2013-14 New Faculty Appointments

September 16, 2013 Art History and Archaeology

The College Of Arts And Humanities Welcomes The 2013-2014 New Faculty Cohort To The University Of Maryland.

The College Of Arts And Humanities Would Like To Welcome The 2013-14 New Faculty Cohort To The Univeristy Of Maryland.

Maryl Gensheimer, Assistant Professor

Maryl Gensheimer Received Her Doctorate In Classical Art And Archeology This Spring From The Institute Of Fine Arts, New York University. Producing A Dissertation Entitled, "Decoration And Display In Rome’s Imperial Baths: Intention And Reception," Dr. Gensheimer Provides The First Comprehensive Analysis Of The Decoration Adorning The Baths Of Caracalla, One Of A Series Of Eight Public Baths Built By Roman Emperors As Gifts To The City Of Rome From The First To The Third Century Ce. Gensheimer Illuminates How The Decorative Elements In The Baths Of Caracalla Advanced Imperial Interests By Reflecting Themes Of Dynastic Legitimacy And Imperial Largess. She Has Presented Her Findings At The Archaeological Institute Of America And The Society Of Archaeological Historians.

Department Of Classics

Eric Adler, Assistant Professor

Eric Adler Is A Specialist In Latin And Greek Prose, Greco-Roman Historiography, Roman Imperialism, And The Classical Tradition. He Comes To Us From The University Of Connecticut Where He Has Taught Since 2008. Professor Adler Earned His Doctorate In Classical Studies At Duke University In 2005. His Dissertation, “the Enemy Speaks: Oratory And Criticism Of Empire In Roman Historiography,” Was Published In 2011 As Valorizing The Barbarians: enemy Speeches In Roman Historiography (University Of Texas Press). Dr. Adler Has Also Published Refereed Articles In Such Journals As The American Journal Of Philology; Greek, roman And Byzantine Studies; And The International Journal Of The Classical Tradition.

Department Of Communication

Michelle Murray Yang, Assistant Professor

Joining The Faculty Of The Department Of Communication And Specializing In Rhetoric And Political Communication Is Assistant Professor Michelle Murray Yang. Professor Yang Taught At Belmont University In Nashville, Tennessee After Receiving Her Doctorate In Communication Arts From The University Of Wisconsin, Madison In 2011. To Date Professor Yang’s Published Research, Focusing Primarily On U.S.-Chinese Relations, Has Resulted In Refereed Journal Articles In Rhetoric And Public Affairs (“richard Nixon’s Speeches And Toasts During His 1972 Trip To China”), The Quarterly Journal Of Speech (“still Burning: Selfimmolation As Photographic Protest”), And The Chinese Journal Of Communication (“guilty Without Trial: State-Sponsored Cheating And The 2008 Beijing Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Competition”).

Amber Westcott-Baker, Assistant Professor

The Search For A Tenure Track Assistant Professor In Health Communication Has Brought Us Amber Westcott-Baker, Who Received Her Doctorate In Communication Last Winter From The University Of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Westcott-Baker's Dissertation, "Dynamics Of Persuasion In Response To Public Service Announcements," Uses Multiple Levels Of Analysis Including Brain Imaging To Examine The Effects Of Anti-Drug Public Service Announcements. Her Research Reveals That Some Of These High-Persuasion-Content Psas Turn Out To Be Less Than Highly Effective. Westcott-Baker Has Also Published Refereed Journal Articles On Copyright And Intellectual Property Issues In The Context Of User-Generated Social Media. She Has Also Published A Refereed Study On “the Synchronization Theory Of Flow,” Where Flow Is Described As “a Discrete, Energetically Optimized, And Gratifying Experience Resulting From A Cognitive Synchronization Of Specific Attentional And Reward Networks Under Condition Of Balance Between Challenge And Skill.”

