​February 8, 2024, will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the American situation comedy Good Times, which aired on the CBS network until August 1, 1979. Good Times was truly remarkable for its time because the series featured the first recurring, intact Black nuclear family, the Evanses, on primetime television. After a brief overview of Black television sitcoms that aired before 1974, I will show that Good Times is a seventies television milestone because it depicted groundbreaking representations of family, class, race, and gender. I will close the presentation with highlighting the dialogue between Good Times and contemporary depictions of the twenty-first-century urban Black working-class nuclear family after 1979.
 
Attendees may start to join the event at 6:55 pm ET using the following Zoom link:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://bgsu-edu.zoom.us/j/86442029325?pwd=Wkw0UjNVY04zWmxkT2NLYXVySVVjdz09
Meeting ID: 864 4202 9325
Passcode: 428621

I was honored to be invited to write "‘Good Times’: 50 years ago, Norman Lear changed TV with a show about a working-class Black family’s struggles and joys" about Norman Lear's legacy and Good Times for The Conversation in December!

Call for Papers and Presentations The Department of Popular Culture and the Browne Popular Culture Library at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio are proud to announce the Spider-Man in Popular Culture Conference on Friday, September 29 and Saturday, September 30, 2023.  The Spider-Man in Popular Culture conference aims to examine Spider-Man in Popular Culture in all mediums and media.  It is intended to serve as a space for academics, graduate students, comic industry professionals, retailers and fans to engage in dialogue about topics related to Spider-Man in its many media forms, mediums and cultural influence in popular culture and beyond. The scope of this conference is deliberately broad, with the intention of highlighting the interdisciplinary nature and many different avenues of research possible related to Spider-Man in Popular Culture.  
See the conference website for complete details. Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 31, 2023.  

A Conference on Class Consciousness and Popular Culture
April 14th & 15th, 2023
Jerome Library
Bowling Green State University 

The University Libraries, Popular Culture Scholars' Association, and School of Cultural and Critical Studies at Bowling Green State University will host an academic conference that has the potential to create good for the public to whom we are committed. This conference aims to facilitate dialog surrounding the issues of class in American culture, both in traditional academic presentations as well as in workshops, discussions, and artistic representations (written, spoken, visual, performance, etc.).
The main areas of the conference include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Class Representations in Popular Culture
• Class Issues in Academia
• Social Outreach and Activism

Interested parties and individuals are encouraged to submit their proposals by January 1, 2023 to [email protected].

​Sometimes I feel like I’m writing “in the dark.” That is to say that I don’t always know where I’m going with the piece of writing before me or where I want to go with it or if I’ll even get there. The writing is my light in the darkness of the process of articulating my voice. All I know is that when I write daily (both at planned times and at unplanned times—such as when I receive “divine downloads” anytime during the day and sometimes immediately before I’m fully awake), I have the assurance that whatever I’m working on will move to the next level of comprehensiveness, critical depth, and conciseness. Writing is my currency. Through writing, I record my words. These words are symbolic and representative of my ideas, arguments, thoughts, experiences, feelings, and most importantly, my voice. Though most of the time I feel like I’m writing in the dark, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Writing is my light.

​African American Studies: Assistant Professor, School of Cultural and Critical Studies, Bowling Green State University. Tenure-track faculty position available August 2022. Responsibilities: Teach and develop undergraduate and graduate courses in African American Studies; Teach and develop undergraduate and graduate courses in a secondary area that complements the School of Cultural and Critical Studies offerings; Contribute to the graduate degree programs (certificate, M.A., Ph.D.); Develop and implement a coherent research agenda that leads to academic publications; Provide service to the department, school, college, and university. Minimum Qualifications: Ph.D. in African American Studies or a related field (for example, American Studies, Anthropology, Ethnic Studies, History, Women’s Studies) required. (ABDs are eligible to apply but must complete the requirements for the doctoral degree prior to beginning of employment in August 2022.); Experience teaching as a TA or instructor of record at either the undergraduate or graduate level; Evidence of research productivity in African American Studies (e.g., peer-reviewed scholarly publication, or 2 or more regional or national scholarly conference presentations). Preferred Qualification: Research (1 peer-reviewed publication or 1 scholarly conference presentation) or teaching experience (as a TA or instructor of record) in one of the following areas: African American studies in transnational context, Afro-Latinx studies, digital humanities/social media, critical race theory, health disparities, public pedagogy projects, social justice/activism, popular culture, Women’s studies, or American studies. Credentials Required for Application: cover letter; curriculum vitae; journal-length example of scholarly work; teaching portfolio including (a) teaching philosophy and (b) evidence of teaching effectiveness (e.g., student teaching evaluations, teaching observations, teaching awards) combined into one pdf document; unofficial transcripts showing highest degree earned; names and contact Information for three individuals who will be asked to provide current (dated within the past year), original letters of reference; and a statement (not to exceed 300 words) that responds to the question: “How do you engage with equity, diversity, and/or inclusion in the work setting.” Only complete applications will be considered. For a complete job description & instructions on how to apply for this position visit https://bgsu.hiretouch.com/ or contact the Office of Human Resources, BGSU. Application deadline is March 21, 2022. Background check and official transcripts required for employment. Bowling Green State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Educator and Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage applications from women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities regardless of age, gender identity, genetic information, religion, or sexual orientation.

