Author: Admin

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and former head of the American Studies Program, Associate Professor Octavian Roske, who passed away earlier today, at the age of 67. A graduate of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, where he majored in English and Romanian (1977-1981), Professor Roske started teaching in the English Department in 1993. He was an immensely popular teacher, rigorous but also encouraging and patient, with impressive knowledge of American history, the American political system, and the American constitution. Professor Roske’s research interests were vast and diverse, and they went beyond the scope of American studies. His work for the National Institute for the Study of Totalitarianism resulted in an impressive number of books and collections of documents that made an important contribution to the memory of the repressive totalitarian regime from Romania before 1989. During the communist regime, he co-wrote (with Daniel Barbu and Radu Ciuceanu) two clandestine studies that were sent to and broadcast by Radio Free Europe in 1981 and 1985, respectively. From 2000 to 2004, he was vice-dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, and from 2008 to his retirement in 2021, he was head of the English Department of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures. From 2012 to 2021 he was also head of the American Studies Program. We miss his leadership and generosity, his resourcefulness and ingenuity. May he rest in peace. 

Professor Roske is survived by his wife, daughter, and grandson. Our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time. 

It is our great pleasure to announce Dr. Anca Peiu’s new book, Sophisticated Ladies in Life and Literature: Selective Portraits. The book cover and press presentation are available below.

Anca Peiu:  Sophisticated Ladies in Life and Literature: Selective Portraits 

To a certain extent, Dr. Anca Peiu’s newly published volume, Sophisticated Ladies in Life and Literature: Selective Portraits (C. H. Beck, Bucharest, 2022), is a continuation of her book, Romantic Renderings of Selfhood in Classic American Literature (C. H. Beck, 2017). Each one of the chapters originally dedicated to Emily Dickinson, (with eighteen of her poems analyzed at that time), and Kate Chopin, (the bold American pioneer of literary naturalism, also carefully analyzed in Peiu’s same former volume) are now dutifully completed by the corresponding four essays, added in the present volume, each one of these essays deepening and nuancing the first approach of the two 19^th century American women writers. On the other hand, this new volume could bridge the gap between Romantic Renderings and a further book (as just a work in progress for now) about Old and New Southern feminine literature. The beginning is already accomplished in Sophisticated Ladies, by quite a number of Peiu’s academic essays focusing on such Southern lady writers as: Kate Chopin, Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty, Margaret Mitchell.

All in all, there are twenty-seven literary and cultural feminine personalities commented upon in this new book. Fifteen of them are American women writers and distinguished scholars, such as: Emily Dickinson, Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Gertrude Stein, Zelda Fitzgerald, Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty, Margaret Mitchell, Toni Morrison, Katherine Verdery, Anne F. Hyde, Therese Anne Fowler, Katie Henninger, Yaa Gyasi. Also here discussed then are two prominent Canadian feminine personalities of international prestige: writer Alice Munro, and literary theorist Linda Hutcheon. These are followed by three major women writers from the UK: Victorian novelist Anne Bronte; Virginia Woolf, the emblematic writer of British high modernism; and Angela Carter, a fine representative of British postmodernism, unfortunately also dead before her time now. Last but not least, no less than seven Romanian feminine cultural and literary personalities are presented within these pages, such as: Ana Blandiana, Lidia Vianu, Rodica Marian, Michaela Mudure, Luiza Pârvu, Olimpia Melinte, Amalia Precup. 

As anyone can see, two thirds of these authors are our contemporaries or at least were born during the 20^th century. They are quite distinct from each other as creative personalities. What they share though is – beside the divine gift of a unique individual talent – an exceptional intellectual capacity, plus resilience, plus devoted hard work. This book is paying tribute to some exemplary women workaholics, therefore as such it is bound to remain inexhaustible.       

In Memoriam

Irina Grigorescu Pană (1948-2022)

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, Professor Emerita Irina Grigorescu Pană, who passed away yesterday. Professor Pană was born on February 25, 1948, in Bucharest, and taught at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia and at the University of Bucharest, in the English Department. She was the author of many academic publications that reflected her interest in English-language literatures, comparative literature, and literary theory. She excelled at teaching all of these and other related subjects, but she also wrote fiction and was a member of the Writers’ Union of Romania. She was also one of the founding members of the Romanian Association for American Studies. As a professor, she will always be remembered not only for her remarkable intelligence and finesse, but also for her kindness to her students. Her classes were friendly spaces where intellectual curiosity was greatly encouraged and where her patience and generosity created a warm atmosphere that allowed for dialogue and discovery. As a colleague, she was always supportive and resourceful, and her wit and laid-back sense of humor will be sorely missed.

