Rudeness seems to be everywhere these days. In his new book, “Rudeness Rehab: Reclaiming Civility in the Workplace and Your Home Space” (2024, Indie Books International), psychologist and author John M. O’Brien compares the spread of rudeness in our culture to the spread of COVID-19, “[it’s] like a new pandemic plaguing human interactions worldwide.” One can hardly disagree as society is becoming more divisive.

It is easy to see the negative effects of aggression and violence, but this book shines light on the harmful impacts of rudeness. “Most of us are less aware of the more subtle but nonetheless toxic behavior that is incivility,” O’Brien says in his book. Treating each other poorly, whether family members, coworkers, or perfect strangers affects both the physical and emotional health of all involved.

Throughout Rudeness Rehab, O’Brien guides readers to see the value in interacting with others kindly, presents tools to identify and nullify rudeness triggers, and offers strategies for a civil way forward. Colt Briner, author of “The Race to Relevance,” says “Rudeness Rehab,” “is an investment in emotional intelligence. These are the sorts of lessons that pay dividends for a lifetime.” Professor Brenda McAleer, Ph.D., Associate Provost of the Âé¶čAPP (UMA) and the Dean of the College of Professional Studies, says she feels more equipped to deal with incivility in her own life and in her ability to help others who may be struggling with this issue. “I have even used the final sentence in his prologue in teaching my Organizational Behavior college course: ‘Every moment in life is a new chance for a reset and an opportunity to start fresh.’”

In celebration of the book’s launch on October 8, Amazon’s Kindle is offering the e-version of “Rudeness Rehab: Reclaiming Civility in the Workplace and Your Home Space” for just 99 cents through October 15.

John M. O’Brien, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice since 1998. He is founder of Mental Health Associates of Maine and Activate Success. O’Brien serves as an adjunct professor at the Âé¶čAPP, teaching courses in psychology, trauma, and addiction-related topics, and also provides professional speaking on a variety of topics related to effective stress management with a special emphasis on civility. He is an International Coaching Federation Associate Certified Coach (ICF ACC) and National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach through the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching. O’Brien equips people with tangible skills and concrete tools that empower them to swiftly reduce stress levels and enhance wellness. More information about O’Brien, his work and his book, is available at .

In the field of Community Psychology, one strong area of study is psychological sense of community (PSOC) and its connection to individual and community wellbeing. Vulnerable and marginalized communities often have a different relationship to their community during times of calm; this can be exacerbated in times of crisis. Trauma-Informed Emergency Management (TEM) can provide insight into the necessity of community connection during crisis to aid in recovery and resilience.

Following this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Explain and apply the components of psychological sense of community (PSOC)
• Analyze the complex interactions of positive versus negative, and weak versus strong PSOC in vulnerable and marginalized populations
• Understand the principles of Trauma-Informed Emergency Management (TEM)
• Describe the role of community connection in crisis response and recovery

Dr. Laura Kate (Kati) Corlew is a Community and Cultural Psychologist whose expertise includes the psychology of disaster and climate change, and social justice issues such as racism and discrimination against the poor. Prior to joining the faculty at the Âé¶čAPP, she was a community researcher on disaster and climate change preparedness in the Pacific Islands region. She lives in Hampden, ME with her husband and two good dogs.

Dr. Kati Corlew’s Psychology in Context Lab (PiC Lab) is hiring Research Assistants!

This position is part of the Barracuda Project (Biodiversity and RuRal Adaptation to Climate Change Using Data Analysis), an interdisciplinary and multi-university team, and is funded by an NSF EPSCoR grant.

These are mentored positions. You will join a team of four RAs who actively participate in research training and the development of science communication, outreach, and engagement research to support local farmers with climate adaptation tools.

Can be fully remote!

This position pays $16.80/hr, up to 15 hours/week. The position will continue through Fall 2023 and Spring 2024.

Position Responsibilities

• Being an active member of the PiC Lab by attending weekly lab meetings in person or via Zoom and actively contributing to research development, implementation, analysis, and dissemination;
• Participating in research training;
• Collaboratively drafting research materials including measures, protocols, and dissemination materials;
• Providing collaborative feedback on materials drafted by others in the Lab;
• Maintaining confidential research participant records, including consent forms, communication records, and research data;
• Maintaining a welcoming and professional presence at all community events;
• Transcribing focus group recordings and other data input as needed;
• Maintaining a cool head and creatively troubleshooting the inevitable snags in the research process;
• Other activities as needed/desired.

