Download pdf - Humanities & Arts Magazine, Volume 2014, Issue 2

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The City College of New YorkH&A Magazine

IN THIS ISSUELetter from the Dean...........................................1Herman Lew Memorial Scholarship Fund.......3New Faculty Hires...............................................4Alumni Profiles....................................................8Notes from the LAMDA Summer Program.....12Stanford Summer Experiences.........................13Faculty Achievements........................................18Humanities Enrichment Grants.......................21

2014 Divisional Graduation Ceremony at Marshak Plaza Island Photography

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It’s an exciting time at CCNY. The College is finalizing a strategic plan that sets out our goals and aspirations for the next eight years, taking us to City’s 175th anniversary in 2022. Faculty, students, and staff have been discussing drafts of the plan. When it is published, everyone will see that we re-dedicate ourselves to CCNY’s historic mission of access and excellence and define new areas of growth for all the schools and divisions, including the Humanities and Arts.

Almost any day, one reads or hears laments for the state of the Humanities at America’s colleges and universities. Faculty positions have been cut, funding is down, students have fled to more remunerative fields, disciplines and departments are mired in confusion and self-doubt. Just the other day I listened to a lecture by the eminent Sanskrit scholar at Columbia University, Professor Sheldon Pollack, and that was the picture he painted. Nationwide and globally, there is much truth to his portrait. But it doesn’t hold for City College. We still teach

introductory Philosophy to around 800 students every semester, 600 in Art History. Our Art studios are jammed full, not only with our majors but also with students from “across the street,” as we say, that is, from Engineering, Science, and Architecture. The number of Theatre majors has tripled in the last decade. English has over 500 majors annually. History every year sends students to top flight Ph.D. programs. Our film students win student Oscars and have their work shown at international festivals, including Cannes, the first and most famed of

Letter from the Dean

H&A MagazineDivision of Humanities & the Arts, Volume 2014, Issue 2

The City Collegeof New York


all. I could go on with many other examples. We have our challenges, to be sure, but “Crisis in the Humanities” is not to be found at City College.

As you’ll read in the next few pages, we’ve hired 17 new full time Humanities and Arts faculty in the last two years. Hiring is the lifeblood of academic departments. It brings in new talent, and it energizes the faculty already here. The rigorous search process that we undertake for every full time hire – depending on the field, the number of applications ranges from 50 to 500, and our faculty committees read through all of them – acquaints our faculty with the current state of knowledge in the field, the new methods, the new ways of thinking, that our applicants bring with them. You’ll read portraits of the 11 new faculty who began this semester, a truly stellar group across a wide range of disciplines.

Last summer we sent our second cohort of top Humanities students to Stanford University for a summer research program. The experience was transformative for them, as you’ll read in the following pages. Ten years from now, we’ll be able to say that City College, along with providing great

opportunities for individual students, more than ever has contributed to diversifying the professoriate in the United States.

Thanks to Patricia Hill, one of our generous alumni, and the City College Fund, we were able again to send three students to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts for an intensive summer course in Shakespearean and Jacobean drama. They, too, had transformative experiences, as you’ll read. We publish an interview with Patricia in our “Alumni Profile” section, and also with Keith Mayes, who graduated in History and Black Studies in 1995 and is now Associate Professor (and Department Chair) of African American and African Studies at the University of Minnesota. Keith grew up within walking distance of the City College campus, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the interview with him as much as we did.

Finally, you’ll read about the accomplishments of our excellent faculty. Thanks to the generosity of the Rifkind family and the Winston Foundation, the Division of Humanities and Arts has been able to provide more support for faculty

research and creative activity. You’ll find descriptions of their interesting projects in the pages that follow, from the history of photography to the development of Chinese physics to a dramatic film about an inventor, played by the renowned Christopher Plummer, confronting profound changes in his life. And you can look through the highlights – we could not include everything! – of faculty publications, exhibits, and awards.

So please join me in celebrating the Humanities and Arts at City College and the many accomplishments of our faculty, students, and staff!

Sincerely,

Eric D. Weitz, DeanDistinguished Professor of History

Letter from the Dean

H&A MagazineVolume 2014, Issue 2November 2014

Eric D. Weitz, DeanMelissa K.R. Hozik, Editor-in-ChiefIna Saltz, Design Consultant

Copy EditorsAdrian EnriquezHasmic MkrtchyanCarly Rubin

Office of the DeanNorth Academic Center, 5/225160 Convent AvenueNew York, NY 10031p. 212.650.8166e. [email protected]/humanities

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Herman Lew Memorial Scholarship FundAs you know, Herman Lew, our much beloved colleague in the Film/Video Program at CCNY, passed away unexpectedly on September 20th at age 59. Herman will be remembered for many things: his humor, his warmth and kindness, his intelligence, his artistic talent, his uncanny ability to remain calm in the storm, to name just a few of his special qualities. Among all of Herman’s positive attributes we will remember, there is one that was so pervasive, so indisputable, so widely admired and respected, even by people who only knew him slightly—namely, his deep and tireless dedication to his students.

That is why we want to honor him by creating the Herman Lew Memorial Scholarship, which will provide support to outstanding undergraduate film students at City College.

Herman Lew joined the Film/Video Program at City College in 1996, and the following year assumed the directorship of the undergraduate film program, a position he held until his death. The door of his office on the fourth floor of Shepard Hall was always open, and if you peeked your head in you would invariably see two or three students in conference with him —screening projects, reviewing

storyboards or pitching ideas. Year after year, under his guidance, students were recognized at the highest levels of the field—at The Cannes Film Festival, in The Eastman Kodak Cinematography Competition and by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to name a few.

During Herman’s 18 years at CCNY, thousands of students benefited from his wisdom, patience and guidance. Throughout those many years, in his free time, he also directed the workshop program at Third World Newsreel, where he further devoted himself to mentoring the next generation of filmmakers. With the Herman Lew Memorial Scholarship Fund we aim to continue, in a modest way, the enormous support he gave to countless film students and emerging filmmakers over the years.

