The Faculty in the School of Arts and Humanities

Kimoni Yaw Ajani (formerly Wilbert St. Hilaire) (2021), Assistant Professor of Africana Studies; Ph.D., Temple University; M.A., SUNY Albany; B.A., SUNY Oswego. the Haitian Revolution, Caribbean culture & politics, African civilizations, African cosmology/spirituality, and Afrocentricity. 

Donnetrice Allison (2004), Professor of Africana Studies and Communication Studies; Ph.D., M.A., Howard University; B.A., The University of New Haven: portrayals of race and racism in American media, African and African American history and culture, the impact of hip hop on American popular culture.

Emily August (2015), Associate Professor of Literature; Ph.D., M.A., Vanderbilt University; MFA, University of Minnesota; B.A., St. Catherine University: 19th-century British literature and culture, histories of medicine and science, poetry and poetics.

Jacob Camacho (2022), Assistant Professor of Creative Writing; MFA, Rutgers University; B.A., University of Guam: creative writing, fiction, poetry, storytelling, spoken word poetry.

Chung-Fan Chang (2015), Associate Professor of Art; MFA, Savannah College of Art & Design; BFA, Taipei National University of the Arts: foundations, drawing, graphic design, painting, mixed media.

Huixin Deng (2024), Assistant Professor of Digital Journalism; Ph.D., B.Sc., University of Miami; M.S., Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism: journalism; writing; social media; mass communication; political communication; health communication; environmental communication; media studies; communication theory; media law and ethics; persuasion; interpersonal communication; intercultural communication; public speaking.

Christopher Di Santo (2012), Associate Professor of Music; DMA, Temple University; M.M., University of Illinois; BME, The Ohio State University: performance, conducting, music appreciation, fundamentals of music, music theory, instrumental activities, form and analysis of music.

Jacob Feige (2012), Associate Professor of Art; MFA, Cranbrook Academy of Art; BHA, Carnegie Mellon University: Painting, Drawing.

Robert Gregg (1996), Professor of History; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania; M.A., Edinburgh University: American history 1865-present, African American history, comparative history.

Deborah Gussman (1999), Professor of Literature; Ph.D., M.A., Rutgers, The State University; B.A., Temple University: American literature and culture before 1900, American Indian literature, women’s literature, and feminist studies.

Beau Hancock (2017), Associate Professor of Dance; MFA, Temple University; B.A., University of Kansas: modern dance technique, improvisation, choreography, dance history, jazz dance, pedagogy, repertory performance. 

Michael R. Hayse (1996), Wally and Lutz Hammerschlag Professor of Holocaust Studies, Associate Professor of History; Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; M.A., University of Maryland; B.A., Dartmouth College: 20th-century German history, Russian and East European history, and Holocaust/genocide studies, history and memory.

Adalaine Holton (2007), Associate Professor of Literature; Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz; B.A., University of Maryland: African -American literature, comparative American literature, U.S. ethnic studies, theories of race and ethnicity.

Kristin J. Jacobson (2005), Professor of Literature; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University; M.A., University of Colorado, Boulder; B.A., Carthage College: 20th- and 21st- century American literature and culture, popular culture, feminist theory and pedagogy, environmental and geographic approaches to literature, ecofeminism.

Cynthia Arrieu-King (2008), Professor of Creative Writing; Ph.D., University of Cincinnati; MFA, University of Pittsburgh; B.A., University of Louisville: 20th-century American literature, experimental writing, slam and spoken word, New York School poetry, international poetry, Asian American literature. 

David S. King (2004), Professor of French; Ph.D., MBA, M.A., B.A., Washington University: French language and medieval literature, French civilization, French commerce.

Thomas E. Kinsella (1989), Distinguished Professor of Literature; Director, South Jersey Culture & History Center; Director, Elizabeth and Samuel Levin Director, Alliance Heritage Center; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania; B.A., Bucknell University: restoration and 18th-century British literature, Milton, history of the book, medieval Irish literature, grammar and punctuation, South Jersey studies.

Nathan A. Long (2005), Professor of Creative Writing; MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University; M.A., Carnegie Mellon University; B.A., University of Maryland, College Park: creative writing, fiction, personal essay, autobiography, contemporary literature, flash fiction, and women, gender, and sexuality.