I have two primary obstacles to meeting my research/writing objectives. They are “boundary” mismanagement and perfectionism. In the past, I have allowed the demands and activities of my faculty-administrator and teacher roles to encroach upon the time needed to perform in my researcher role. To mitigate this strong tendency, at the start of my director’s appointment in August 2021, I implemented a daily writing practice, which involves writing exclusively during the same timeslot (8AM-10AM) Monday through Friday for two hours in the morning. If I must attend a meeting during this timeframe, then I either arrive in the office 30 minutes to two hours earlier or I reschedule my writing to occur at another time in the day. If it is extremely difficult to reschedule a full two hours of writing, then I write for a minimum of 30 minutes. After 10AM, I focus on my administrative and teaching responsibilities for the rest of the day until 5PM (but no later than 7PM). Writing first thing in the morning forces me to complete one of my responsibilities than cannot be delegated to another person: my research, writing, and scholarship.
 
I have a natural bent towards perfectionism, which is my second obstacle. I recognize its presence especially when I feel overwhelmed. What happens at the point of overwhelm is that “Perfect Angela” realizes that “Imperfect Angela” cannot complete a task or project in the way that “Perfect Angela” wants “Imperfect Angela” to complete it. “Perfect Angela” strongly dislikes “Imperfect Angela” at this point. I remind myself daily to “lower my standards,” where feasible, to manage my perfectionism proactively. (I understand that “lowering one’s standards” means different things to different people and I am not speaking of diminishing the “quality” of a completed task or project.) Once I realize that “Perfect Angela” and “Imperfect Angela” are engaged in a battle of wills, I ask myself one or more of these questions. Can you complete the task or project: at a (a) lower level of effort, (b) in less amount of time, and with (c) fewer revisions, (d) fewer “retouch points,” and (c) fewer “rethinking through sessions?” (Note: When at the questioning stage, I have all of the information, comprehension, and resources needed to complete the task or project.) If the answer is “yes” to at least one of these questions, then I begin to scale back prior strategies for completing the task or project. I find that simply asking these questions often settles my mind, stops “Perfect Angela” in her tracks, and helps “Imperfect Angela” to pause, recalibrate, and execute the task or project in a different way. 

Join Bowling Green State University virtually as we honor Dr. Robert L. Perry ’59, ’65 the inaugural director of the University’s ethnic studies program, with the naming of the Robert L. Perry Veranda at Shatzel Hall. I will make remarks as the current chair of the BGSU Department of Ethnic Studies. 

YouTube recording link is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NPdiZV8dK8

https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/7810628/american-popular-culture-1950
American Popular Culture Since 1950
Popular Culture has been an integral factor in the fabric of America since its inception. Indeed, the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, the film and television we watch, literature we consume and other facets of our daily being is heavily, if not entirely influenced by the culture that we reside in. Exploring this culture can reveal some of our most deeply held beliefs and assumptions, ideas that we may otherwise take for granted. This is particularly the case since the mid-20th century. We are soliciting proposals for a collection of essays on American Popular Culture Since 1950. Submitted proposals should discuss any of the following topics, celebrities, events, music, film, television, race, gender, religion, literature, sexuality, family, technology, etc. While we will consider submissions from ABD’s and individuals from varied academic backgrounds, STRONG PREFERENCE will be given to Ph.D.’s, Ed.D.’s, MFA’s, MBA’s, Juris Doctorate’s, Journalists, MD’s and others with terminal degrees. Proposals should be no more than two pages. Send submissions either to:
 
Elwood Watson, Ph.D.
Professor of History, African American Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies
East Tennessee State University
(423) 439-8575
[email protected]
 
or
 
Blake Scott Ball, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of History and Political Science
Huntingdon College
(334) 833-4550
[email protected]
 
Submission Deadline: 30 September 2021
Contact Email: [email protected]u