Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences

Coastal Carolina University will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and Friday. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday, and we look forward to seeing you on Monday!

Congratulations to Ami Stearns, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminology in the Coastal Carolina University Department of Sociology, on being selected as a finalist for the annual Gourmand World Food Culture Award! Her book, “Prison Recipes and Prison Cookbooks,” explores the unique realm of prison food, written through the lenses of narrative criminology and abolition. Learn more about this award and her journey into correctional cuisine: bit.ly/stearnsaward.

Attention educators seeking to expand your STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) expertise: Our new 30-credit M.Ed. in STEM Education degree is designed just for you! This dynamic program provides advanced content knowledge and cutting-edge teaching strategies for pre-K-12 classrooms, helping you to empower the next generation of innovators. Learn more: coastal.edu/stemed.

We're excited to announce the second annual South Carolina Creative Sociology Writing Competition! This contest is open to South Carolina undergraduate and graduate students from any academic discipline. Cash prizes will be awarded, and submissions are due on Feb. 3. For complete details, visit https://lnkd.in/dX2CDt7j.

Today’s #SpadoniSpotlight shines on #CCU senior Dakeia Goodman:

We had an awesome time celebrating World GIS Day yesterday, but the fun doesn’t stop there: Geography Awareness Week is happening all week! Along with our bachelor’s in anthropology and geography, we also have minors in anthropology, GIS, and human-environment geography, plus certificates in applied archaeology and geospatial technologies. Many of our recent graduates have found positions as archaeologists with cultural resource management consulting firms, as specialists in museums, and in the field of education. Additionally, several of our alumni have pursued further studies in graduate school, engaging in research projects in locations such as Kenya, North Carolina, and Florida. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e86DDPuF.

Congratulations to Daniel Lala, Connor Mojo, Matthew McCall, and Olivia Brannen, who, as part of CCU’s South Carolina Student Legislature, presented and debated four bills in a mock general assembly, and all four were passed by the House and Senate! CCU's South Carolina Student Legislature is a student-run mock legislature, with students participating in two annual sessions to debate bills and further their knowledge about parliamentary procedure and state government. For more information, contact Frederick Wood, Ph.D. at [email protected].

This morning, our own Secil “CeCe” Topaloglu, an administrative specialist for the Department of Anthropology and Geography and the Department of Political Science, was part of a panel for new #CCU staff members, hosted by CCU's Office of Human Resources and CCU's Office of Professional Development. The panelists answered questions and discussed their experiences at CCU.

It’s the season of giving thanks: a perfect time to celebrate the good things in our lives. The giving season is about giving back to charities and organizations that bring about positive and impactful change in our communities. We hope you will consider a donation to one of our initiatives that support our local community through volunteers, research, and collaborative projects. Learn more about one of these initiatives: the Dalton and Linda Floyd Family Mentoring program, below. To donate, visit https://lnkd.in/erudbgpq.

Today’s #SpadoniSpotlight is on Haley Schnupp (M.Ed. Instructional Technology and Certificate in Online Teaching and Training ‘23; Elementary Education ‘22; and current Ed.S. in Instructional Technology student).