We ask you to honor Herman’s legacy by contributing to the City College Fund scholarship we are creating in his name. In order to launch this scholarship, we need to raise a minimum of $25,000, and any amount you can give will move us closer to that goal. You can donate by making a check out to The City College Fund, Shepard Hall Rm 166, New York, NY 10031. You can also make a gift online via PayPal or find the link via the divisional website. Please check off that your gift is for The Herman Lew Memorial Scholarship on the website and include it in the memo section of your check. Your contributions are tax-deductible.

Sincerely,

Dave Davidson & Andrea WeissOn behalf of the Media and Communications Arts Department City College of New York


JOSHUA COHENAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Art

Joshua Cohen studied English at Vassar College before conducting Fulbright research in Guinea, West Africa, and undertaking graduate studies in the Department of Art History at Columbia University. Cohen’s dissertation, “Masks and the Modern: African/European Encounters in 20th-Century Art,” tracks appropriations of African sculpture by European and African modern artists between 1905 and 1980. Some of Cohen’s interests include African sculpture, “global” modernisms, and postcolonial studies.

ELISE CRULLAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Philosophy

ELAZAR ELHANANAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Foreign Languages & Literatures/Jewish Studies

Elise Crull received a B.Sc. in Physics from Calvin College, and went on to receive an M.A. in Philosophy and a Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Notre Dame. Some of her research interests include the meta-issues such as the ethics of emergent science and technology, the perception of science and technology in the public sphere, history and philosophy of science in education, and the nature of the science-theology-philosophy triad.

Elazar Elhanan received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Middle East Studies from Columbia University. He focuses on Jewish literature in Hebrew and Yiddish. Elhanan is concerned with the relations between language, identity, and nation-building. His research interests include romanticism, symbolism, modernism, and literary theory. He has published essays and reviews in L’Humanité, Le Journal Purple, The Journal of Palestinian Studies, Davka, and others.

New Faculty Hires

2014 DIVISIONAL GRADUATION CEREMONYOn Thursday, May 29, 2014, the Division of the Humanities & the Arts celebrated the graduation of hundreds of students. Over 1,800 people were in attendance on Marshak Plaza.

Adam Patraju (BA Philosophy) carried the Divisional banner, with President Lisa Coico, Dean Eric Weitz, and the department chairs leading the procession.

We wish all of the Class of 2014 happiness and success in all their future endeavors.

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ROBERT HIGNEYAssistant ProfessorDepartment of English

JENNIFER HOLMESAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Theatre & Speech

VÁCLAV PARISAssistant ProfessorDepartment of English

Robert Higney received his Ph.D. in English from Johns Hopkins University. His dissertation, “The Ends of Empire: Institutional Character and Modernist Realism,” examines some ideas such as, the institution and the concept of character and narrative form in the modernist and Anglophone novel. An article on Joseph Conrad’s Nostromo is forthcoming in the journal NOVEL.

Jennifer Holmes received her B.A. in Drama from Vassar College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Theatre from New York University. She taught theater and public speaking at Pace University, New York University, Manhattanville College, and Bronx Community College. Her dissertation, “Performing Through Layers: Reading the World Through Theatre in Zanzibar,” is nominated for NYU’s Outstanding Dissertation Award.

Václav Paris recently completed his Ph.D. in English at the University of Pennsylvania. He also studied at University College London and Cambridge University. The main focus of his teaching and research is the modernist period, and some of his published articles include work on James Joyce, Walter Benjamin, Louis Aragon, and Walt Whitman. He is currently writing a book, Everday Epic, about early twentieth-century narrative and evolutionary theory.

New Faculty Hires

2014 DIVISIONAL GRADUATION CEREMONY Island Photography5

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THOMAS PEELEAssociate Professor Department of English

MASSIMO PIGLIUCCIK.D. Irani ProfessorDepartment of Philosophy

KATHERINE RITCHIEAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Philosophy

Thomas Peele received his M.A. in English, Creative Writing, from The City College of New York, and a Ph.D. in English, Composition and Rhetoric, from the University of South Florida. Previously on the faculty at Boise State University, he served as the Associate Director for Digital Projects for the First Year Writing Program. He moved to the Brooklyn campus of Long Island University in 2011, where he was appointed Director of First Year Writing. At CCNY he will be the Director of First-Semester Composition. His recent publications include “iBooks for Basic Writers: Digital Media and Student Engagement,” and “Teaching and Assessing Research Strategies in the Digital Age.”

Massimo Pigliucci has a Doctorate in Genetics from the University of Ferrara (Italy), a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee. He has done post-doctoral research in evolutionary ecology at Brown University and is the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy, as well as Professor of Philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His research interests include the philosophy of biology, in particular the structure and foundations of evolutionary theory, the relationship between science and philosophy, and the nature of pseudoscience.

Katherine Ritchie received her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013. Her work focuses on issues in metaphysics, social ontology, and the philosophy of language. Katherine has presented at conferences in five countries and has published, “What are Groups?” in Philosophical Studies. Most recently, she has taught at Duke University.

New Faculty Hires


New Faculty Hires

SEIJI SHIRANEAssistant ProfessorDepartment of History

MELISSA WATSONAssistant ProfessorDepartment of English

Seiji Shirane graduated as a History major, earning his bachelors from Yale University and his Ph.D. from Princeton University. He is Assistant Professor of East Asian History and specializes in modern Japan, the Japanese empire, colonial Taiwan, and Chinese-Japanese relations. Born in Tokyo and a native of New York City, Seiji has studied and worked several years in Japan, China, and Taiwan. Currently, he is working on a book manuscript that examines colonial Taiwan as a regional center for Japan’s imperial expansion into South China and Southeast Asia from 1895 to 1945.