Joe’l Ludovich (2007), Associate Professor of Communication Studies; MFA in Film and Television, Savannah College of Art and Design; B.A., Rowan University: Radio/TV/Film audio production, Steadicam, broadcast television, studio & field production,  media aesthetics, documentary production, production editing, video production, film theory, history & criticism, producing, Pre-code Hollywood & Blaxploitation Cinema. 

Gorica Majstorovic (2002), Professor of Spanish; Ph.D., New York University; M.A., University of Southern California; B.A., University of Belgrade: Latin American Studies, literature of the Americas, visual arts and theatre, cultures of cosmopolitanism, comparative literature, postcolonial studies.

Adam Miyashiro (2009), Professor of Literature; Ph.D., M.A., Pennsylvania State University; B.A., California State University: comparative medieval literature, Mediterranean Studies, medieval romance and chronicles, travel narratives, postcolonial theory, textual studies, Shakespeare, Asia/Pacific literatures.

Jedediah Morfit (2006), Professor of Art; MFA, Rhode Island School of Design; B.A., Connecticut College: sculpture, drawing, illustration.

Christina M. Morus (2009), Associate Professor of Comparative Genocide and Communication Studies; Ph.D., University of Georgia; M.A., B.S., Eastern Michigan University: rhetoric of mass violence and genocide, gender and war, memory studies, the rhetoric of peace and human rights activist organizations, critical media studies.

Aaron Moss (2018), Associate Professor of Theatre/Directing; MFA, Yale University; B.A., University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Dramatic theory, classical and contemporary theatre, performance pedagogy, Shakespeare, culture-based dramaturgy, acting, directing, producing, and screenwriting, television and film.

Kameika Murphy (2017), Associate Professor of Atlantic History; PhD., Clark University; MSc, University of the West Indies: The Black Atlantic, comparative slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade, African American history, Afro-Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sharon Ann Musher (2007), Professor of History; Ph.D., M.A., M.Phil., Columbia University; M.Phil., Oxford University; B.A., University of Michigan: 20th-century U.S. history, modern social-cultural history, women’s history, American-Jewish history, African-American history.

Jeremy Newman (2008), Associate Professor of Communication Studies; MFA, The Ohio State University; B.A., Baldwin-Wallace University: documentary film, experimental film video, media aesthetics, video production & editing, and film theory, history, & and criticism.

Kory Olson (2006), Professor of French; Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University; M.A., Auburn University; B.A., South Dakota State University:  French civilization, French history, 19th- and 20th-century French literature, geography, history of cartography. 

Katherine Panagakos (2008), Associate Professor of Classics and AFGLC Professor of Greek Culture; Ph.D., The Ohio State University; M.A., Tulane University; B.S., Rutgers, The State University: Latin language and literature, ancient Greek and Roman novels, Augustan poetry, Classical mythology, Greco-Romans in film.

Tom Papademetriou (2001), Constantine & Georgiean Georgiou Professor of Greek History; Professor of History; Director, Dean C. and Zoë S. Pappas Interdisciplinary Center for Hellenic Studies; Ph.D., Princeton University; M.A., St. John’s College; M.Div., Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology; B.A., Hellenic College: Ottoman History, Middle East history, Islam and Eastern Christianity, non-Muslims under Ottoman rule, modern Hellenism.

Caitlin Quinn Pittenger (2015), Associate Professor of Dance; MFA, Temple University; B.A., Goucher College: modern dance and ballet technique, choreography, dance history, jazz dance, pedagogy, dance wellness, repertory performance.

Lucio A. Privitello (2005), Professor of Philosophy; Ph.D., M.A., Villanova University; M.A., Temple University; BFA, Rhode Island School of Design: history of ancient Greek philosophy, history of modern western philosophy, contemporary continental philosophy, philosophy and psychoanalysis, philosophy of art.

David Reiser (2016), Associate Professor of Theatre; MFA, New York University; M.A., City College of New York CUNY, BFA, University of Michigan: musical theatre, performance, directing, lyric writing, libretto writing, digital arts, music theory, musical theatre history.

Chad Roberts (2017), Teaching Specialist Communication Studies and General Manager, WLFR; Ed. D. Stockton University, M.S. St Cloud State University, B.A., Winona State University: organizational communication.

