Canadian Studies at Michigan State University

Announcements

Great Lakes FOLK FESTIVAL

August 8-10, 2008

The Great Lakes Folk Festival, sponsored by the City of East Lansing will take place in downtown East Lansing.
In order to continue making this family-friendly festival a free event, the Great Lakes Folk Festival relies on cash and in-kind support from a variety of sources, including Michigan State University, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of East Lansing. Other major primary sponsorships are being sought from public and private sources.
The richness of music, dance, arts and culture from across America and around the world come to us as the Michigan State University Museum presents the 2008 Great Lakes Folk Festival. Some great Canadian musicians will come:

George Gao - Chinese Erhu - Toronto, Ontario. Erhu is a Chinese two-string fiddle. He tours the world frequently, performing in entertainment centers such as the United States, Canada, France and China.Gao has performed with multiple orchestras as a soloist, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra. His most notable work is on the Emmy Award-nominated soundtrack of the television series Earth: Final Conflict.He has also performed with the Canada-based violin group Bowfire.
Réveillons! - Quebecois - Montréal, Québec, Canada. In French, the imperative Réveillons! means “wake up!” The band named Réveillons! has embraced that energizing command as its mission. It aims to do nothing less than reawaken a collective memory of the roots of Quebecois music. While Réveillons! plays festivals and large venues, the heart of their music making remains linked to the dance halls and bars where the community comes together in celebration. The group also shares its expertise and passion through workshops on Quebecois musical technique, history, and dancing.
April Verch - Ottawa Valley Fiddle - Pembroke, Ontario. A master fiddler from Ottawa Valley in Canada.
Verch performs contemporary and traditional fiddle tunes with a band, featuring string bass, guitar and drums. She l also treats the audience to her dynamic singing and dancing.
Among her many honors, Verch was named Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion in 1997 and Canadian Open Fiddle Champion in 1998. Verch has toured Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates, and she has performed for such varied venues as the Millennium Celebrations at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Oklahoma Bluegrass Festival.
Vishten - Acadian - Prince Edward Island, Canada. They plays a mixture of Acadian, Irish, and Scottish music styles, with fiery fiddling and powerful step dancing taking front and center. Vishten is a sextet of young traditional Acadian musicians/dancers.
Their stage show recalls the joy and energy of the Acadian “kitchen party,” informal community gatherings where all are welcome to sing, play and dance. The rhythms and melodies are inseparable, and reflect the joie de vivre (from the French "the joy of living") of the Acadian culture of Eastern Canada, with flying fingers, tapping feet, and an unabashed sense of celebration.
All the members in the group contribute to the choreography and musical arrangements, and they all sing. On stage, they work with individual wooden “blocs” that they sit on, dance and play on top of, and use as percussion instruments with both their hands and feet. Their performances are characterized by their high energy and enthusiasm.
In 2001, Vishten was awarded the prize for the best musical showcase at the East Coast Music Awards, Eastern Canada’s version of the Grammy and in 2002, they were invited to participate in the ECMA’s opening performance. They recently toured with famed Québécois band La Bottine Souriante, and recorded on La Bottine Soriante’s Mille Pattes record label.

This FREE, unique fusion of arts fair, music festival, county fair, multi-ethnic festival, hands-on activity workshops and celebration of cultural heritage will be held Aug 8-10, 2008 in downtown East Lansing.
The Great Lakes Folk Festival showcases the traditional cultural treasures of the nation's Upper Midwest and a sampling of the best of traditional artists from around the country and the world.

Director of Canadian Studies Center Position Announcement

Description

Michigan State University (MSU), the nation's premier land-grant university, invites applications for the position of Director of MSU's Canadian Studies Center (CSC). The appointment of the Director will be 50% in CSC; the balance of the appointment will be in an appropriate academic department.
The appointment is on an annual (12-month) basis for a five-year period, with renewal possible.

Responsibilities

The Director of the CSC reports directly to the Dean of International Studies and Programs and is responsible for providing intellectual and programmatic leadership to advance and promote excellence in MSU's diverse research, teaching, and outreach activities relating to Canada. The position requires policy development and implementation capabilities as well as the ability to work collaboratively with faculty and administrators of academic units across the university and with other area studies and international thematic centers to promote international research, education, outreach and service programs.
The duties of the Director of CSC include supervising the center's programs and staff; developing and sustaining strategic partnerships with higher education and other institutions in Canada to advance collaborative research, teaching, and engagement activities that positively impact critical local, national, and global issues; facilitating and catalyzing collaborative, multi-disciplinary and cross-college faculty research and proposals for external funding of such research; developing grant proposals and securing external funds for center programs; overseeing center undergraduate and graduate specializations and majors; and facilitating graduate student proposals for external research funding. The director is expected to foster collaborative relationships with and among diverse constituent and stakeholder groups such as faculty, administrators, students, academic departments and colleges, K-12 institutions, local Canadian communities, and colleagues and institutions in the United States, and Canada.
_________

Fredric C. Bohm
Acting Director, Canadian Studies Center
517-353-9349 bohm@msu.edu

Native People of the Great Lakes Region
TEACH Great Lakes has released a new module in the history & culture section: Native People of the Great Lakes Region For more information, click here.

CINSA Conference:
The Canadian Indigenous/Native Studies Association (CINSA) Conference 2008 was hosted by the Community Economic and Social Development (CESD) department of Algoma University College (Algoma University College, Sault Ste. Marie) on June 18 to 20, 2008.

Back To Top

Mission statement:

To educate and raise awareness of MSU students and faculty to the importance of the many faceted U.S. – Canada relationship
To provide support to MSU students and faculty in education and research projects related to Canada
Liaison for Michigan State University, MSU students and faculty with the Canadian government, Canadian higher education and Canadian public and private sectors for the development and enhancement and implementation of U.S – Canada public policy, cooperative educational linkages and research

The Canadian Studies Center provides teaching, research and outreach support to those interested in the many relationships between Canada and the United States, is derived from the university's land-grant ethic. Areas of study include anthropology, American studies, business, economics, English, fisheries and wildlife, food science, geography, history, labor and industrial relations, resource development, and social sciences as well as teacher education.
The Canadian Studies Center is among the area studies programs directed by Jeffrey R. Riedinger, Dean of International Studies and Programs.

More information about the center is located in the about us section.