Position Requirements

• Be currently enrolled and in good standing at UMA;
• Have basic computer skills, including facility with word processor and spreadsheet software (e.g. MS Word and Excel; Google Docs and Sheets);
• Basic writing and public speaking skills.
• Preference will be given to students who:
  • Have completed one or more Research Methods course(s) (e.g., SSC 220, SSC 320), Qualitative Research Methods course (e.g., SSC 360) and/or Climate Change related course (e.g., PSY 333);
  • Have excellent writing, public speaking, or creative design skills.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter/statement of interest to kate.corlew@maine.edu.

The presence, use, and regulation of social media strongly shape outcomes in politics, education, healthcare, business, and many other institutions. The need for individuals and organizations to understand their place within the social media environment is reflected in a strong and growing job market for people with skills in social media analysis and management. Students who study social media at UMA will be prepared to understand, analyze, and communicate with social media.

Two classes are being offered in the Fall 2022 semester that help fulfill the requirements of the concentration: COM 410, Communication, New Technology, and Interpersonal Relationships, and COM/SOC 375, Social Networks. Both courses are being offered online.

COM 410, Communication, New Technology, and Interpersonal Relationships

This course, which is being offered at UMA for the first time this fall, will help students understand why sometimes it’s easier to type things than to say them out loud, if people actually lie more online, how to ask your partner to stop scrolling through Facebook while you’re hanging out, and how to send an email that doesn’t sound passive aggressive.

Dr. Valerie Rubinsky, an Assistant Professor of Communication in the Social Science Program who teaches the new course, says, “Our lives are increasingly multimodal – for most of our relationships, we don’t just talk to people face to face, or just over email, or just through social media, we communicate across many channels and many modalities. The features of those channels constrain and expand the possibilities for effective communication, and understanding them can help folks learn to communicate more effectively with the people in their personal and professional lives.”

COM/SOC 375, Social Networks

Who you are as an individual helps shape your fate, but who surrounds you matters even more. This course introduces a way of measuring social context – the social network – that is a simple but powerful tool for understanding the social world. Everything having to do with social networks can be boiled down to two basic ideas: that people enter into relationships with one another and join social groups. Social network analysts make the audacious claim that if you can describe patterns of relationships and groups, you have all you need to understand most of our social world.

Social network analysis is one of the hottest areas of research in the social sciences right now, and students who understand social networks will be prepared for work in a number of fields, including the new social media industry. Take this course to get your foot in the door. “What you know about the world and what you can do in the world depends on who you know,” says James Cook, UMA Associate Professor of Sociology and instructor of the Social Networks course. “I’m eager to help students learn to measure and understand the social networks around them, because that knowledge is power.”

For more information about the Social Science Program or , contact Lorien Lake-Corral, Associate Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of the Social Science program, at lorien.lakecorral@maine.edu.

Registration is Open for Fall Courses! 

The Âé¶čAPP is pleased to announce the following award recipients from the UMA community

Katherine Weatherford Darling, Assistant Professor of Sociology, was selected as a recipient of the Donald Harward Faculty Award for Service-Learning Excellence. This award recognizes outstanding Maine faculty who integrate community or public service into the curriculum and who work to institutionalize service-learning. Recipients are nominated and those selected demonstrate a clear evidence of reflection, community benefit, reciprocity with community partners, and a commitment to advocating for service-learning and/or community action on campus and beyond.

Katherine Weatherford Darling is a medical sociologist and health equity researcher with training in feminist science studies and the ethical, legal and social implications of genomics. Her research and pedagogy actively challenge hierarchies of expertise within and beyond the university. With students and community partners leading the way, she uses participatory sociological methods to understand how social inequities impact the health of Maine communities. Students’ deep personal knowledge and embedded relationships with their communities are essential to their research, and Katherine encourages them to reflect on the interactions between their experiential and academic learning processes.

Heidi Toner, recent UMA 2022 Graduate and previous Student Government Association Chair, received the Heart and Soul Student Award. This recognizes Maine undergraduate students who are actively involved in transforming their campuses and communities into environments of civic engagement. Through a nomination process, six students are selected for this honor. The award goes to students who have developed positive community and campus change; worked to institutionalize their community projects; demonstrated leadership; and implemented innovative approaches to social issues.

Heidi Toner was a non-traditional student in Mental Health and Human Services Program with a concentration in Addictions Counseling on the Bangor campus of the Âé¶čAPP (UMA-Bangor). Her two teenage daughters are her motivation and inspiration. Heidi has served as President of the Bangor Student Government Association at UMA-Bangor, and also advocates for those affected by substance abuse through the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project. Her efforts on campus to bring self-care and wellness programs, breakfast/snack baskets, and toiletries to the students of UMA-Bangor have been her passion.

