Native American Studies program to welcome Sycamore Circle lecturer

Morgantown, WV, August 30, 2006:  The Native American Studies program in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at WVU will welcome Joshua Masse, a clinical child psychology doctoral student, as the presenter for its Sycamore Circle lecture series on September 6.

Masse will present “Native American Perspectives on Parenting” on Wednesday, September 6 at 5 p.m. in the Mountainlair’s Mountaineer Room. A reception will follow.

Masse’s lecture will address his research on Native Americans and their parenting styles. “The research project has been an amazing experience on both an academic and personal level,” he said. “Attending a pow-wow and speaking with Native parents has enabled me to gain a different, yet important, perspective on parenting.”

Eberly Professor of Public Service Dan McNeil, who is a Native American Studies Committee member, and was a member of Masse’s thesis committee, said, “Josh’s work is innovative because it involved Native American scholars in the development and analysis of empirical research through a WVU-affiliated Native American Behavioral Health Research Associates group. This project, sponsored in part by the North American Iroquois Veterans Association, provided the opportunity for a number of WVU undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty to experience Native American culture first-hand, while being involved in culturally-sensitive research.”

Masse is a doctoral student in the Eberly College’s Department of Psychology where his thesis chair and mentor is Professor Cheryl McNeil. He earned his Master’s degree in clinical child psychology from WVU in May 2006, and he completed his undergraduate degree in psychology from Stonehill College in 2002. Masse has also been involved in several research projects involving parent-child interaction and has completed field work in clinical psychology in a variety of settings.

The Sycamore Circle series of informal lectures gives students access to a wide variety of perspectives and topics in Native American Studies. Previous topics have included the petroglyphs of the Ohio River Valley, the ancient mound complex of the Kanawha River Valley, the work of Native American poet/novelist Sherman Alexi, the enchanted Yoeme people of the Southwest, and Native American women on the drum.

For more information, please contact Bonnie M. Brown, coordinator of the Native American Studies program, at BonnieM.Brown@mail.wvu.edu or at (304) 293-4626.

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