Department Of History

Piotr Kosicki, Assistant Professor

The Successful Candidate In The Department Of History Search For A New Assistant Professor In The History Of Europe And The World Is Piotr Kosicki, A Baltimore Native. Dr. Kosicki Earned His Doctorate In History From Princeton University In 2011, And He Spent The Last Two Years As An American Council Of Learned Societies New Faculty Fellow And Lecturer At The University Of Virginia. A Specialist On The History Of Poland And Of Polish Catholicism, Dr. Kosicki Is Well Along In The Process Of Turning His Dissertation Into A Monograph With The Working Title “europe Between Catechism And Revolution: Catholicism, Poland, And The Social Question, 1891-1991.” Dr. Kosicki Has Secured A Polish Publisher For Portions Of His Work That Focus On “an Intellectual History Of The Concept Of The ‘human Person’ In Polish Catholic Thought Between 1939 And 1956.” Professor Kosicki Has Already Published Peer-Reviewed Articles And Book Chapters In English, French, German, Polish And Slovak.

Chantel Rodriguez, Research Associate And Miller Center Fellow

Dr. Rodriguez, Who Has Just Completed Her Doctorate In History At The University Of Minnesota, Studies The Second World War Period And The Ways That Laborers From Mexico Were Imported To The United States As Agricultural And Railroad Workers With The Blessing Of The U.S. And Mexican Governments. The Study Also Considers The Ways That These Mexican Laborers And The U.S. Made Access To Health Care An Important Part Of Citizenship. In Addition To Considerable Archival Work In Mexico City, Dr. Rodriguez Was Fortunate To Uncover A Treasure Trove Of Documents In The Newbury Library, Where The Archives Of The Pullman Company Are Housed.

Colleen Woods, Assistant Professor

Emerging From The Department Of History Search For An Assistant Professor Specializing In The General Area Of The United States And The World Is Colleen Woods. Dr. Woods Earned A 2012 Doctorate In History From The University Of Michigan, And She Spent The 2012-13 Academic Year As The Mellon-Keiter Postdoctoral Fellow/Visiting Assistant Professor In The Department Of History At Amherst College. Dr. Woods Is Hard At Work Revising Her Manuscript Entitled "Bombs, Bureaucrats, And Rosary Beads: The United States, The Philippines And The Making Of Global Anti-Communism, 1935-1965." Woods Draws Upon State And Private Archival Records In English, Tagalog, And Spanish To Demonstrate “how Transitional Networks Of American And Filipino Actors Mobilized A Political Project That Expanded And Globalized The Territory Of The Cold War.” This Study Reveals The Inter-Workings Of Diplomats And Foreign Policy Officials, The Military, Cia Agents, Paramilitary Agents, University Professors And Officials, And Roman Catholic Missionaries As They Developed Models Of Anti-Communist Postcolonial Development.

School Of Music

Stephanie Prichard, Assistant Professor

Returning To Her Undergraduate Alma Mater Is Assistant Professor Stephanie Prichard, Who Has Just Completed Her Doctorate In Music Education At The University Of Colorado. Dr. Prichard Graduated From The University Of Maryland With A Bachelor Of Music Education Degree In 2005 And Earned A Master Of Music Degree In Music Education From Northwestern University In 2009. She Taught Elementary And Middle School Music In The Washington, D.C., Area For Five Years Before Earning Her Doctorate Degree. Her Research Publications To Date Have Focused On Music Teacher Identity Development, Music Teacher Education Coursework, And Music Learning During The Adolescent Years. She Has Placed Articles In music Educators Journal, contributions To music Education, And journal Of Research In Music Education.

School Of Languages, Literatures, And CulturesHester Baer, Associate Professor joining The Faculty Of Germanic Studies Is Hester Baer Who Earned Her Doctorate In German From Washington University In St. Louis In 2000. She Comes To Maryland From The University Of Oklahoma Where She Held Joint Appointments In The Departments Of German And Women's & Gender Studies. Dr. Baer’s Scholarship Is Located At The Intersection Of Germanic Literature And Culture, Cinema Studies And Gender Studies. Her Most Important Publication To Date Is The Interdisciplinary Monograph, Dismantling The Dream Factory: Gender, German Cinema, And The Postwar Quest For A New Film Language. Also Noteworthy Is Her Co-Edited And Translated Volume, The Blessed Abyss: Inmate #6582 In Ravensbrück Concentration Camp For Women, As Well As A Co-Edited Special Issue Of Studies In Twentieth And Twenty-First Century Literature. In Progress Is A Second Monograph With The Working Title "German Cinema In The Age Of Neoliberalism," As Well As A Co-Edited Volume, "German Women Writers In The 21st Century."

