FASS@SFU e-Newsletter December 2011

Welcome to the December edition of FASS@SFU, your guide to news and events in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. If you’re not already receiving this newsletter directly and would like to be added to the distribution list, please email FassComm@sfu.ca. Don’t forget to check out FASS on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SFUFASS. We’re also on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SFUfass.

FASS News

FASS Student Photo Contest

Field trips, exchanges, co-ops, study abroad, in the classroom - we want to see what Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences students are up to!

Submit one education-related photo. Up to 10 shortlisted photos will win $100; third prize will receive $150; second prize $250; and first prize $400.

Graham Muir, MA ’82 (Criminology) – Public Service
Assistant Commissioner, RCMP (retired)

Graham Muir has contributed to the safety and security of Canadians both at home and abroad as a 36 year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His extensive operational and administrative police experience includes postings in Canada and internationally: the former Yugoslavia, Haiti, and most recently as the Canadian Police Commander in Afghanistan. He completed his early service in Surrey, British Columbia before being transferred to National Headquarters, Ottawa, where he co-authored a seminal manuscript on community policing in Canada.

FASS Research

How a Computer Game Is Reinventing the Science of Expertise

Research on video gaming expertise that is being completed at SFU was recently highlighted in a Scientific American paper. Dr. Mark Blair of the Department of Psychology and the Cognitive Science program is actively engaged in examining the expertise developed by a large sample of gamers at all levels of skill.

New Research Confronts Africa’s "Statistical Tragedy"

The headline speaker at a recent conference in Washington called “Poor Numbers! What do we know about income and growth in sub-Saharan Africa?” was Morten Jerven, of the School for International Studies. His answer: many of the numbers which are circulated in official documents, outside assessments and the media are wrong.

Jerven explains why he has made it his academic pursuit to uncover the shortcomings of Africa’s statistics.

FASS in the Community

Walk a Mile, BC Style Video

Presented by Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies

A local take on the Red Shoes walk a mile in her shoes campaign aimed at helping men better understand and appreciate women's experiences, thus changing perspectives, helping improve gender relationships and decreasing the potential for violence.

Watch video. Read more.

Around FASS

SFU Muslim Studies Program Comes Home

A joint SFU/Aga Khan University (AKU) summer program that ran in London, UK last summer will be offered in Vancouver this summer, July 9-20. Expressions of Diversity: An Introduction to Muslim Cultures is designed to broaden understanding of Muslim cultures.

Totem Pole to Honor Restorative Justice Pioneer

Inmates at Mission’s Ferndale Correctional Institution are paying tribute to Simon Fraser University criminologist Liz Elliott, a long-time champion of restorative justice, with a traditional totem pole carved in her honor.

FASS Facts Holiday Crossword Puzzle

How well do you know FASS? Download the pdf version of the FASS Facts crossword puzzle here. Answers will be provided next month.

FASS People in the Media

Rob Gordon, Criminology in The Surrey Leader, Transit Police still needed but role changing.
Political Scientist Alex Moens wrote a guest column for Troy Media on the new Canada-U.S. border security pact.
GSWS profs Jennifer Marchbank and Catherine Murray were in a story in The Province on women who kill.
Mark Leier, Morgan Centre for Labour Studies, in Burnaby Now story on union workers worried about Target takeover.