Rest in peace, Professor Pană. Your memory is a blessing to your former students, colleagues, and to your loving family, who is also in our thoughts. Through us, your presence endures.

Transitions: Transience, Subversion, and (Im)permanence in Contemporary American Culture

An American Studies Online Student Conference

Friday, May 20, 2022

9:00-9:30 Opening (Chair: Assoc. Prof. Mihaela Precup, Conference Organizer, University of Bucharest)

Dragoș Manea (Assist. Prof., Director of the American Studies Center, University of Bucharest)

Mihai Moroiu (Program Director, Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission)

William O’Connor (Cultural Affairs Officer, United States Embassy, Bucharest)

9:30-10:15 Opening Talk by William O’Connor (Cultural Affairs Officer, United States Embassy, Bucharest) on Transitions: Transience, Subversion, and (Im)permanence in Contemporary American Culture (Chair: Assoc. Prof. Mihaela Precup)

10:15-10:30 Coffee Break

10:30-12:00 Panel 1. Chair: Prof. Roxana Oltean (American Studies Program, University of Bucharest)

Mihaela Tone (American Studies MA Program, University of Bucharest). “Female Perpetration and  Gender Treachery in Bruce Miller’s The Handmaid’s Tale”

Ștefan Ionescu Ambrosie (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen). “Billingsgate, Bodily Fluids, and Millennial Socialism: The Dialogic Impasse of the Dirtbag Left”

Cristina Botîlcă (PhD student, The Doctoral School for Literary and Cultural Studies, University of Bucharest). “Transitioning from Tradition. Human Composting and Water Cremation in Contemporary America”

Andreea Moise (British Studies MA Program, University of Bucharest). “Death in the Making: Gendered Mourning in Sigrid Nunez’s What Are You Going Through”

12:00-12:45 Lunch Break

12:45-14.15 Panel 2. Chair: Assoc. Prof. Mihaela Precup (American Studies Program, University of Bucharest)

Ionuț-Laurențiu Cazan (American Studies MA Program, University of Bucharest). “Theorizing Animal Exploitation in The Flintstones as a Question of Reform”

Cristina-Maria Mihai (American Studies MA Program, University of Bucharest). “Transition and Adaptation in Gene Luen Yang’s Graphic Novel American Born Chinese (2006)”

Raul Săran (PhD Student, Doctoral School of Humanities, West University of Timișoara). ”From Meaninglessness to Irrelevancy – Chris Fogle and the “New” Heroism in David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King”

Andreea-Alexandra Călin (University of Bucharest (CESI), University of Leuven (Faculty of Arts). “Fragmentation and (Post)modern Society in Speedboat”

14:15-14.30 Coffee Break

14.30-16.10 Panel 3. Chair: Assist. Prof. Diana Benea (American Studies Program, University of Bucharest)

Andrada Stănei (American Studies BA Program, “Ovidius” University, Constanța). “Subverting Dracula: The Transition from a European Myth to an American Pop Culture Icon”

Viorel Samuel Tajkuna Teleagă (Modern Languages and Literatures, Faculty of Letters, History and Theology,  University of the West, Timișoara). ”From Angel to Androgynous Vamp: Greta Garbo’s Challenging and Subversion of Stereotypes about Femininity in Early American Film”

Oana Condurache (American Studies MA Program, University of the West, Timișoara). ”Chicano Literature—A Subversive Approach to the American Studies Curriculum”

Sefora Geantă (American Studies MA Program, University of Bucharest).  “Romanian Migration to the United States: Analyzing Spaces of Transition”

Denisa Aron (American Studies MA Program, University of Bucharest). “The Movie Trial of the Chicago 7 as a Subversive Mirror of the Past”

16.10-16.40 Coffee break / Jury Deliberation

16.40-17.00 “Dan Grigorescu” prize award ceremony. Closing remarks.

Jury:

Dr. Bri Ard, Director, International Education & Study Abroad, University of South Alabama, Fulbright fellow, American Studies Program, University of Bucharest

Dr. Ruxandra Rădulescu, Educational adviser, The Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission

Organizers:

The American Studies Program at the University of Bucharest

The Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission

The organizers would like to thank the U.S.

Embassy for their support.

Conference poster:

Andreea Moise

The American Studies Program at the University of Bucharest

invites proposals for its annual student conference on the topic

Transitions: Transience, Subversion, and (Im)permanence in Contemporary American Culture

to be held online

 on May 20, 2022.

