Faculty and Staff Highlights: Faizullaev, Hoover, Shostak, Smith, Tuncel

Webster University faculty and staff highlights offer a roundup of recent Webster faculty and staff activity and achievements.

Faizullaev Interviewed on Social Diplomacy in Turkey

Alisher Faizullaev, a visiting professor in the History, Politics and International Relations Department at Webster University in St. Louis, was interviewed on the topic of social diplomacy for the leading think-tank in Turkey, Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies (ANKASAM). The interview took place in February.

In order to assess the effectiveness of social diplomacy, ANKASAM’s interview with Faizullaev titled, “Webster University, Visiting Prof. Alisher Faizullaev: “Social Diplomacy is a Societal Phenomenon and Has Certain Distinct Features,” covers the definition and concept of social diplomacy and the main differences compared to traditional diplomacy — as social diplomacy has the potential to strengthen relations between social actors and offer innovative solutions to various social problems.

Hoover Participates in Workshop and Poetry Readings, Publishes Essay

Elizabeth Hoover, a professor in the Webster University Department of English, participated in a workshop and performed a reading at the Driftless Writing Center in Viroqua, Wisconsin in March.

Hoover read at the writing center and conducted a workshop the following day at the Verona County Museum and History Center. The workshop was called, "Mining the Local: Archival Poetics." Workshop attendees experimented with writing poetry in concert with archival research. They read the work of three poets who engaged in archival research, meaning research that involves handling primary source materials like letters, diaries, photographs and recordings, among others. In addition, workshop attendees wrote poetry using archival objects as a source of inspiration.

The workshop explored topics such as how to use research in the creative poetic process and invention of new types of poetic forms.

Hoover will also be doing a poetry reading on April 18 at Subterranean Books in University City. It is a poetry month event that includes visiting poets and a civil rights attorney. The event will begin with readings by Hoover and another local poet, Niki Herd.

Other readers include Sunu P. Chandy, author of My Dear Comrades, for a reading and discussion with Dr. Jacob Chacko, the Executive Director of the Center for Diversity & Inclusion, and Director of Dialogue Across Difference at Washington University.

Hoover also recently published an essay, Our Waste and Our Potential, on museum accessioning policies, contemporary art, chronic pain and trauma. This essay appeared in the most recent issue of the Southeast Review, a publication of Florida State University.

Shostak to Appear in British Criminology Journal

Grant Shostak; a visiting professor in the Department of Law, Crime and Social Justice, had an article titled “Restoring Trust: What the United States Supreme Court Can Learn From Andragogy” accepted for publication in an upcoming issue of The British Journal of Criminology. It will be published this summer.

Smith Keynotes at Several Conferences, Leads Assemblies and More

Julie Smith, a professor in the School of Communications and author of "Master the Media," recently keynoted at the Idaho Educational Technology Conference in Boise, Idaho; the Anna School District Tech Conference in Anna, Illinois; the University of Alabama E-Learning Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; the ConnectedEd Conference in Corning, New York; and the INTed Conference in Valencia, Spain.

She has also spoken to parent groups at Zion Lutheran Church in St. Charles Missouri and Libertyville School District in Libertyville, Illinois.

Smith has also done five virtual assemblies on social media for New York high schools through the New York Educational Media & Technology Association.

Tuncel Publishes Article Investigating Gender Dynamics

Ece Tuncel, professor of organizational behavior in the George Hebert Walker School of Business & Technology, published an article titled “When Women Ask, Does Curiosity Help?” in a special issue of the journal Social Sciences, published by MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute). The special edition focuses on understanding gender and fostering positive social change in the 21st Century.

The article delves into the intricate dynamics of gender, negotiation and the impact of displayed curiosity in workplace interactions. It explores how women face a backlash in negotiations and how they often moderate their behavior to align with social “norms” to avoid negative perceptions. The study highlights the significance of displayed curiosity in restoring social perceptions during negotiations. The findings reveal that curiosity displays can enhance social bonds and interpersonal connections, representing a nuanced aspect of negotiation strategy that has the potential to mitigate biases and improve outcomes in workplace interactions.