Melissa Watson recently received her Ph.D. from Syracuse University. Her research includes composition studies and pedagogies, multilingual writing, translingual theory, and rhetorical genre studies. She has published “Public Practices and Multilingual Faculty in U.S. Universities: Towards Critical Perspectives on Administration and Pedagogy,” and is a participating researcher for the Citation Project, a nation-wide study of students’ source use practices. She has also co-authored the article, “The Scholarship of Plagiarism: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, What’s Needed Next.”

CitiBike Branding Campaign: “Create Your Own Stop” is an integrated, multi-media communications campaign developed by Raj Andrew Gomes, Batikan Aslan, and Luz Corona for B2002 Idea Development in the Branding + Integrated Communications (BIC) Masters Program at CUNY City College. Working in teams, students were asked to execute a campaign that utilized 2-D communication, alternative media, and a strategic response to an unexpected curveball situation (an MTA Strike). The marketing objective was to increase awareness and ridership of this new bike-sharing program. The project won first prize in the Division in the 2014 City College Graduate Symposium.

BIC PROJECT WINS 2014 GRADUATE

SYMPOSIUM

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How was growing up in the neighborhood around City College, and what did you know about CCNY before you attended?That’s a great question. I used to skateboard on City College’s campus…what I liked about the campus was that its sidewalks were well-taken care of, they were smoother, and I think there were some areas that were marble. When I look back, when I was there at CCNY, I never imagined that I would be a student there. So, it was pretty interesting for me to actually attend the College, knowing that as a kid, I used to skateboard and play on campus.

When did it occur to you that you that you should think about enrolling at City College?There’s a backstory to how I got there. I started off wanting to be an architect and a civil engineer. When I graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, I enrolled in a trade school called JUMP: Jump Group and Manpower Program. It was designed to take young urban inner-city kids, and teach them a trade. I was in classes in the morning, and then JUMP paired me

with a big engineering firm, [which] I worked with in the afternoon. I did it all simultaneously while enrolled at New York City Technical College. The JUMP program was only six months long, but I continued to work at Parsons-Briggoff, one of the biggest civil engineering firms in the country. I was employed full-time and continued to go to New York City Technical College at night. Then I had this grand idea, that I could actually earn a four-year degree in civil engineering. And guess what senior college in CUNY houses all the engineering programs? It just happened to be at City College, the campus that I used to play on. I ended up transferring into City College as a pre-civil engineering major.However, I was converted to a History major. I took a Black Studies course, and then History courses with Leonard Jefferies, Darren Staloff, Venus Green, Genardo Renique, all the other folks who were there at the time. I would walk up the hill at 145th Street and then up Convent to campus every day. I grew up in the age of Harlem where buildings had burned down on every corner. Seeing that and seeing the drug-dealing

made me wonder why our community looked the way it looked, and I found the answer to those questions in history books. When I was supposed to be doing calculus homework, I was reading history books because I couldn’t put them down. And it was one after another, after another, after another. Then I saw an advertisement for something called the Mellon Undergraduate Minority Program [now the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship]. It was designed to take undergraduate students who wanted to enter academia and mentor them all the way through their time at City College.

I said if I was accepted I would officially declare History as my major. I got the fellowship [and now] I needed a mentor and, since I had a love of history. . and an interest in Black Studies, I decided to seek out faculty in the History Department who would kind of help me make that next step—and Lou Masur [now at Rutgers University] said yes. He studied 19th-century American history, and he was an expert. That was the really big decision for me to stay in the History Department and not Black Studies.

Once you arrived at Princeton University as a graduate student, did you feel well prepared by your years at CCNY? Was it a culture shock to go to Princeton?In terms of American history I was prepared because I had completed the Black Studies courses. There was only one academic area that I was not prepared for and that was historical theory—I did not study enough theory as an undergraduate and so I

Alumni Profile: Keith Mayes

Keith Mayes graduated from City College as a History major, and attended Princeton University where he earned his Ph.D. He is now Professor and Chair of the Department of African American & African Studies at the University of Minnesota. He is an expert on African American history, primarily of the 1960s to present day. He has special expertise on social and political movements and current issues of race and perception.


had to “play some catch up” when I got to Princeton. It wasn’t much of a culture shock because I was one of the privileged students who had the fortune of living close to home, so I could always jump on the train and come home when I needed a break from Princeton. I had a little culture shock being in so many classes with white students, but some of the shock actually was from the Black students. A lot of the Black students came from more privileged middle-class backgrounds and privileged white college institutions like Cornell University and the University of Michigan—here I was coming from City College, a working-class kid coming from a mainly

working-class institution in Harlem. It was fine, though meeting other Black students from that background, that was interesting. We had a lot of interesting debates and some tensions there as well.

Are there other experiences at CCNY that you remember fondly?When I declared History as my major, it’s almost as if it my experience was night and day—not that I wasn’t a serious student beforehand, but I wanted to get into a Ph.D. program. And all of my efforts were geared towards that, so I became immersed in the department. I actually was hired as a teaching assistant. It

gave me the opportunity to teach two semesters. This was during my application process for graduate school. I was fortunate to teach undergraduates, and I had the fortune of knowing a lot of faculty members who were able to write me recommendation letters. I walked around the NAC building like I was already faculty because I wanted to be a professor so badly…having a passion for academia is really the primary thing. I tell people I still love to read US history. I can do that all day every day, it isn’t a job; it’s something I love to do.

“Bonding”by Monika Uchiyama and Portia Lipscomb

STUDENT ART

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Alumni Profile: Keith Mayes

“Monolith A15”Audio responsive animation with projection-mapping on foamcore15’ x 4’ by Ben Retig, DIAP Program

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What did you know about CCNY when you were growing up in New York?I grew up in the Bronx with my mother, who was a single parent, and my sister. In the summer, we went to Lewisohn Stadium [now the site of the NAC building] to see the concerts. We saw Leonard Bernstein—I remember him dancing on the podium doing Billy the Kid, it was fabulous. From the stadium, you could see Shepard Hall, which was majestic. As a kid, this is what I saw—it was a magical place. I also knew that City College was a place where the smart kids went to get a great education. I knew that the engineering program was incredible—and it was free. I don’t think I ever imagined going there because I didn’t know if I was going to college.

