition. She is a genius, and she will succeed wherever she goes. Debbie, who was of great assistance to us in part thanks to her Spanish language abilities, will be heading back home to El Salvador for a while before she returns to the U.S. to take on a Management position at Walmart. Tyler, a three-year veteran of the CSR, will be across the street in Calvin Seminary. Each of these members of our team has been an important part of what we do. We appreciate what they’ve done, and we’ll miss them when they leave, but we wish them well in their new ventures.

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