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• Graduate degree(s) and institutions: M.A. in Arts (Anthropology, University of Wisconsin; Ph.D. in English (Linguistics), Purdue University
• Based: Main Campus
• TTC courses: ANT 101; ENG 100; ENG 101; ENG 102; ENG 260
• Area(s) of Specialization: Anthropological Linguistics, Neurolinguistics, Psycholinguistics, Cultural Anthropology, Synesthesia Research
• Selected publications, awards, honors, or other recognitions:
- Publications:
- Forthcoming: Jewanski, Jörg, Jamie Ward, & Sean A. Day. “A Colourful Albino: The First Case on Synaesthesia in
History, Reported by Georg Tobias Ludwig Sachs in 1812.”
- Forthcoming : “An Experimental Program to Use Synesthesia to Investigate Semantic Structure of the Sign”. Proceedings of the Semiotic Society of America.
- 2007 “Auf der Suche nach einem Weg des Erforschens.” In Dittmar, ed.; Synästhesien. Roter Faden durchs Leben?; Essen: Verlag Die Blaue Eule. Pp. 266-270.
- 2006 “Synesthetic Art versus Art by Synesthetes.” In de Córdoba, ed.; The Proceedings of the I Congreso International de Arte y Sinestesia (1st Congress on Art & Synesthesia); Almería, Spain: UP.
- 2006 “Was ist Synästhesie?”; “Warum soll ich mir die Mühe machen, mit anderen darüber zu reden?”; “Die Synästhesie-Mailingliste und die American Synesthesia Association”; and “Klaviermusik sehe ich immer als himmelblauen Nebel.” In Jewanski & Sidler, eds.; Farbe – Licht – Musik: Synästhesie und Farblichtmusik; Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang. Pp. 15-30; 75-83; 119-126; 407-408.
- 2004 “Chapter 2: Some Demographic and socio-cultural aspects of synesthesia.” In Robertson & Sagiv, eds., Synesthesia: Perspectives from Cognitive Neuroscience, Oxford: UP. Pp. 11-33.
- 2002 “What Synaesthesia Is (and Is Not).” In Paul Mc Kevitt, editor; Language, Vision, and Music; The Hague: John Benjamins. Pp. 171-180.
- 2002 “One’s Own Brain as Trickster – Part II: It’s For Your Own Good.” Trickster’s Way; volume 1.1; Winter.
http://www.trinity.edu/org/tricksters/TrixWay/current/Vol%201/Vol%201_1/Sday.PDF
- 2001 “Semi-reflection of Types of Synesthesia.” In C.W. Spinks, ed., Trickster and Ambivalence: Dance of Differentiation; Madison, WI: Atwood. Pp. 111-117.
- 2001 “Trends in Synesthetically Colored Graphemes and Phonemes”; Iconicity in Language (electronic journal),
http://www.trismegistos.com/IconicityInLanguage/Articles/Day/default.html
- Award: 1998 Taiwan National Science Council Academic Merit Award.
• Service to the College: ACRC Review committee
• Teaching philosophy:
Many in the field of academics speak of “pedagogy”, or perhaps “pedagogies”. However, peda- refers to “children” and adolescents. I feel that students at a university setting are adults, and should be approached as such.
In Taiwan, where I previously taught, there is a long tradition of respect – or perhaps even fear – of teachers and professors. The class distinction between educators and students is highly marked. I have never really enjoyed such a situation. I feel that one who has worked to attain the level of Ph.D. and has acquired the position of Professor should be treated with a fair amount of respect, but that that respect, like any other type, is transitory. One does not “demand” respect; one earns it, and cannot rest on previous laurels in such regards. Likewise, I feel that those students about me who have earned respect are also deserving thereof. Both sides should strive to be respectable, and to be able to respect each other – it only works if it is mutual, a two-way street.
I am not exactly “Socratic” in my conduct in the classroom. However, my main approach is that of “problem solving”. The problems that I pose for my students are usually by no means rhetorical questions: I hit them with the real, current questions the top-level researchers are addressing. I ask them questions for which I honestly do not have answers. It is my hope that, as equals in the project, my students and I can then pursue the questions and try to formulate practical answers (I place answers in the plural, as there is usually more than one which is feasible). I do not like to take the position of “instructor” or “lecturer”; I prefer the role of “team leader” in a co-operative research endeavor. I feel I serve my role better as an instructor if I help students to learn the tools and methodologies for finding new answers, than if I feed them the pabulum of old, dated statements in the guise of “answers”.
I am somewhat knowledgeable about many different approaches to teaching, and the many different schools of pedagogy, and have even taught classes on pedagogical approaches to ESL/EFL teaching. I tend not to adopt any one line in particular. My approach is something I take from my father, a former high-school teacher, who called his style the “tool-box”: You look at all the different ways of doing it, and adopt them all, so that you have a set. Every student is an individual, so, although you can start out with one “tool”, you will soon discover that, for some individual, you might need a different one. You very quickly find yourself using many different tools, as you learn which tool to use with which student.
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