You, like so many of our students (then and now), was the first generation in your family to go to college.I was the first. My mother was very culture-oriented, which was a phenomenal gift she gave me, which

I’ve used in my work at City College. We went to plays and Lewisohn Stadium for the concerts. We always sat in the cheapest seats, because we had little money, but we had the money to go. I saw the King and I and all the shows on Broadway. Cultural New York City and City College were all intertwined for me.

With all those fond memories of City College, what made you decide to attend Hunter College?Hunter was just more accessible. First I went to Baruch, then to Hunter…I was going at night, and working during the day, so going back and forth was not an option. I was working as a secretary, and then in the health field as an assistant director at the Health Insurance Council. This was straight out of high school—I went to James Monroe High School. We had to walk across the bridge in the cold, carrying our books. We got a good education there in a class with 30 kids. I decided to go to City College because [it] had the program in educational psychology.

What made you decide on the field of psychology?

I majored in education and psychology at Hunter. I loved people, and wanted to work with them. I believed in the power of therapy. I knew I wanted to do that, and the educational psychology program at CCNY was an entree into the school system as a psychologist. City College was renowned for its master’s program in the field, and I decided to continue my education there. I went to campus with a friend, and we would be up there together at night. I never expected to get a master’s degree—I loved education, and I still do.

I was working in business, and part-time as a therapist. After graduating, I made a choice to be a full-time therapist. I felt that, from my education and personal experiences, I wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives, and that I could not do that in the corporate world. I took a chance. For my family and my generation, you do not work for yourself ! After I graduated my mother asked me, “Was it worth it?” and I looked at her, and I said, “Don’t you know that it was?” In her own way, she was very sophisticated and cultured, but didn’t understand how happy I was with my education.

How do you give back to the CCNY community?As a working adult, I was a theater buff and had been going to plays, dance performances, and concerts throughout New York City. When I decided to give back to City College, I created a scholarship for a deserving student. I enjoyed being a part of the college community again and decided to develop a culture program, which

Alumni Profile: Patricia Hill

Patricia Hill has been a psychother-apist in private practice for over thirty years. She began her career working as a secretary. She earned a B.S. in Education and Psychology from Hunter College and earned her M.S. in Educational Psychology at The City College of New York. She is now Treasurer of the Board of Trust-ees of The City College Fund and a member of the Board of Trustees of The City College Center for the Arts.


Alumni Profile: Patricia Hill

introduced four students to events in the city with which they were not familiar. We went to plays, ballet, museums, parks, and ball games. The program continued for four years because of the enthusiasm of the students and my enjoyment in sharing these experiences with them. I am now the Treasurer of the City College Fund, a board member of the City College Center for the Arts, and a member of the external advisory committee for the Division of Humanities & the Arts. As an alumna, I am impressed with the students and the programs at the college, which

are as high caliber as they were when I remember first learning about the school. I now sponsor students who study abroad for eight weeks in the United Kingdom at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA). This eight-week program complements the theatre major curriculum at City College. This is a very rewarding experience, and the students who participate are so enthusiastic, appreciative, and work so hard to grow as performers. I came back to CCNY knowing that it was time to give back. I absolutely love the institution, even though I

did not have the relationship that other students had with the school. I was a night school student with no social life at the college. I’m so happy being at CCNY and giving to current students. I think students should understand that, when we as alumni give, it’s not because we received it from somebody. It’s because we as alumni have come to a place in our lives where we feel so grateful for what we were able to put together as a life, based on our education. We feel the need to give back.

2014 DEAN’S PRIZE IN ART: BAO LIN Imperceptible Relations (2013) explores the relationship between pedestrians and public space in Flushing, Queens. Through the indifference and alienation of people living in a busy, crowded city, the distance between others creates an interesting dialogue in the image.

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ALESSANDRO BARBAROTTO Some of the…workshops we attended were stage combat which I absolutely love doing because it gives me such a rush. We learned how to fight with rapiers and daggers and we learned the basic movements, cuts and slices. We also had movement class and that had to be one of my favorite workshops. The reason I say this is because I learned many things that can get you to an emotional state without your mind thinking about it…LAMDA also offered a variety of text classes which made me realize that Shakespeare’s words are actually easier than I thought. I also saw a lot of theatre, [one of] my…favorite shows [was] Shakespeare in Love. Another thing that made this all amazing was that I had the opportunity to study overseas and meet many great individuals that I learned a lot from. Being in London also gave me the chance to travel to France for a weekend and admire all that Paris has to offer. In these 8 weeks I have grown immensely not only as an actor but as a person…and I look forward to showing [everyone] all that I have learned.

RUBY HURLOCK The 8 weeks are divided into 2 sections: Shakespeare and Jacobean theatre. We just finished our section on Shakespeare and performed Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing…We learned to work with the Shakespearean text in a way that makes it accessible to any average listener. We are given two days a week to rehearse and each day is from 10:00-5:30pm so we have a lot of time to work. There are 42 students here and they split us into the 3 groups and we all work on different shows. It’s amazing because at the end of the 4 weeks we watch all the shows and every piece is so different because of the director’s personal way of doing things…We have seen 5 Shakespeare shows so far…Henry IV (Parts One and Two), The Rape of Lucrece, Titus Andronicus, and Julius Caesar. We saw Titus and Julius at the Globe and the others in Stratford-upon-Avon. My favorite was Titus and Henry IV as a close second. I love that we get to see Shakespeare done here and that we are being bombarded with it…Now we are working on a Jacobean play called Tis Pity She’s a Whore. It is so much fun!

