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Research covers wide spectrum from homeland security to boycotts and development: WCSU scholars forum Nov. 19 explores communication strategies

DANBURY, CONN. — Western Connecticut State University will present four WCSU faculty members in a discussion of their recent research work at the “Scholars in Action” forum at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, in White Hall Room 127 on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury.

Scholars from the fields of justice and law, marketing, philosophy and sociology will offer diverse perspectives on the theme, “Choices Constrained: Communication Strategies and their (Un)Intended Consequences.” Admission will be free and the public is invited. Reservations to attend are requested; RSVP confirmations may be sent to the Office of the Provost at cunninghamj@wcsu.edu.

The panelists will include Dr. Hasan Arslan, associate professor of Justice and Law Administration; Dr. Xiaoqi Han, associate professor of Marketing; Dr. Anna Malavisi, assistant professor of Philosophy and Humanistic Studies; and Dr. Manoj Misra, assistant professor of Social Sciences. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Missy Alexander will moderate the panel.

Following are the topics that the panelists will discuss in their presentations:

  • image of Associate Professor of Justice and Law Administration Dr. Hasan Arslan
    Associate Professor of Justice and Law Administration Dr. Hasan Arslan

    Dr. Hasan Arslan will offer fresh perspectives on America in the post-9/11 “age of homeland security” in his presentation, “Popular Culture and Homeland Security.” Arslan will ask his audience to consider how “homeland security” should be defined, whether natural disasters fall within this definition, and whether a useful distinction can be made between internal and external threats to national security. His talk also will explore book, TV and film portrayals of homeland security topics, and consider whether the concept of homeland security existed prior to 9/11.

  • image of Associate Professor of Marketing Dr. Xiaoqi Han
    Associate Professor of Marketing Dr. Xiaoqi Han

    Dr. Xiaoqui Han will discuss her study analyzing differing patterns of consumer decision-making in her talk,“Social Exclusion and Consumer Boycotting.” Han’s experimental research has found that consumer decisions about boycotting a company’s products and services will vary depending on whether consumers feel excluded because they are ignored, or because they have suffered rejection. Her study concludes that consumers who feel ignored but not rejected will boycott companies that they perceive as socially irresponsible within a narrower context of personal consumption choices. Han also will discuss the impact on boycotting decisions of perceived political exclusion in majority/minority power structures.

  • image of Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Humanistic Studies Dr. Anna Malavisi
    Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Humanistic Studies Dr. Anna Malavisi

    Dr. Anna Malavisi will discuss the role of academics in meeting the most persistent and vexing problems in socioeconomic development worldwide in her presentation, “Academics as Allies: Reflecting on Global Development.” Malavisi will suggest that the cross-disciplinary approach to problem-solving offered by the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative, a collaborative research and outreach collective based at Michigan State University, offers an innovative and concrete approach to supporting critical dialogue among stakeholders in the global development process. She maintains that effective communication among all parties will promote better understanding of the values and beliefs that influence development decisions, and that academics can make an important contribution to advancing socioeconomic progress in collaboration with development professionals.

  • image of Assistant Professor of Social Sciences Dr. Manoj Misra
    Assistant Professor of Social Sciences Dr. Manoj Misra

    Dr. Manoj Misra will explore the struggles of grassroots community stakeholders confronting a repressive political climate to gain a meaningful hearing for their demands for environmental justice in his talk, “Environmental Justice Resistance in an Authoritarian Era.” Misra has chronicled popular protests that have sought to block the planned joint venture by India and Bangladesh to build a coal-fired power plant near the world’s largest contiguous mangrove forest and a major tiger habitat, the Sundarbans in Bangladesh. Noting that a heightened climate of authoritarianism has limited opportunities for grassroots resistance in Bangladesh, he will discuss how environmental organizations can work more effectively to highlight the concerns and priorities of community groups who otherwise find themselves marginalized and powerless.

 

 

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