Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Milch Sees A Great Future For Art Administrators, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“I didn’t choose art, art chose me.” That’s how Professor David Milch explains his personal and professional fascination with the arts. “I came from a family where there was always music or always something artistic happening. It was where I felt at home; it was where I found people I could relate to, found ideas, and found the outlets to share the creations we would make with a wider group of people,” says he.

Shelby Studies, Teaches Art And Society, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“It was during my first year of college, in a class entitled ‘Women artists since 1945,’ that I saw how amazing visual culture is, how objects made by people endure to tell us about thoughts and issues that communities and individuals deal with around the globe.” This is how Dr. Karen Shelby explains why she became an art historian.

Shelby is a native of Taft, a small oil town in southern California. She got her master’s from the Ohio State University and her doctorate from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Today she is an associate …

Hitchcock Studies The Working Class In Literature, Cinema, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“While in college I took a class on literary criticism. That persuaded me that I was actually quite good at reading literature, and that I had more to say about it than anything else. Although I had been interested in literature for some time before I went to college, it was really the college itself that influenced me to study it more deeply.”

That’s how Dr. Peter Hitchcock explains why he chose his academic field. A native of the East End of London, he received his bachelor’s in the arts and humanities from the University of Greenwich in London, a …

Swarbrick Works, Studies Environmental Humanities, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“I had the experience of finding a particular professor who really got me to think long and hard about texts like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Those were the experiences that really ignited something for me, and there was no going back. I became really obsessed with literature as a whole. It was much later that I came around to being a specialist in early modern literature.”

That’s the way Dr. Steven Swarbrick explains how he became interested in literature. A native of San Jose, California, he got his bachelor’s from San Francisco State University and his doctorate from Brown University, both …

Boozer Shows How Archaeologists Do Their Work, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

From the time of the Indiana Jones movies, archaeology as a profession has had a mythical aura, but we recently had the chance to interview an excellent archaeologist who puts a human face on the profession. Her name is Anna Lucille Boozer, and she was raised in Williamsburg, Virginia. She has a bachelor’s in arts, in philosophy, and in the history of math and science from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, as well as two masters’ degrees in anthropology and a doctorate in that subject from Columbia University. Today she is an associate professor of history in the Weissman …

A Glimpse Into Quiroga’S Musical Roots, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“At the music conservatory, I was told that popular music is not music, and that’s one of the things that connected me with your dad, Aldemaro Romero. He could do classical, Bolero, so I felt connected because I felt ‘there’s someone who had the same problem that I did.’ I felt like classical music is, of course, beautiful, but I needed something else.”

That is how Selene Quiroga, an artist recently invited to Baruch College, explains why she crosses the borders between classical and popular music, as she did in a concert titled “Aldemaro Romero: Venezuelan Fiesta” where she performed …

Rodríguez Studies America’S Image Of Cuba And Of Itself, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“It has to do with my emotional DNA— storytelling and maternal love are linked together. I was brought up by women who read to me as a kid. I love storytelling because I associate it with love, and that has carried over tremendously throughout my life.” That is how Dr. Rick Rodríguez explains his love for literature.

A native of Havana, Cuba, Rodríguez went on to receive his bachelor’s in English from Florida International University and his doctorate, also in English, from the University of Chicago. Today he is an assistant professor in the Department of English of the Weissman …

Sloin Studies Anti-Semitism In Relation To Global History, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“I think what got me into history was the realization that history was the most political and dangerous subject one could study.” That’s the way Dr. Andrew Sloin explains how he became a historian.

Sloin was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Sarah Lawrence College in New York and his masters in social sciences, and his doctorate in history and Jewish studies from the University of Chicago. Today he is an assistant professor in the History Department of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at Baruch College/CUNY.

For Philosophers, Art Is Also In The Mind, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Many college professors start with a broad range of interests, but often it’s the example of a gifted teacher that shows them the way. That was the case with Dr. Jonathan Gilmore. “I was a pre-med student taking hard science courses, but I had to take a philosophy course as well, and I had an extraordinarily dynamic art history professor. And then I thought, ‘This is what I want to do.’ So I shifted career plans, moved to New York right after college, enrolled at Columbia and did a PhD in Philosophy, but also studied for the PhD in art …

Tenneriello Studies Theater In Many Forms, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“My background was in a working class/middle class family, and I had a passion for drawing when I was a kid, but we also put on a lot of theatricals. Lots of dramas, playing with things and staging thing. So, my exposure to theater was not professional, it was more interactive with my friends and family.” That is how Susan Tenneriello explains how she ended up becoming a theater scholar.