BILAL WALKER This program definitely helped me grow as an actor and as an artist in general. I learned that Shakespeare and classical texts are generally more demanding on the actor than modern text: it requires that you pay attention to the minor details like the punctuation, when you breathe, what syllables you stress, and uncovering the complex language and images in the text…I have learned a lot of techniques that I can apply to modern plays as well, which I got from the classes like movement, Alexander technique, and voice. A lot of these teachers had different views on Shakespeare and acting in general, and it was useful for me to explore different theories so that I could find what works best for me. I realized that I could also apply many of the exercises we had done in the classes as a director, for whenever I would direct a show again…As I reflect on my progress in these classes, I learned what my strengths are, as well as what I need to particularly focus on down the road with myself…In general, I feel that I have really grown as an actor and I have a much better idea of what kind of actor I want to be.

Notes from the LAMDA Summer ProgramThanks to alumna Patricia hill and the City College Fund, the Division of Humanities & the Arts was able to send three students to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts for an intensive, 8-week course on Shakespearean and Jacobean theatre.

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Stanford Summer Experiences

RACHEL ANSONG, EnglishMy initial goal for the summer was to simply revise my already written undergraduate thesis in order to submit a shorter version for the graduate school application…I learned that in order to focus my essay on a particular argument, I had to [search over and] over again what I wanted to argue. As frustrating as that might appear…I enjoyed the process as I read several texts I had not [previously] had time to analyze. [At Stanford] I learned to manage my time…and with the right schedule, I was able to research, hang out with my friends, have some time for myself and also and more importantly, be rejuvenated with at least 8 hours of sleep. I would tell students who want to apply to graduate school or are thinking of pursuing a Ph.D. to definitely apply for this program.

RENE CORDERO, History BA/MAStanford’s overall culture of helping instead of berating was appealing. My experience with my faculty adviser and writing tutor also reinforced the spirit of encouragement and solidarity. My faculty mentor...gave me the most constructive criticism on my work this summer. He genuinely became invested in my work and went the extra mile to try to improve it. I felt free to ask any “stupid questions” or comment on any aspect of my work with speculation. I was taken seriously by him and he listened to the goals that I had for my work. Most important, I felt a certain liberty with my work that allowed me to be more prolific; it freed me from the constraints of conventional academic rigor. Yet, it was with my writing tutor that I had the best working relationship. While I crafted the overall conceptualization of my work with the faculty adviser, I got down to the nitty gritty with my writing tutor. In sessions that extended to over an hour, my writing tutor and I challenged the meaning of terms, played around with the organization of the piece, and reworked many drafts to make my points less clunky.

Last summer the Division of Humanities & the Arts sent ten of our best students to Stanford University for a research program designed to prepare them for graduate school. The students completed a research project with a Stanford faculty mentor, met in seminar once a week, and participated in a GRE prep course. Stanford generously paid all of their expenses plus an honorarium. We took two Stanford Ph.D. students as adjunct instructors in the English department. Our own Simon H. Rifkind Center for the Humanities contributed to their support. Here are some of the student comments.

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TAMEEKIA IMANI-COOPER, EnglishAlong with the many scholarly achievements accomplished this summer, the program also provided staff who took great interest in my personal growth both in and outside of my academic journey. [We had] two live-in advisers, both fifth-year graduate students. [We discussed] topics that appear to be simple but can be difficult due to the rigorous and personal schedule of pursuing a career in academia. We discussed topics including proper sleep agendas, creating effective time management charts, the positives of taking breaks/working in intervals, and…acquiring positive stress relieving activities. For example we were encouraged to explore events outside of studying including figure skating, rock climbing, singing, painting, playing an instrument, and so on. The point was to...provide a sense of balance and fun.The Stanford [program] was both an enriching and challenging experience...I am grateful to have had the opportunity to strengthen my English reading and writing skills...[The program] rendered an abundance of information on applying to Ph.D. programs and what to look for in a school.

BETSY MARMOL, History B.A./M.A.One of the goals I set for myself this summer was to learn how to conduct archival research. I achieved this goal and gained other valuable skills on the research process. The program was essential in helping obtain these skills...[The faculty] mentorship over this summer exceeded my expectations...I gained archival research skills and experience under the guidance of a mentor…I learned about the research process, the profession of a history scholar, and the graduate school application process…During the first two weeks of the program, [my mentor and an archivist] took the time to show me how to navigate through the archives. …Her techniques were extremely beneficial in understanding how to sort through the documents and analyze them…My summer at Stanford had an immense impact on my educational and personal growth. It improved my research skills, helped me network with other scholars, and contributed to creating a fruitful intellectual community. I would highly recommend this program to other City College students that are interested in…pursuing a career in academia.

XABIER FOLE VARELA, Spanish M.A.The last summer...has been the most rewarding experience of my academic and professional career. Working weekly alongside my mentor...I reached new horizons of cultural interests [and came to] understand the diligence needed for success in graduate school. With his help and support, I finished the first draft of my Master’s thesis...I met other CCNY students from different academic fields, and Stanford students, which gave the opportunity to share ideas with them about the world of academia, Ph.D. applications, and the complexities of living a graduate student life. Stanford University’s many resources were available to us, including the large collection of its library (I was there most of the time), the gym, athletics facilities, and the dining hall...Throughout the course of those weeks I have both learned and developed new skills associated with researching, writing, and preparing oral presentations. I also have learned...from different viewpoints on the way to improving my own knowledge and perception. I highly recommend the program to any student who wants to have an authentic academic experience. My [participation in the] CCNY/Stanford Summer Research Program has definitely changed my attitude toward the world of academia.


