KU AFRICANIST FACULTY

Index of biographies by last name: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Glenn Adams
Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at KU since 2001(tenure track)
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. Social Psychology, Stanford University
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Cultural grounding of personal relationship; racism, oppression, and liberation; constructions of history and collective identity.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
Adams, G. (in press). The cultural grounding of personal relationship: Enemyship in North American and West African worlds. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Dzokoto, V. A. & Adams, G. (in press). Juju, koro, or mass psychogenic illness? A review of genital-shrinking epidemics in West Africa from 1997 - 2001. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry.
Adams, G., Anderson, S. L., & Adonu, J. K. (2004). The cultural grounding of closeness and intimacy. In D. Mashek & A. Aron (Eds.), The handbook of closeness and intimacy (pp. 321-339). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Adams, G., Biernat, M., Branscombe, N., Crandall, C., Wrightsman, L. (Eds.) (2004). Social Psychological Research Applied to the Problems of Racism and Discrimination. PsycEXTRA Electronic Database. American Psychological Association.
COURSES TAUGHT AT KU:
Dr. Adams teaches courses on the topics of culture and psychology, drawing heavily upon African settings for examples. The African Studies content of these courses is roughly 25%.
Culture and Psychology
Social and Cultural Bases of Self and Identity
Graduate Seminar on Culture and Psychology
DISTINCTIONS:
Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, 1989-1992
Field research, Ghana, Social Science Research Council International Predissertation Fellow (1996-97)
Fulbright Dissertation Fellow (1998-1999)

Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka
Tenured Associate Professor, Women's Studies, Theatre & Film at KU since 1990
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. Literature in English, University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 1987
M.A. Theatre Arts, Leeds University, England, 1978
P.G.D. Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 1975
B.A. Honors French, University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 1973
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Semiotics, African theater and dance, African women's lives, African women's and men's literature, and African American literature.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
"Give Her the Earth to Work." In Windows to the Soul (p.55). Ed. Olusegun Fayemi. New York: Albofa Press, 2003.
"Who Can Silence Her Drums? A Critical Analysis of Tess Onwueme's Plays" in Drama Review, Spring 2002.
"Gender and Nationalism in Contemporary Literature." In Nigeria in the 20th Century (p. 819-827). Ed. Toyin Falola. Durham, NC:Carolina Academic Press, 2002.
"Innovative Traditions, The Women of Itoku and the Tie-Dye Industry." Montage Notes for the Women's Works Exhibition, University of Kansas, Lawrence. Fall, 2000.
COURSES TAUGHT AT KU:
Theatre History in Western Civilization
African Dances and Performance Styles
African Women's Studies and Literature
Literature in Africa and the African Diaspora
Popular Fiction in Africa: Gender, Sex and Thrills.
Race, Gender and Postcolonial Discourses
Race in the American Theatre
Postcolonial Theory and Theatre
The Global Village: Gender, Culture and Migration.
LANGUAGES:
Native knowledge of Yoruba, fluency in English and French, reading knowledge of German.
DISTINCTIONS:
African Studies Association Service Award, 1999
Member, Editorial Board, Connect Journal, New York.
Member, African Studies Association

Sabri Al-Shboul
Graduate Student Instructor of Arabic since 2005
EDUCATION:
B.A. in English Language and Literature, Yarmouk University, Jordan, 1994
M.A. Linguistics, Yarmouk University, Jordan, 1997
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Linguistic constructions in Arabic and English
COURSES TAUGHT AT KU:
Arabic (Elementary, Intermediate)
LANGUAGES:
Arabic (native), English, French

Elizabeth Asiedu
Oswald Assistant Professor of Economics, KU, since 1998(tenured)
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. Economics, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, 1998
M.S. Economics, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, 1994
M.S. Mathematics, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, 1992
B.S. Economics, University of Ghana, 1988
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
International Economics, Development Economics, Economics of Africa
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
Asiedu, Elizabeth, "The Determinants of Employment of Affiliates of US Multinational Enterprises in Africa," Development Policy Review, 2004, 22.
Asiedu, Elizabeth, "Policy Reform and Foreign Direct Investment to Africa: Absolute Progress but Relative Decline," Revised version published in Development Policy Review, 22 (1), (2004), 41-48.
Asiedu, Elizabeth and Donald Lien, "Capital Controls and Foreign Direct Investment," Revised version published in World Development, 32 (3)(2003), 479-490.
Asiedu, Elizabeth, "Debt Relief and Institutional Reform: A focus on Heavily Indebted Poor Countries," Revised version published in Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 43 (4) (2003), 614-626.
DISTINCTIONS:
Outstanding Woman Educator Award, University of Kansas, 2003
Vice President, African Finance Economic Association, June 2002- present

Nobleza Asuncion-Lande
Tenured Professor, Department of Communication Studies; at KU since 1968 (tenured)
EDUCATION:
Ph.D., Michigan State University, 1962
M.A., Michigan State University, 1958
B.S.E., University of the Philippines, 1957
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Intercultural communication, organizational communication, cross cultural negotiations and conflict management.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS:
"English as Dominant Language for Intercultural Communication Prospects for the Next Century." In Civic Discourse: Multiculturalism, Cultural Diversity and Global Communications. K.S. Sitaram, M.H. Prosser, eds., Stamford, CT, Ablex, 1998.
"English for Global Competitiveness The Philippine Context." Solidarity nos. 147-148, 1995-96, pp. 97-101
"Political Communication in the Philippines: Implications for Interpersonal Communication." In Communication Quarterly 4, 1992.
COURSES TAUGHT AT KU:
Communication and Culture
Communication in Multinational Organizations
Intercultural Communication
International Perspectives on Communication Theory
LANGUAGES:
English, native fluency in Tagalog and Ilokano and reading knowledge of Spanish.
DISTINCTIONS:
Outstanding Faculty in International Education Award, KU Alpha Phi chapter of Phi Beta Delta, the international honors society for international education, 1999.
Fulbright Visiting Professor, National University of Singapore, 1994-1995.
Visiting Professor, Central Connecticut State University, 1990- 1991.
Visiting Fellow, Institute for Communication Research, Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa, Summer 1990.