Toby Rosenthal (2018), Teaching Specialist and Internship Coordinator of Communication Studies; M.S., Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism; B.A., University of Maryland, College Park: non-fiction storytelling, digital journalism, multimedia writing, television & film production, community-centered projects, professional development.

Rain Ross (2009), Professor of Dance; Artistic Director, Stockton Dance Company; MFA, University of Iowa; B.A., Mount Holyoke College: modern dance and ballet technique, improvisation, choreography, pedagogy, dance history, kinesiology, and repertory performance.

Francisco Javier Sánchez (2007), Professor of Spanish; Ph.D., The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; M.A., North Carolina Central University; B.A., Universidad de Salamanca, Spain: Spanish language and literature, comparative literature, 20th-century narrative.

Edward Siecienski (2008), Professor of Religion; Ph.D., Fordham University; S.T.D., Catholic University of America; M.Div., S.T.B., St. Mary’s Seminary and University; B.A., Georgetown University: historical theology, Patristic and Byzantine studies, Christian thought.

James Shen (1997), Professor of Communication Studies; Ph.D., M.A., Ohio University; M.A., Shanghai International Studies University; B.A., Shanghai Institute of Education: mass communication, international communication, telecommunications, critical/cultural studies.

Mariana Smith (2015), Associate Professor of Art; MFA, Cornell University; BFA, Columbus College of Art and Design; BFA, Moscow College of Applied and Industrial Arts: printmaking, relief, intaglio, lithography, silkscreen, drawing, installation art, folk art, miniature painting.

Xu Song (2015), Associate Professor of Communication Studies; Ph.D., M.S., Colorado State University; B.A., Dalian University of Foreign Languages: public relations, professional and technical communication, global film studies (promotion and marketing), communication technology adoption, quantitative research methods.

C. Hannah Ueno (1994), Professor of Art; MFA, Washington State University; BFA, Nihon University: graphic design, 3D computer graphics, web design, digital imaging.

Beverly Vaughn (1982), Professor of Music; DMA, M.M., The Ohio State University; B.A., La Sierra University: performance, choral activities, voice, music history, music of African- Americans, introduction to music, fundamentals of music, gospel music. 

Lauren Putty White (2022), Teaching Specialist, Dance; MFA, Montclair State University; BFA, University of the Arts: modern, jazz, ballet, improvisation, choreography.

Wendel A. White (1986), Distinguished Professor of Art; MFA, University of Texas at Austin; BFA, School of Visual Arts: photography, digital imaging, multimedia.

Derek Wright (2024), Assistant Professor of Theatre, Production Management; MFA, New York University; BFA, University of Evansville: production management, stage management, theatre history, lighting design, sound design, Q-Lab, technical theatre, digital arts, national parks/public lands.

Jongbok Yi (2013), Associate Professor of Asian Philosophy; Ph.D., M.A., University of Virginia; M.A., Seoul National University, South Korea; B.A., Sungkyuakwan University, South Korea: Chinese religions, Buddhist philosophy, Confucianism, Daoism, Shamanism, Hinduism.

Suya Yin (2004), Associate Professor of Communication Studies; Ph.D., M.A., University of Wisconsin, Madison; M.A., University of International Business and Economics, China; B.A., Harbin Teachers University, China: journalism, advertising, marketing communications, marketing research, public relations, international communications.

Laura Zucconi (2005), Professor of History; Ph.D., B.A., University of California, San Diego; M.A., University of Connecticut: ancient Mediterranean history, ancient Near Eastern history, history of religion, history of medicine and disability studies, archaeology, genealogy.

Professors Emeriti

David Ahlsted (1976), Professor Emeritus of Art; MFA, Indiana University; BFA, Minneapolis College of Art: drawing, painting, design.

Joanne D. Birdwhistell (1979), Professor Emerita of Philosophy and Asian Civilization; Ph.D., M.A., Stanford University; B.A., University of Pennsylvania: Chinese philosophy, Japanese and Indian thought, comparative philosophy, East Asian culture and history.

Arnaldo Cordero-Román (1999), Associate Professor Emeritus of Spanish; Ph.D., University of Maryland; M.A., B.A., Universidad de Puerto Rico: comparative literature, translation, documentary photography, language and cultural studies in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Pamela Hendrick (1995), Professor Emeritus of Theatre; MFA, Northwestern University; B.A., University of Michigan: directing, acting, voice, literature, performance theory, theatre history.