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ANNA CAHN, Art History M.A.My research resources were abundant among the collections of several different libraries and the generous and accommodating faculty and staff. [At] the Art and Architecture Library…the head librarian was kind enough to give me my own desk and work space…next to the Stanford graduate students. I was also taken on a special tour of the modern art gallery by the curator of the Cantor Art Center…as well as shown rare paintings and drawings relating to my research in private study rooms otherwise inaccessible to the public. My [faculty mentor’s] advice and invaluable insight to my project is irreplaceable…This time spent with one of the leading thinkers in my field was inspirational and completely life changing. I also went [to San Francisco] ...to interview the curator of the 1959 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art ...The curator lives in Berkeley and was kind enough to invite me to his house for a personal interview. Meeting him was an honor as well as an amazing experience that built my interviewing skills as well as my confidence…This interview was crucial to answering many questions in my research and I would not have had this opportunity without the help of my advisors.


SHAILA BORA, Philosophy[My faculty mentor] encouraged me to do the kind of work I feel passionate about even if it doesn’t fit the traditional deliberated matters often considered in philosophy. This was one of the most powerful conversations I have ever had with anyone about my academic path. Hearing this from someone who is so well respected in the philosophical community made me feel as though what I have to say is important and that my ideas can be valid philosophical projects. In addition to having bi-weekly meetings with my mentor, weekly meetings with [a philosophy doctoral candidate], and frequent chats with [one of the program advisors], I also had my cohort, other interns and the post-doc…[with whom I could] discuss my ideas. I have never experienced this kind of intellectual community and I can honestly say, the meals we took together and the discussions that I had with others in the halls at night were equally beneficial to shaping my project as the more formal elements of the program. It was also interesting to be a listener in this community. The projects people had chosen to wrestle with, the way in which they had chosen to do it, and the small shifts in both over time was stimulating for me. I was amazed at how fascinated I was with everyone else’s work.

LORENA MARRÓN, Art History M.A.During those months, that went by so quickly, I was not only surrounded by a peaceful landscape but by very lively intellectual scholars that nourished my research in an invaluable way…I was…invited…to attend a Ph.D. art history thesis seminar every Monday, taught by a leading scholar…and attended only by Art History Ph.D. level students. [The professor is a] very passionate lecturer and theory oriented, which was very useful for my research. His insights on my topic were extremely clever and relevant. This class was also a true insight to graduate life and graduate thinking…One of the great things about the program was its location. I was able to go to San Francisco a couple of times, and also visited Sonoma, Santa Cruz, and Big Sur. The great contrasting difference with NY was the fact that the little things were easier: like getting from one point to another as one . . . simply biked everywhere. It was a total “stress-free” two months in that sense. I came home to NY feeling good about my research done at Stanford and motivated and excited to continue with my project…I will love to see this program live for many years, changing the lives of ten students at the time.

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JOEL SATI, PhilosophyWhen my research focus shifted, Stanford had the resources to ensure the transition was as smooth as possible. In addition, working with [two top professors in my field] was an amazing experience...Those meetings were important in focusing on aspects of research and encouraged me to pursue philosophical matters of citizenship and immigration during my graduate studies. They also pushed me to put pressure on what I agree with and look for parts of the argument that can be improved…The GRE courses were very helpful...I learned that doing well requires more than knowing the subject matter. Doing well requires that one knows the test. This includes: how one apportions time within a section, the techniques one uses to answer questions, and how to keep in top physical and mental shape! Perhaps the most salient lesson that I have learned as a result of sampling graduate-level research is that I...want to pursue graduate school and become a professor at the top level. [My faculty mentor] told me to “argue what [I] care about.” That advice grounded me to focus on philosophical matters that are important to me and to conduct my research with the utmost rigor. It also pushed me to ask myself if philosophy would be a path worth taking; the answer is yes.

BERTA GARCÍA FAET, Spanish M.A.My own research paper has been very much improved thanks to the variety of views and methodologies [I encoun-tered], and thanks to the necessity of explaining my research to people who weren’t specialists in my field. The best part of my research experience [was working] very closely with my mentor. She has been incredibly helpful and gen-erous and I have taken much advantage of her erudition and talent: she helped me focus my topic, structure the paper, choose the relevant bibliography about literary criticism and formal analysis, improve my “close reading,” and adapt my interpretation to the proper academ-ic language and procedures...I cannot begin to explain all what I’ve learned and accomplished during these months, and I’m very thankful and enthusiastic about it: I’ve been able to complete my Master’s Thesis (which will be my writing sample for the Ph.D. applications this fall), I’ve sketched a good statement of purpose, I know where I’m going to apply, and with whom I would like to work, and I know better what the life of a scholar is like. I really hope that this program contin-ues many years more, because I never thought that I would have the oppor-tunity to study at [Stanford], and it has been the best academic and personal experience of my life.

From top: Entrance to Main Quad, Stanford University; Bing entrance, Green Library; Main Library

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BECCA ALBEE held residencies with the IMMA Residency Programme and the Irish Museum of Art in Dublin, Ireland in the summer of 2014.

CARLA CAPPETTI earned a Ful-bright Scholar award for 2013-2014. She was based at Ca’Foscari, University of Venice, Italy.

Nueva York, the CUNY TV series, produced by JERRY W. CARLSON, received another New York Emmy Award for Best Arts segment.

DAVE DAVIDSON received the 2013 Pioneer in the Arts award from the Ri-ant/Black Experimental Theatre for his twenty-five years of documentary film-making focusing on African-American art and culture.

MARIT DEWHURST’s work was exhibited at the Yashar Gallery in New York City. She was also awarded a grant through the Institute of Museum and Library Studies via the Art Educa-tion Partnership.

GREGORY DOWNS served as chair for the Frederick Douglass Prize committee for Yale University’s Gilder Lehrman Center.

ANDRAS KISERY was named a Francis Bacon Foundation Fellow at the Huntington Library in San Marino CA in 2013 and 2014. He was also awarded a 3-year Andrew B. Mellon

Fellowship of Scholars in Critical Bibli-ography at the Rare Book School of the University of Virginia.

BARBARA NADDEO was awarded a fellowship at the Italian Academy for Advanced Study in America at Colum-bia University for Fall 2014 to continue her book project, From the Privy to Statistical Archive: Political Information and Science in the Age of Enlighten-ment.