Âé¶čAPP Social Science Program received the President’s Campus Leadership Award. This award recognizes a student organization or campus department at each MCC member institution for contributions to community service, service-learning, and/or civic engagement efforts on their campus.

Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition (MPAC) was awarded Community Partner of the Year Award for their work with Âé¶čAPP Prison Education Partnership.

Salvatore Cardinale was awarded the PILLARS Honorable Mention Student Award. This award recognizes Philanthropy, Innovation, Learning, Leadership, Action, Responsibility, and Service.

Maine Campus Compact is a coalition of 18 member campuses whose purpose is to catalyze and lead a movement to reinvigorate the public purposes and civic mission of higher education. They seek to transform campuses in ways that develop better informed, active citizen problem-solvers, stronger communities, and a more just democratic society.

Participants must be 18 years or older and a registered undergraduate student within the University of Maine System.

Thank you for supporting student research!

The UMA 2022-2023 Scholarship application is open now with a deadline of March 31, 2022.

Applicants will be evaluated on academic achievement, leadership, and community and/or campus service.

Steps to Apply

1. Submit the online form available on the Scholarships webpage.
2. Attach resume and cover letter containing a personal statement as to why the applicant feels they should be considered for a scholarship.

Details

• Scholarships based on financial eligibility require the student to submit their by UMA’s preferred filing deadline of March 1, 2022.
• All Scholarships require a minimum academic cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
• Scholarship awardees will be notified no later than May 1, 2022.
• Students graduating in Summer 2022 or Fall 2022 are NOT eligible for these scholarships.

Questions?

Contact UMA Student Financial Services at umafa@maine.edu.

The Health Equity Dialogue series will hold a special session on February 14th from 12-1:30 PM on Zoom to look back at and reflect on all of the excellent dialogues that have been convened since Spring 2019.

Please view any dialogues you may have missed, or revisit a favorite topic then, join us for an open discussion facilitated by UMA faculty members Drs. Kate Darling, Valerie Rubinsky, and Sarah Hentges.

For more information and accessibility requests, email katherine.darling@maine.edu.

Health equity is the justice principle that everyone should have an equal opportunity to achieve health. The goal of the Health Equity Dialogues is to convene and connect scholars, community members, public health professionals, and healthcare practitioners across disciplinary divides and silos to work on high-priority community health challenges in Maine.

For more information, disability accommodations, or to request the related materials to review before the event, please contact Sarah Hentges at sarah.hentges@maine.edu.

February 10—Slavery in the American Criminal Justice System

The documentary, 13th explores Section One of 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution which states: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Sharon McMahon Sawyer (Justice Studies) will lead a discussion where we will discuss 13th and the relationship between this Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States and our current American criminal justice system.

February 17—Race & Racism After Genomics in U.S. Biomedicine

In this talk professor Kate Darling (Social Science/Sociology) discusses some of the ways that the molecular revolution has shifted concepts of race and ancestry among scientists, clinicians, and lay people. Race science has a long history in biomedicine. In our discussion, we’ll think through the ways we know race and racism in contemporary biomedicine.

February 24—Social Determinants of Health

Vickie Ireland (Nursing) will lead the discussion as we examine structural racism and poverty and how this contributes to inadequacies in health and wellness. We will also relate this information to rural populations and discuss Social Determinants of Health within the state of Maine.

March 3—Race and Social Justice in Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal”

Lisa Botshon (English) will lead a discussion on the short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison, which was first published in Horizon magazine in 1947. A slightly revised version of this short story became Part I of Ellison’s most famous work The Invisible Man, which came out in 1952. We will be reading this piece in conjunction with a Danforth Gallery show on The Invisible Man by Portland photographer SĂ©an Alonzo Harris.

March 10—Art and Social Justice

Join Amy Rahn (Art) and special guest, Portland photographer SĂ©an Alonzo Harris, as we discuss his work as well as his Danforth Gallery show on The Invisible Man. Harris’s work has been named by Maine Magazine as one of the “60 Most Collectible Artist in Maine” and has been featured by USA Today, LL Bean, Yankee Magazine, and Harvard Radcliffe Magazine, among others. He teaches Maine Media Workshops and a variety of collaborative, community-driven projects with nonprofit organizations. More information about .

March 24—Race and Social Justice Issues with Climate Change

Dr. Kati Corlew (Social Science/Psychology) will present research and implications regarding the human dimensions of climate change, with a particular focus on social justice, racial minorities, indigenous populations, and developing nations. Please be prepared to contribute to the Q&A and discussion session that follows.