Lisa Honaker (1995), Professor Emerita of Literature; Ph.D., Rutgers, The State University; B.A., University of Illinois, Chicago: 19th and 20th century British literature, detective fiction, rhetoric and composition, media analysis, environmental literature. 

Marion Hussong (2002), Professor Emerita of Literature; Carol Rittner Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies; Ph.D., M.A., University of Pennsylvania; B.A., Rutgers, The State University: genocide and literature, European literature, German and Austrian literature, children’s literature, art and literature.

Rodger L. Jackson (1997), Professor Emeritus of Philosophy; Ph.D., M.A., Michigan State University; B.A., Alma College: ethical theory, applied ethics, pragmatism, history of philosophy, symbolic logic.

William C. Lubenow (1971), Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History; Ph.D., M.A., University of Iowa; B.A., Central College: modern European history, modern British history, modern cultural history, methodology and philosophy of history.

Mark Mallett (2000), Professor of Theatre; Ph.D., University of Illinois; M.A., University of Maryland; B.A., University of Akron: theatre crafts, lighting design, scenic design, theatre history.

Michael J. McGarvey (1985), Professor Emeritus of Art; MFA, BFA, Temple University, Tyler School of Art: graphic design, illustration, computer graphics, multimedia animation, drawing.

Fred Mench (1971), Professor Emeritus of Classics and AFGLC Endowed Professor of Greek Culture; Ph.D., M.A., Yale University; B.A., Kenyon College: Greek and Roman languages, literature, and civilizations, especially the Classical heritage, Classic epic, Greek tragedy, Latin lyric, literatures of the Bible, historical novels.

Linda Williamson Nelson (1981), Professor Emerita of Anthropology and Africana Studies; PhD, Rutgers, The State University; M.A., New York University; B.A., Long Island University: anthropological linguistics, discourse analysis, African- American English to Standard English code switching, Jamaican Patois to Jamaican Standard code switching, life narrative discourse, language and gender, language and power, language and equity in education, contemporary African-American literature. 

Jeanne-Andrée Nelson (1975), Professor Emerita of French; Ph.D., Michigan State University; M.A., B.A., University of Utah: French language and literature, French civilization, 17th- through 20th-century French literature, French literary criticism, 20th-century drama.

Robert Nichols (2000), Professor Emeritus of History; Ph.D., M.A., University of Pennsylvania; B.A., University of Illinois: Indian Ocean history, South Asian history, social movements, historiography.

Kate Nearpass Ogden (1991), Professor Emerita of Art History; Ph.D., M. Phil., Columbia University; B.A., Gettysburg College: American and modern art, history of photography. 

R. Lance Olsen (1975), Professor Emeritus of Music; Ph.D., University of Aberdeen; M.Mus., B.Mus., University of Utah: music literature and appreciation, music theory, aesthetics.

Patricia Reid-Merritt (1976), Distinguished Professor Emerita of Africana Studies and Social Work; DSW, University of Pennsylvania; MSW, Temple University; B.A., Cabrini College: Africana theory, practice and methods; race, racism, anti-racism; institutionalized bias and discrimination; social work practice, social policy, social work with racial/ethnic/minority groups; Africana organizations and leadership practices; African-centered social work practice.

David Roessel (2004), Professor Emeritus of Greek Language and Literature; Ph.D., Princeton University; M.A., State University of New York at Albany; M.A., Catholic University; B.A., Rutgers, The State University: Greek language and literature, Greek drama, modern Greek poetry, Homeric epic, Cypriot literature.

Lisa Rosner (1987), Distinguished Professor Emerita of History; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University; B.A., Princeton University: early modern Europe, history of science and medicine, history, and video games. 

Henry R. van Kuiken (1986), Professor Emeritus of Dance; MFA, M.A., University of Michigan; B.A., Calvin College: modern dance and ballet technique, choreography, dance history, history of fashion, costume design, makeup design, theatre movement, repertory performance.

Kenneth Tompkins (1970), Professor Emeritus of Literature; Ph.D., M.A., Indiana University; B.A., University of Rochester: medieval literature, Chaucer, 15th-and 16th-century literature, Shakespeare, computer 3-D art, digital humanities.