IRA SPAULDING was part of a panel of judges for the Harlem Opera Theater’s Vocal Competition on June 1, 2013.

ADRIENNE PETTY received the Theodore Saloutos Memorial Award for the her book, Standing Their Ground: Small Farmers in NorthCarolina since the Civil War. The award is for best book on agricultural history, presented at the Annual Meeting of the Agricultural History Society in Provo, Utah in 2014.

EMILY RABOUTEAU’s book, Search-ing for Zion: The Quest for Home in the African Diaspora, won the 2013 New York Book Festival’s grand prize and the 2014 American Book Award.

CARLOS RIOBÓ’s article, “Raiding the ‘Anales’ of the Empire: Sarduy’s Subversions of the Latin American Book,” was awarded the Sylvia Mol-loy Award for the best peer-reviewed

article in the Humanities by the Latin American Studies Association in 2013.

INA SALTZ’s book, Typography Refer-enced: A Comprehensive Visual Guide to the Languages, History, and Practice of Typography, was added to the 2013 Outstanding Reference Sources List by the Reference and User Services Association of the American Library Association.

CHERYL STERLING was elected President of the New York African Studies Association for 2014-2015.

ANDREA WEISS received a Fulbright Scholar award to research and pro-duced a documentary film, “Bones of Contention”, for Spring 2015.

Faculty Achievements

AWARDS & GRANTS

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BARON, BETH. The Orphan Scandal: Christian Missionaries and the Rose of the Muslim Brotherhood. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014.

BOCHMAN, SVETLANA. “Teaching Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation Through Unintentionally Humorous Anonymous Student Errors.” Practical Composition for the English Classroom for Working Instructors, ed. Russell Brickley, Laura L. Beadling, Evelyn Martens, 115. Jefferson: McFarland, 2014.

CALLAHAN, LAURA, ed. Spanish and Portuguese Across Time, Place and Borders. Studies in Honour of Milton M. Azevedo. London: Palgrave Mac-millian, 2014.

CALLAHAN, LAURA. “The Impor-tance of Being Earnest: Mock Spanish, Mass Media, and the Implications for Language Learners.” Spanish in Con-text 11, no. 2 (2014): 202-220.

DEKEL, MIKHAL. Oedipus in Kishinev: Zionism, Literature, Tragedy. Jerusa-lem: Bialik Institute Press, 2014.

DEWHURST, MARIT. “Where are we? Mapping the field of community arts.” International Journal of Education through Art 8, no. 3 (2012): 321-328.

DI IORIO, LYN. “Her Name is Guaná-bana.” REVIEW of the Americas Society: the Americas in New York 47, no. 2 (2014).

DOWNS, GREGORY P. “Anarchy at the Circumference: Statelessness and the Reconstruction of Authority in Emancipation-Era North Carolina.” After Slavery: New Scholarship on Race, Labor and Politics after the American Civil War, edited by Bruce E. Baker and Brian Kelly, 98-121. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2013.

DOWNS, GREGORY P. “Congressional Rules Remembered and Forgotten.” New York Times, (New York, NY), December 18, 2013.

ESTRADA, ISABEL AND MELISSA GONZÁLEZ. “Victimhood in Con-temporary Spanish Documentary: The Politics of Agency in Jaime Camino’s La vieja memoria (1978) and Los niños de Rusia (2001). In (Re)viewing Cre-ative, Critical and Commercial Practic-es in Contemporary Spanish Cinema, edited by Fernando J Canet and Ducan Wheeler: 165-176. Bristol, UK: Intel-lect Books, 2014.

FONT, MAURICIO AND ARACELI TINAJERO, eds. Handbook on Cuban History, Literature, and the Arts: New Perspectives on Historical and Con-temporary Social Change. Boulder: Paradigm Press, 2014.

GLEASON, BARBARA, ed. Basic Writing Electronic Journal. The City College of New York, 1999-present. http://bwe.ccny.cuny.edu/

GREBLE, EMILY. “Illustions of Justice: Fascist, Customary, and Islamic Law in the Independent State of Croatia.” Past

and Present 222, no. 1 (2014): 249-274.

JABLONSKY, STEPHEN. Molto Canta-bile! Sight Singing the World’s Greatest Melodies. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2013.

KISÉRY, ANDRÁS. “‘I lack ad-vancement’: public rhetoric, private prudence, and the political agent in Hamlet, 1561-1609.” English Literary History 81, no. 1 (2014): 29-60.

LASKIN, PAMELA L. The Bonsai Cu-rator. West Somerville: Cervena Barva Press, 2013.

MIRSKY, MARK JAY. “East Side Golems.” Shadowgraph Two, (2014): 115-126.

MIRSKY, MARK JAY. “Who Was Sche-herazade, Do I Know You?” Fiction 60, (2014): 116-126.

OPPENHEIMER, PAUL. “How the West Learned to Read and Write: Silent Reading and the Invention of the Sonnet.” PN Review 216 40, no. 4 (2014): 45-48.

PIGLIUCCI, MASSIMO, AND FINKEL-MAN, L. “The Extended (Evolution-ary) Synthesis Debate: Where Science Meets Philosophy.” BioScience (2014). doi: 10.1093/biosci/biu062.

PIGLIUCCI, MASSIMO. “A Muddled Defense of New Atheism: On Stenger’s Response.” Science, Religion & Culture 1, no.3 (2014).


PUBLICATIONS

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RABOTEAU, EMILY. Searching for Zion: The Quest for Home in the African Diaspora. New York: Grove Atlantic Press, 2014.

RABOTEAU, EMILY. “The Wisdom of the Moving Man.” New York Times, July 27, 2014.

STEIN, JUDITH. “The Linked Reces-sions of the 1970s and Early Twen-ty-First Century.” The Montreal Re-view: Books, Art and Culture, October 2012.