March 31—Panel Discussion: New Mainer’s Public Health Initiative

Readings/Resources: please review New Mainers Public Health Initiative

Susan Baker (Biology) will chair this panel as Abdulkerim Said, director of New Mainers Public Health Initiative will talk about his work. Abdulkerim is a former student and UMA graduate. Jusuf Abdi, a local PA and UMA grad as well, may be willing to join him.

April 7—Penobscot Nation and Tribal Law

Judge Eric Mehnert and Magistrate Judge Rhonda Decontie will be joining us to share their experience and expertise concerning their work with the Penobscot Nation Tribal Court.

April 21—What Do You Stand For?

Justin Michael Williams argues that we are often fighting against racism when it is more productive to fight for the world that we imagine and envision. Sarah Hentges (American Studies) will lead this discussion as we consider how we move forward, as individuals and as a UMA community, and as a nation.

Readings/Resources: Justin Michael Williams, “Ending Racism: How to Change the World in One Generation”

April 28—Poetry for Social Justice: Reginald Dwayne Betts’ Felon

In anticipation of Reginald Dwayne Betts’ keynote reading at the Plunkett Poetry Festival on April 29, Noel Tague (English) will lead this session as we read and discuss his collection of poems, Felon. During class we’ll spend some time reading the poems aloud, connecting to earlier discussions in the semester about mass incarceration, and thinking about how poems can function as vehicles of resistance and change. We’ll also set aside some time to experiment with erasure poetry during class.

For more information, contact Sarah Hentges at sarah.hentges@maine.edu and/or talk to your advisor to see how these classes fit into your overall major program.

JUS 315: Tribal Law

The instructor for this course is Judge Eric Mehnert of the Penobscot Nation Trial Court, who developed a unique Wellness Court model, based on restorative justice principles and native healing practices. The Wellness Court deals with the aftermath of generations of systemic trauma and does an excellent job at restoring people to full participation in their community.
This is a completely different model from our usual court system. If you have an interest in social justice, substance abuse rehabilitation, child and family welfare, Native American culture, or cultural awareness, this course is for you!

HTY 321: US Immigration History

The history of immigration is central to both American history and evolving ideas of what it means to be an American. In this class, we will examine immigration history through several lenses, including social histories of diverse ethnic groups, evolving legal policies, waves of refugee and asylum seekers, and the shifting place of the “immigrant” in the American national imagination.

INT/HON 188: The Interdisciplinary Colloquium: Race and Social Justice

Spring 2022: Offered Thursdays from 4 to 5 pm (and online asynch “delayed viewing” section)
This year’s academic theme is Race & Social Justice. In this 1-credit spring course, students will learn about race and social justice from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Each week a different faculty member will present/lead discussion based upon an assigned reading, film, or other text. We will consider, for instance: literature/art/poetry, science, and social science approaches as well as health inequities, state violence, the prison industrial complex, identity and representation, embodiment, power and empowerment, and proactive and productive ways to work toward social justice. Students who are interested in earning 3 credits on the theme of race and social justice may choose to enroll in INT 389 in addition to INT/HON 188.
In short: each week for this class students will have a short reading or video to watch each week, a class meeting to attend (or recording to watch), and a post/reply or journal option or one-hour conversation group. A short final reflection will conclude the work for this course.

INT 389 (2 credits)

Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies: Race & Social Justice
Students who enroll in INT/HON 188 may opt to enroll in this 2-credit course, giving them 3 credits total. Students in this 2-credit course will be asked to engage in online discussion and to complete a paper/project on the theme of race and social justice to be presented at the UMA Student Research Conference on April 22, 2022. Offered asynchronous online.

AME/INT/WGS 430E: Embodied Social Justice: Racialized Trauma and Cultural Transformation

What does it feel like to be centered, grounded, and in your body? How does this state allow us to heal and hold space for others to heal? Embodied Social Justice is an interdisciplinary field/focus of study that combines and expands critical educational theories, critical race theories, and intersectional feminist theory along with trauma studies, transformative justice, Somatics, neuroscience, and so much more. In this course, we will explore theoretical foundations as well as embodied practices as we develop a deeper understanding of individual and structural transformation and empowerment. We will consider the role of the body in social and cultural movements, intergenerational and racialized trauma, compound and collective trauma, cultural appropriation, critical consciousness, and mind/body healing practices like yoga and meditation. 3 CR. Prereqs: any AME, INT, or WGS course OR permission of instructor.

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