Faculty Spotlight
Faculty
Joshua Adams
Instructional Areas
Writing, journalism, creative nonfiction, media literacy, media studies
Jaafar Aksikas
Instructional Areas
Media Studies; Cultural Studies; Critical Theories of Media and Communication; Critical Ethnic Studies; Critical Theory; Research Methods and Methodologies; Post-Colonial Studies; Globalization and Culture; Middle Eastern Cultural Studies; and American Studies.
Randall Albers
Instructional Areas
Creative Writing (Fiction and Creative Nonfiction), Abroad education; Teacher/Tutor Training, Creativity; process-and-technique Critical Reading and Writing courses
Matthew Andersen
Instructional Areas
American Sign Language, ASL Media Production, Deaf Culture, Visual Methodologies, and Sign Language Diversity.
Rojhat Avsar
Instructional Areas
Ethics, Behavioral Economics, Money as a Social Institution
Zeline Bates
Instructional Areas
Media Planning and Buying, Communication Ethics, and Communication Essentials
Nancy Beckett
Instructional Areas
Collaborative Learning; online courses. Creating writing communities.
Cari Beecham-Bautista
Instructional Areas
Gender, sexuality, race, social class, inequality
Kathryn Bergquist
Instructional Areas
Creative writing, literature, LGBTQ subjects, study abroad, First-year writing, Writing & Rhetoric, fiction writing, creative non-fiction writing
Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin
Instructional Areas
Solutions Journalism, narrative journalism, magazine writing, magazine editing, travel writing, interviewing, blogging, grammar.
Madhurima Chakraborty
Instructional Areas
Postcolonial literature, South Asian literature, Introduction to Cultural Studies, Literature Culture and Power, Literature of the Indian Diaspora
Richard Chwedyk
Instructional Areas
Creative Writing, especially science fiction.
Steven Corey
Instructional Areas
Urban Studies, Environmental Studies, History
Matthew Cunningham
Instructional Areas
Podcasting, Radio, Interviewing
Gabriela Diaz de Sabates
Instructional Areas
Women, gender, and sexuality studies; Latino and Latin American studies, women's life stories, oral stories and narratives, gender and immigration, state violence and gender.
Betsy Edgerton
Instructional Areas
Teaching and research interests focus on magazine editing, copy editing, business-to-business magazine and general business writing, grammar pedagogy, curriculum development, interdisciplinarity, teacher training.
Carmelo Esterrich
Instructional Areas
Latin American Studies Cultural Studies Semiotics Interdisciplinary Humanities
Stephanie Frank
Instructional Areas
religion and modernity, religion and violence, religion and gender, religion and capitalism, religion in Chicago, ethics, modern European history
Yonty Friesem
Instructional Areas
Data Storytelling, Media & Social Impact, Nonviolent Communication, Media and Digital Literacy, Leadership & Team Building, Research Methods in Social Sciences
Rami Gabriel
Instructional Areas
Courses taught include: Self and Identity: the Mind–Body Question, The Psychology of Consciousness, Freud and His Legacy in Twentieth Century Arts, Drugs and the Brain, Evolution of the Mind, Soul, Country and USA, and Emotions.
Keith Green
Instructional Areas
LGBT History in the U.S., Ancient, Medieval, and Modern European History.
Terri Griffith
Instructional Areas
Queer Theory, Queer Studies, Queer Visual Culture
Ann Hetzel Gunkel
Instructional Areas
Cultural Studies, Philosophy, Media and Popular Culture, Humanities
Ames Hawkins
Instructional Areas
Socially Engaged Practice, Queer/Trans Studies, Cultural Theories, Creative/Literary Nonfiction, Writing and Rhetoric
C. Richard King
Instructional Areas
race and representaion, sport and society, white power movements and ideologies, imagining American Indians in Chicago
Frederic Kopp
Instructional Areas
20th Century German History & Culture; Ancient, Medieval & Modern European History
Elio Leturia
Instructional Areas
Graphic design, typography, visual communication, visual journalism, visual literacy, reporting in Spanish, video storytelling, image making, publication design, documentary video
Suzanne McBride
Instructional Areas
Investigative reporting, political reporting, community news
Erin McCarthy
Instructional Areas
History of Chicago, Oral History, Public History, 1930s, Sport History.