Ryan Long, Associate Professor

Joining The Spanish And Portuguese Faculty In The School Of Languages, Literatures, And Cultures Is Associate Professor Ryan Long. Dr. Long, Who Earned His Doctorate In Mexican Literature From Duke University, Recently Completed His Eleventh Year At The University Of Oklahoma. A Frequent Presenter At Conferences And Invited Talks, Long Has Established An Enviable Record Of Scholarly Publication Including His Monograph, Fictions Of Totality: The Mexican Novel, 1968, And The National-Popular State (2008), Eight Articles In Refereed Journals, Five Essays In Refereed Collections, Among Other Writings. In Fall 2004, Long Coedited A Special Issue Of The South Central Review Focusing On “memory And Nation In Contemporary Mexico.” There Are Two Book Projects In Progress.

School Of Theatre, Dance, And Performance Studies

Jennifer Barclay, Assistant Professor

The Successful Candidate Of The School Of Theatre, Dance, And Performance Studies' Search For An Assistant Professor In Playwriting And Performance Is Jennifer Barclay. In 1999, Ms. Barclay Earned A Bachelor’s Degree In Theatre/Acting From Northwestern University, Where She Studied With Acclaimed Playwright And Director Mary Zimmerman. Ms. Barclay Spent Much Of The Next Decade As A Working Actor At Such Venues As The International Theatre Of Vienna, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company And Irish Repertory Theatre, The Piven Theatre Workshop, And Old Globe Theatre In San Diego, California. At The Same Time She Was Also Starting Her Career As A Playwright, She Earned Her Master Of Fine Arts In Playwriting From The University Of California, San Diego (Uscd). She Taught At Ucsd And At Miracosta College In Southern California. Among Her Produced Plays Are Obscura, The attic Dwellers, And Freedom, Ny. Adriane Fang, Assistant Professor the Newest Member Of The Dance Faculty Within The School Of Theatre, Dance, And Performance Studies, Assistant Professor Adriane Fang, Is Not Entirely New To The University Of Maryland. Between 2010 And 2013, Professor Fang Was Artist-In-Residence In The Department Of Dance. Prior To Her Arrival At Maryland, Professor Fang Was An Assistant Professor At George Mason University, Where She Earned The Master Of Fine Arts In Dance In 2009. Fang Also Spent A Decade As A Professional Dancer With The Highly Acclaimed Company Doug Varone And Dancers. With The Company Fang Toured Extensively Throughout The United States, Europe, And Asia, Appearing In Such Venues As The Joyce Theatre, Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Wolf Trap Center For The Performing Arts, And At The Clarice Smith Center For The Performing Arts. In 2007, She Received A New York Dance And Performance (Bessie) Award.

Esther Kim Lee, Associate Professor

The Newly Appointed Associate Professor In The School Of Theatre, Dance, And Performance Studies Is Esther Kim Lee, Recipient Of A Doctorate In Theatre History, Literature, And Criticism From The Ohio State University In 2000. Dr. Lee Taught At The University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Earning Tenure And Promotion In 2007. During Her Time At Illinois She Chaired The M.A./Ph.D. Program In Theatre History And Served A Term As Director Of Graduate Studies In The Department Of Theatre. Dr. Lee’s Scholarship Treats On Theatre History With A Special Focus On The Theatre Of The Asian Diaspora. Her 2006 Monograph, A History Of Asian american Theatre (Cambridge University Press), Won The 2007 Association For Theatre In Higher Education Outstanding Book Award And Is Considered A Foundational Study For Asian American Theatre History. Her Most Recent Volume, Seven Contemporary Plays From The korean Diaspora In The Americas, Was Published By Duke University Press Last August. She Has Published Articles In Important Journals, Including theatre Survey, Modern Drama, And The Journal Of Asian American Studies. Professor Lee Currently Serves As Editor Of theatre survey.