A native of Bayside Queens in New York City, she obtained her doctorate in theater from the CUNY Graduate Center, and today she is an associate professor in the Department …

Wollman Studies, Teaches The Magical World Of Broadway Musicals., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“My father is from Brooklyn, so we have family

here. We came in frequently from my native Pittsburgh,

and my parents always took us to theater. So

that was a long interest, and then I was a performer

as a child and in high school, came to New York,

sort of lost the performance thread, and in college

became interested in academia, which has always

struck me as a kind of performance. Teaching is a

kind of performance as well.”

That is how Dr. Elizabeth Wollman explains

the evolution of her interest in the performing arts.

She obtained her bachelor’s …

Behar Unites The Arts And Technology., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“I was always artistically inclined from the time I was small, and I think I was fortunate to have parents who were very supportive of me.” This is how Professor Katherine Behar begins her life story, but she doesn’t claim that her family had no doubts whatsoever. “What I enjoy is doing a lot of different things. This was one of things that my parents were most concerned about, how I was going to find a career where I would be able to do all of the different things that I like doing.”

She has fulfilled her life’s ambitions by …

Caplan Studies, Teaches The Richness Of Yiddish Theater., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“I grew up in a family where Yiddish was spoken around me quite a bit. I grew up surrounded by Yiddish and Jewish culture, but I didn’t grow up speaking Yiddish, so it was something that was sort of mysterious that I didn’t know very much about.” That is the way Dr. Debra Caplan explains how she became an expert in Yiddish theater. A native of North Wales in Pennsylvania, she says she was always interested from a very young age in performing arts. “I studied theater in high school and in college and became very interested in theater history. …

Kolb Studies, Teaches Shakespeare And His Times, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Laura Kolb was not sure what she wanted to major in when she went to college at Columbia University, but at some point she decided in favor of English. This was not surprising, given her upbringing. “Ever since I was really small my parents read to me, and I loved to read,” she says.

A native of South Bend, Indiana, she grew up in Floyd, Virginia, went on to do her masters in Humanities and her doctorate in English at the University of Chicago, and today she is an assistant professor in the Department of English in the Weissman School …

Brooks Studies How Asians Have Been Viewed By Americans, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“I went to a high school in northern California, up in the foothills near where gold was discovered in a little town called Auburn, and one thing I remember is that we didn’t really have any kind of world history.” Those are the first memories of the historian Charlotte Brooks about her profession.

Further, when it comes to her area of specialization—the history of Asians in America—her beginnings are even more modest. “Growing up in the gold rush country, I saw the old Chinese immigrant markers on the land and on the buildings everywhere. I knew my town had been …

Dalgish Studies, Teaches The Complexities Of Languages., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“I tell my students that if they want to see the world, they might consider studying linguistics, because that is how I got my start,” says Dr. Gerard Dalgish, a professor of English at Baruch College. “I went to many different countries, and if you have that sort of background, you can live for a while working part-time or something like that if you like the particular place you’re visiting.”

These compelling words come from someone who has specialized in teaching English as a second language or ESL, as it is also known.

Teufel Thinks That We Need Philosophers More Than Ever., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Most people don’t know what a philosopher does, but philosophers take their profession seriously, no matter what first drew them into it. “I tried to decide what to do, and I figured one way to know how to become an artist would be to find out what philosophy is and also what philosophy is not in order to then be able to paint,” says Dr. Thomas Teufel, who initially wanted to become an artist.

“The word philosophy comes from the Greek ‘filo-sofía.’ Sofía means ‘wisdom,’ filo means ‘lover of.’ Thus, a philosopher is a lover of wisdom—as the Greeks would …

Pence Teaches, Studies The History Of Germany., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“I’m really happy to talk about history because

I find it a very exciting thing that helps us to understand

the present and figure out how to analyze all

the different things around us.” That is the way Dr.

Katherine Pence explains why studying history is

important beyond the stereotype of being a subject

about dates and names.

“It’s good to have few dates in mind so you can

figure out causes and effects and what comes before

and after a certain date, such as the end of World

War II in 1945. The world changed dramatically after

that date,” …

Hentzi Looks At Literature And Its Circumstances., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

English is a well-known subject, but what most

people don’t know is that English scholars do a lot

of different things. One of these scholars is Dr. Gary

Hentzi, whose interest in culture dates from a very

early age. “I guess I always knew that I was interested

in the arts and culture. I started out more interested in

music than anything else, but it quickly branched out

into an interest in literature,” he says.

As a young professor, he specialized in one of the

founders of the novel as a literary genre in the early

18th century: Daniel Defoe. …

Allan Explores African Literature And Its Impact On The U.S., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Although for decades now we have become familiar with the vibrancy and impact of African-American literature in this country, little is publicly mentioned about its roots.