Nicholas McCormick
Instructional Areas
United States History; History of Chicago; Urban History; History of the Future
Marcella Mencotti
Instructional Areas
Communications: Commercial Radio Audio Drama Voiceover
Brian Mornar
Instructional Areas
First-year Writing Creative Writing Literature
James Mullane
Instructional Areas
James Mullane teaches courses in philosophy, ethics, critical thinking, and a course that explores the nature of the mind and personal identity.
Marni Nissen Olmstead
Instructional Areas
Early Childhood Education, Arts Integration
Diane Odell
Instructional Areas
Teaching interest includes use of professional dialects necessary in professional settings.
Brian Plocharczyk
Instructional Areas
Voice Acting, Voice over, Narration.
Ruben Quesada
Instructional Areas
American Literature Latinx Literature British Literature Creative Writing Writing and Publishing
Douglas Reichert Powell
Instructional Areas
Cultural Studies, Literature, First-Year Writing, Professional Writing
Brendan Riley
Instructional Areas
Writing Composition New Media Internet Studies Popular Culture Mystery / Detectives Science Fiction Zombies Board Games
K. Crom Saunders
Instructional Areas
ASL sociolinguistics, Deaf Culture and History, theatrical interpreting
Shawn Shiflett
Instructional Areas
Fiction Writing, particularly the novel. Also dream and dream-based stories. I've recently begun to collect oral stories from narrator's on the subject of Race in America.
Jackie Spinner
Instructional Areas
Digital Storytelling, Photojournalism, International Reporting, Conflict Reporting, News Reporting
Tony Trigilio
Instructional Areas
Creative Writing (Poetry), Literary Studies, Cultural Studies
James Van Manen
Instructional Areas
Linguistics, Fingerspelling, Deaf Art, Deaf Studies, Interpreting courses
Lauren Viera
Instructional Areas
Professional Writing, Journalism, Copy Writing, Editing, Grammar, Narrative Nonfiction/Essay Writing
Robert Watkins
Instructional Areas
Political Theory, Cultural Studies, American Politics
Dylan Weir
Instructional Areas
Creative Writing, Poetry Writing, First-Year Writing, Writing & Rhetoric
Michelle Yates
Instructional Areas
Cultural studies; Critical whiteness studies; Environmental humanities; Film and media; Gender and sexuality; Technology and culture; Urban studies
Ellen Yeh
Instructional Areas
I have bridged theory and practice in my teaching by integrating meaningful Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and intercultural instruction. In alignment with most of my research and theoretical frameworks, I attempt to enhance language learners’ intercultural competence, develop language abilities via sociocultural learning theories, and use a bridging-activity framework in CALL so that learners are able to transfer the skills they acquire in the classroom into the real world. In addition to teaching international sections of Writing and Rhetoric I and II and Oral Expression, I created and developed new curricula at both the Department and College levels. I developed and taught the curriculum titled “U.S. Academic Language and Culture” for first-year undergraduate and graduate students from our international partnership universities, namely Beijing Film Academy, Beijing International Studies University, and Tongji University. At the college level, I coordinated the Summer Intensive Program and co-taught the “Summer Intensive Program: U.S. Language and Creative Industries in Western Markets” for incoming international students whose language proficiency did not meet the college benchmark. As director of the EAL program, I also designed and led global education teacher training and professional development workshop series. I have demonstrated my leadership skills by providing training and support for faculty members working with international students in both the EAL and Writing and Rhetoric programs, such as multilingual writing pedagogy workshops. Another crucial role I provide is to serve as a bridge between faculty members and international students, particularly when students are struggling with academic work and adjusting to the target language culture.
