Messina is seeking 1-2 faculty members and/or Messina mentors to assist with the development of the 2022 study guide, essay and creative expression contest, facilitator guide and campus programming for the 2022-2023 Common Text, The Vanishing Half. The one to two people selected to assist with this project will work in conjunction with the Messina Director to prepare materials and presentations in advance of summer orientation and Fall Welcome Weekend.
The associated tasks and timeline for completion are included below. The successful candidate will have research or teaching experience with the topics discussed in The Vanishing Half. including racial identity, racism, colorism, LGBTQ+ identities, and racial passing. In particular, we are looking for member of our academic community who can offer students, faculty and colleagues guidance both in reading and teaching The Vanishing Half. Messina will offer a $1000 stipend for one person (or $500 if the work is divided by two people) as compensation for this project.
Please e-mail Michael Puma at mpuma@loyola.edu no later than Wednesday, May 26, 2022 to express interest in the project.
Task Date/Timeline Notes
- Meet with Messina Director in Early June
- By June 20, 2022 - Develop Study Guide for First-Year Students
- By July 25, 2022 - Develop Facilitation Guide for Messina Faculty and Administrators. Offer themes, conversations starters and resources.
- August 10-22, 2022 - Review and Evaluate Common Text Essay and Creative Expression Contest Entries - We typically receive between 40-70 entries. Additional volunteers will assist with the essay contest (you will not need to read all the essays)
- August 29 - Facilitate discussion and introduce Facilitation Guide at August Messina Meeting and Student Leader Workshop
- Fall Welcome Weekend - Participate in Common Text Panel. Panel participants will meet at least once in mid-August to prepare presentation.
- Family Weekend (morning) - Offer a session during Messina Family Teach-In
- Participate in Common Text Event Series TBD - This is an opportunity to host a speaker or event of interest to you.