Someone who has researched and taught both African and African-American literature is Dr. Tuzyline Allan. A native of Sierra Leone in West Africa, she has been around, academically speaking. Allan obtained her bachelor’s degree in English from Durham University in England, a master’s degree in English from New York University (NYU), and a doctorate in English from Stony Brook University in New York. Today she is a professor in the Department of English in …

Taylor Studies, Teaches The History Of Civil Rights., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

For many, the era of the Civil Rights Movement belongs to the past, a time vaguely associated with hippies and protesters. However, in the last few months, we have seen both new and old grievances surfacing, whether regarding immigrants, women, ethnic minorities, or members of the LGBTQ group.

As the Spanish philosopher and Harvard professor Jorge Santayana once said, “Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.” Therefore, it’s important to look at past struggles and ask ourselves whether there’s anything we can learn from them.

Hallowell Teaches And Practices Environmental Writing., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Over the last few decades, we have become increasingly aware of the environmental issues that we are facing, from pollution to the destruction of natural habitats, from species extinctions to climate change. A major player in creating this awareness has been the media, and someone who has practiced environmental journalism all of his professional life is Dr. Christopher Hallowell.

His interest in these issues can be traced back to his childhood. “As a kid, I spent a lot of time in the fields and woods and streams, and I became somehow very obsessed with how nature worked, so I took …

Marlow Has Music And Journalism In His Dna., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Not that many people are capable of excelling in two apparently different professions at the same time. Or at least that’s the assumption in today’s world, when it seems that specialization is the way to go if you want to succeed. Yet, from time to time, we encounter people who are exceptions to the rule.

One of those exceptions is Dr. Eugene Marlow. Even his academic background shows how versatile he can be. He holds a master’s degree in music composition from Hunter College in New York and a doctorate in media studies from New York University.

Mcglynn Studies, Teaches Different Forms Of The English Language., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Although English is spoken around the world and is considered the main means of communication in commerce, science, and many other fields, the language has humble origins and a complicated story.

With roots in the southern part of England, drawing from French, German, and Scandinavian languages, English began to spread around the world as the British began colonizing. First it was Wales, then Scotland, Ireland, Australia, the United States, South Africa, India, and elsewhere around the globe.

Plekon Looks At The Evolution Of Religious Beliefs., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

Abraham Lincoln once said, “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.” He sounds like a precursor of today’s millennials, who, although they do not feel attracted to any organized religion, still have a space for spirituality and righteousness in their hearts.

Someone who looks at religion from many different viewpoints is Dr. Michael Plekon, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences at Baruch College of the City University of New York.

Brenkman Explains The Art Behind Writing Novels., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

J.R.R. Tolkien, the famous author of The Lord of the Rings, once said that “Not all those who wander are lost,” and there are many examples of university professors who have tried different elds and have been able to shine in more than one of them.

That is the case with Dr. John Brenkman. Al- though he is an expert on novels, he began his career in a different eld. “I probably had more emphasis on poetry and philosophy than I did on the novel,” says this native of Peoria, Illinois. “Then, sometime in the mid to late 80’s, I …

Rollyson Explains The Art Of Biography., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

A fixture of any bookstore is the biography section. It seems that the general public has a fascination with the subject. And no matter how many times famous people have had their biographies written, there is always interest in learning more about them.

Someone who has been very successful as a biographer is Dr. Carl Rollyson. And he has an explanation for why there is such endless interest in the lives of famous people. “I think people read biographies simply to learn. I think it was (the writer Ralph Waldo) Emerson who said that biography is teaching by example. People …

Levin Analyzes The Life, Work Of Artists., Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

For many, the history of art is a recounting of names and dates. For Dr. Gail Levin, it is about the human stories behind great pieces of art. “I became in- terested in art because my mother had gone to art school and her parents made her drop out, because they thought art was sinful,” says this native of Atlanta, Georgia. The reason was that, as orthodox Jewish immigrants, her grandparents became alarmed when her mother began winning prizes for painting male nudes.

Levin not only de ed her grandparents’ traditions but took her studies very seriously, thanks to her …

Thoughts On Reading "The Personal": Toward A Discursive Ethics Of Professional Critical Literacy, Jane Hindman

Publications and Research

Notes this special issue of College English that author has edited focuses primarily on embodied personal writing. Identifies and argues for a powerful alternative to masculinist discourse by incorporating an "embodied rhetoric" into professional discursive practices. Considers how embodied rhetoric requires gestures to the material practices of the professional group and to the quotidian circumstances of the individual writer.

Special Focus: Personal Writing, Jane E. Hindman

Publications and Research

This introduction to a special section of College English treats the nature, role, and problematics of personal academic discourse and professional work. It address the place of personal writing in professional contexts and aims to clarify the myriad denotations of "the personal" in academic discourse and to suggest viable criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of personal writing's contributions to knowledge-making in English studies.