UPEI Showcases Four New Publications by Faculty of Arts Researchers
A celebration to showcase four recent publications by professors in the UPEI Faculty of Arts took place at the University on January 20. The books reflect the significant contributions that UPEI faculty members are making to diverse areas of new knowledge, both nationally and internationally.
"The Faculty of Arts is extremely proud of the accomplishments of our scholars, both in terms of quantity and quality," said Richard Kurial, UPEI Dean of Arts.
Philosophy professors Malcolm Murray and Nebojsa Kujundzic co-authored "Critical Reflection: A Textbook for Critical Thinking" published by McGill-Queen's University Press. It highlights the role of reason in a world saturated by media-enhanced persuasion and complex scientific and technological jargon. The book effectively incorporates real-life examples and exercises drawn from media and politics.
Chair of the UPEI History department, Dr. Ian Dowbiggin is the author of "A Concise History of Euthanasia: Life, Death, God, and Medicine" published by Rowman and Littlefield. The book traces the controversial record of mercy-killing. Dowbiggin examines evolving opinions about what constitutes a good death, taking into account the societal and religious values placed on sin, suffering, resignation, judgment, penance and redemption.
From the Political Studies department, professors Barry Bartmann, and Henry Srebrnik have teamed up with Tozun Bahcheli, professor of political science at King's College in London, Ontario to produce "De Facto States: The Quest for Sovereignty" published by Routledge.
The book discusses a large group of would-be sovereignties which are now seeking international recognition. The cases they describe are to be found throughout the world: Abkhazia and Chechnya in the Caucasus; Kosovo, Montenegro, Republika Srpska, and Transnistria in eastern Europe; Palestine and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the Middle East; Somaliland in Africa; and Bougainville in the Pacific.
Director of the UPEI Institute of Island Studies, Irenand#233; Novaczek, and Sociology/Anthropology professor Jean Mitchell have co-edited "Pacific Voices: Equity and Sustainability in Pacific Islands Fisheries" with Joeli Veitayaki from the University of the South Pacific. The book provides a fresh look, through a gender lens, at Pacific fisheries issues. This volume of case studies was researched and authored by Pacific Islanders in collaboration with UPEI academics. It is a new resource for coastal communities, politicians, government staff and NGO facilitators who are engaged in fisheries policy and coastal community development.
The professors who authored and edited these four new publications are members of a rapidly-growing pool of research talent at UPEI. The University has established itself as one of the top undergraduate research universities in Canada. Research Infosource Inc., a consulting firm which monitors Canadian universities' success in research development, designated UPEI as one of three "Research Universities of the Year" in 2005.