We invite proposals for 15-minute presentations from undergraduate and MA students whose research is relevant to the topic of the conference. PhD students are also welcome to submit proposals, but should note that their presentations cannot be assessed for the “Dan Grigorescu” prize (please see more information below). Papers may come from the fields of literature, film, theater and performance arts, popular culture, visual culture and the media, history, politics, intercultural and interdisciplinary communication, transatlantic relations, as well as other academic areas that are relevant to the subject, and may address issues such as (but not necessarily limited to): cultural, economic and political transitions in American history; representations of transience, subversion, and impermanence in American culture; gender, sexuality, and transition; subversions of the status quo; war, conflict, and transitional spaces; transnational relations and transitional geographies; democracy, autocracy, and transition; transitional episodes and processes in American literary and cultural spaces. The best presentation will be awarded the “Dan Grigorescu” Prize (US$ 200).

Submission Guidelines

Please submit the following:

1. a 250-word abstract attached as an MS Word file. Your abstract must include the title of your paper and the name of the academic coordinator who has agreed to supervise your paper. Please note that, considering that each presentation will be 15 minutes long, final papers should be approximately 5-6 pages long (Times New Roman, font 12, double-spaced). However, we strongly encourage participants to present and not simply read their papers.

2. 3-5 keywords from your essay;

3. Contact information (name, affiliation, phone number, and email address).

Please email your submissions to mihaela.precup@lls.unibuc.ro.

Deadline for submissions: May 8, 2022.

Notifications of acceptance: May 12, 2022.

For any questions, please contact Dr. Mihaela Precup (mihaela.precup@lls.unibuc.ro).

Our partners: US Embassy | Fulbright Commission in Romania | English Department, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Bucharest

Toți candidații se vor conecta la începutul sesiunii. Dacă aveți vreo întrebare, vă rugăm să ne scrieți la adresa dragos.manea@lls.unibuc.ro.

Nr. crt.	Nume şi prenume	ORA
1.	Cătuneanu F. Adela Miruna	16:00
2.	Dinu A. Eric	16:15
3,	Maxim F. Jenifer-Simona	16:30
4,	Neagu C. Dan-Mihai	16:45
5.	Passamonte M. Claudia	17:00

Studenții și masteranzii vor primi invitația pe adresele lor de e-mail. Ambele întâlniri vor avea loc pe Zoom.

Licență:

1. 10:00 – 10:15 Pîrvu, Elena: Hip-hopul ca modalitate de reducere a stigmatizării sănătății mintale în comunitatea afro-americană, profesor coordonator Maria-Sabina Draga Alexandru; (Studii Americane-Rusă)
2. 10:15 – 10:30 Maxim, Jenifer-Simona: Teenage Representation through Teen Television Series: Gender Identity and Sexuality in  Sex Education (2019) and Euphoria (2019), profesor coordonator Dragoş Manea; (Studii Americane-Coreeană)
3. 10:30 – 10:45 Voju, Alexandru: O Glumă Proastă: Traumă și Realism în Watchmen, profesor coordonator Dragoş Manea; (Spaniolă-Engleză)

Masterat:

14:00 – 14:15 Ciobanu, Oana Adina: Contemporary Media Representations of Mental Illnesses in Split and Joker, profesor coordonator Mihaela Precup

CALL FOR PAPERS
The 9th International Conference
Synergies in Communication (SiC 2021)
28 – 29 October 2021

The Department of Modern Languages and Business Communication of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE), Romania, is organizing the 9th annual international conference Synergies in Communication (SiC 2021), to be held online on 28-29 October 2021. The event will be organized under the auspices of the Faculty of International Business and Economics in partnership with Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), University of Hyogo, University of Zaragoza, Quest Romania, PROSPER-ASE Language Centre and The Romanian Society for English and American Studies (RSEAS), a member of The European Society for the Study of English (ESSE). The conference will be dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the European Day of Languages and will be included in the EDL data base of the Council of Europe and the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML/CELV).

For more information, please see:

Susținerile pentru disertații la masteratul de studii americane vor avea loc online pe 30 iunie 2021, de la ora 12.00. Programarea este afișată mai jos (masteranzii vor fi invitați și de către secretarul comisiei).

Militaru	Valentina Ana Maria	Conf. Maria-Sabina Draga Alexandru	12:00
Hîngu	Ioana	Lect. Diana Benea	12:15
Radhouani	Assila	Prof. Mădălina Nicolaescu	12:30
Alupoae	Diana Daniela	Prof. Roxana Oltean	12:45

Preşedinte:

Prof. dr. Roxana Elena Oltean

Membri:

Conf. dr. Dana Mihăilescu

Conf. dr. Anca Peiu

Secretar: Asist. dr. Alexandra Bacalu

Supleant: Lect. dr. Dragoș Manea