TINAJERO, ARACELI, ed. Orientalisms of the Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian World. New York: Escribana, 2014.

VALDÉS, VANESSA K. Oshun’s Daugh-ters: The Search for Womanhood in the Literatures of the Americas. New York: SUNY Press, 2014.

VAZ, MATTHEW. “’We Intend to Run It’: Racial Politics, Illegal Gambling, and the Rise of Government Lotter-ies in the United States: 1960-1985.” Journal of American History 101, no. 2 (2014): 71-96.

VILLAROSA, LINDA. “The Politican’s Wife.” Essence Magazine, June 2013.

WEINER, ESTHA. In the Weather of the World. Cliffs of Moher, Ireland: Salmon Poetry, 2013.

WEISS, ANDREA. Paris Was A Woman: Portraits from the Left Bank. Berkeley: Counterpoint Press, 2013.

WEISSMAN, DAVID. Zone Morality. Berlin: Walter De Gruyter Inc, 2014.

WU, I-HSEIN. “Enlightenment through Feelings: Poetry, Music, and Drama in the Story of the Stone.” Approaches to Teaching the Story of the Stone (Dream of the Red Chamber), edited by Andrew Schonebaum and Tina Lu. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2013.

EXHIBITIONS AND PERFORMANCES

DAVE DAVIDSON’s documentary, Rescoring Richter, was screened at Soundtrack_Cologne in Germany in 2013. His documentary, Hans Richter: Everything Turns—Every-thing Revolves, was featured in ex-hibitions in Switzerland and Berlin, Germany in 2013-2014.

BRANDON JUDELL’s play, Flash-point, was performed in 2013 at Pete’s Candy Store in New York City.

HAJOE MODEREGGER’s video, “The backup tapes from Moon and Mars” and accompanying book Buzz Cut are included in the exhi-

bition, “Free Enterprise: The Art of Citizen Space” at the UCR ARTS-block/the California Museum of Photography in 2014.

JONATHAN PIESLAK’s, “Shards: Pi-ano Music of Jonathan Pieslak” was released by Albany Records.

INA SALTZ’s photographs were pub-lished in a solo photo essay in Lab Magazine, no. 4 (2013).

ANTONIO TIBALDI’s documentary, [S]Comparse, was screened at the Calandra Institute.

TOM THAYER’s collaborative exhibi-

tion, “Baseless Legion of Architects Rent Asunder,” was on display at Eleven Rivington Gallery in New York City in 2013 at two of their locations.

ANNETTE WEINTRAUB had work in two exhibitions: “Digital Art and the Urban Environment” at Pace University in 2013, and “Sacred: Walking as Spiritual Action” at the Minneapolis Instistute of Arts in 2014.

DAVID WILLINGER’s play, Rock Wa-gram, was performed at the Theatre for the New City in New York City in 2014.


PUBLICATIONS

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Faculty Awarded Humanities Enrichment Grants

Thanks to the generosity of the Rifkind Family and the Winston Foundation, which support the Simon H. Rifkind Center for the Humanities and the Arts, the Division has established Humanities Enrichment Grants. The purpose of the award is to sup-port faculty research and creative activity. We are pleased to announce the 8 grantees for 2014-15.

CLIFFORD ROSENBERG (History) continued his research in France, investigating the history of tuberculosis, how it spread, and how it shifted from being a disease of the French middle class to being perceived as an immigrant disease. His research examines tuberculosis’ role in connecting Europe with its former colonies, specifically France and its relationship with Algeria.

ISABEL ESTRADA (Foreign Languages and Literatures) traveled to Madrid to conduct research in film archives and interview filmmakers for her book, Expanded Cinema in Spain: Media Technology and Cyberspace. She is examining contemporary films in the digital age as well as the repercussions of cyberspace and digital media on film’s value as an art form.

MIKHAL DEKEL (English) is retracing her father’s journey, as well as hundreds of other Polish-Jewish refugee children, who fled Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II, for her next book, Tehran Child. Her journey took her through the former USSR, Central and South Asia, and eventually to Palestine. Dekel pieces together traces of the lives of these refugees.

GERARDO BLUMENKRANTZ (Media and Communication Arts), in collaboration with ImagenHB, created idBrooklyn, a community-powered art project that captures Brooklyn’s unique identity through graphic icons that will be accessible to the community through books, art exhibitions, a documentary, and web and mobile app-based interactive platforms.

ANTONIO TIBALDI (Media and Communication Arts) is currently working on his film, The Oldest Man Alive. The film centers on Jack, an 88 year-old inventor, played by award-winning actor Christopher Plummer. Devastated by the loss of his wife, Jack is rescued from suicide by a young Romanian woman named Anca. Reinvigorated with a new sense of purpose, Jack becomes increasingly involved in Anca’s life, much to the concern of his family.

DANIAN HU (History) is studying the origin and development of the Chinese physicist community, including Western physicists serving China over the last century. Hu’s project will explore how these physicists have changed China through their introduction of revolutionary theories, devotion to scientific education and research, and more.

BARBARA NADDEO (History) is completing her research on Giuseppe Maria Galanti, an information broker during the age of Enlightenment, who published an account of the Kingdom of Naples, for her next book: From Arcana Imperii to Statistics: G.M. Galanti, Political Information and Science in the Age of Enlightenment.

ELLEN HANDY (Art) is working on creating a textbook introduction to the histories of photography. As a medium, photography lies within and without the canons of the history of art. Approaches based in cultural studies, critical theory, and social history as well as in connoisseurship play valuable roles in chronicling the evolution of the medium.

AMR KAMAL (Foreign Languages and Literatures) traveled to France in order to collect necessary data to develop his dissertation, “Empires and Emporia: Fictions of the Department Store in the Modern Mediterranean,” into a book. It examines the strategic function of nineteenth-century Egyptian and French department stores as urban spaces and literary symbols, which shaped and contested the concept of citizenship in both nations.