Our Extraordinary Faculty

The faculty of the School of Culture and Society are extraordinary teachers and scholars; that’s why we refer to ourselves as teacher-scholars.

Click on the boxes below and read on to learn more about some of the 110 faculty members who call the School of Culture and Society their home.

Teaching is our top concern here, and it shows.  Students often describe their TCNJ faculty with the words “excellent,” “exceptionally well-organized,” “awesome,” and “inspiring.”  Quantitative ratings for most of our instructors hover between 4.0 and 5.0 on a 5-point scale.  The excellence of our faculty in the classroom derives from our concern for student success:  we work here at The College of New Jersey because we want to teach and see teaching as our top professional priority.  Indeed, excellence in teaching is the first category of assessment for faculty in the tenure and promotion processes here at TCNJ. 

The excellence of our faculty in the classroom also derives from our focus on our research.  By continuing to investigate questions that intrigue us, we contribute to the development of new knowledge in our fields and model that process to our students. 

In just the 2009-2010 academic year, the 110 faculty members of the School of Culture and Society presented 47 papers at international conferences, 70 papers at national conferences, and 36 papers at local and regional conferences.  We published 19 book chapters in edited volumes, 49 articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, edited 5 volumes of scholarly essays, and published 7 scholarly books, 1 volume of poetry and 1 of short stories.  Our faculty don’t only engage in research by themselves.  With the support of TCNJ’s MUSE (Mentored Undergraduate Summer Experience) and other programs, TCNJ faculty mentor students in the area of undergraduate research.  This is why many of our students present papers and posters at scholarly conferences and publish articles in peer-refereed scholarly journals.  

When faculty co-author a work with a student, it counts a great deal in the tenure and promotion processes: we value the mentoring of our students and we practice what we preach.

Profiles of Our Faculty

Dr. Stuart Koch, chair of the Department of Political Science, has taken his reach outside of the classroom. He has become a frequent commentator on the topic of New Jersey politics on NJN Nightly News, as well as ABC 7 Eyewitness News. Viewers across the state and beyond have come to rely on his thorough understanding of the latest political developments, just as his students have.

Dr. Celia Chazelle, chair of the Department of History, has become a trendsetter in the field of prison teaching and outreach. Working closely with the TCNJ Bonner Center for Civic and Community Engagement and a local correctional institution, she has been instrumental in forming the Center for Prison Outreach and Education, a program based at The College of New Jersey, which supports a range of programs that aim to support inmates' educational pursuits. Through her efforts, countless students will be able to participate in tutoring and teaching inside of local prisons, and even participate in joint, credit-bearing courses that are audited by TCNJ students as well as inmates. More information about the Center for Prison Outreach and Education can be found at www.tcnj.edu/~cpoe.

What Our Students Think About Our Faculty

Our faculty members are evaluated by students in every course they teach, but here are some thoughts from our students that cannot fit on the evaluation forms; these are just a few of the many examples of faculty members having a true impact in the academic and professional lives of our students. The full names of students and professors have been edited out.

A student named Katie said: Dr. M. is knowledgeable and helpful, but more importantly, she is constantly looking for new and exciting ways to improve the program. She has successfully prepared me for all aspects of my future career.  She exposed me to not only the important things I can do for my students inside the classroom, but also those I can do for my profession outside the classroom. This past summer, I got the opportunity to work on a project with Dr. M. in the MUSE program, researching an important topic with her.   More importantly, though, I've learned the importance of research and the influence it can have on social change. I hope to continue my research in the spring, co-authoring an article on the issue alongside Dr. M.  I never would have imagined gaining an experience as rewarding as this research project, and it wouldn't have been possible without her. Whether as my research mentor or just my professor, she continues to extend my learning, pushing my classmates and me to challenge ourselves and our society, and providing us with the tools we need to do so.

A student named Julia said: Dr. B., a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, has changed my life. Dr. B. has helped me make the most of my sociology major by serving as the faculty advisor for my internships, by encouraging me to spend a semester abroad, by helping me find a way to complete research abroad, and by being a thought-provoking professor in two different courses. Dr. B. has helped me understand complex topics such as neoliberalism and ontological insecurity. She has also challenged me to develop a deeper analysis of the issues I am studying in my senior thesis. Throughout my undergraduate experience, Dr. B. has fostered a love of the study of society in me, with a particular interest in environmental sociology. She has helped me find my passion and has offered great advice in my pursuit of post-graduate plans.

A student named Katelin wrote:  Dr. H. has been my adviser since my sophomore year...and she has been a constant source of support for me throughout this time. She has always gone above and beyond what I have asked of her and even what she is required to do. When I was looking for an instructional internship opportunity she jumped right in, more than willing to share that journey with me. When I was gathering information about transfer credits and trying to organize my schedule so that I could graduate a semester early, she told me I could do it and inspired me to work harder. And when I was struggling to find a career path, she provided me with the insight and determination to do what I really love and not to settle for anything less.

A student named David said: Having two majors and a minor, I have had the opportunity to interact with a number of professors at TCNJ. Despite which department they call home, I have found EVERY professor I have worked with to be highly dedicated to their work. When applying to colleges, I never imagined that I would have professors who would be as accessible as those at TCNJ. They are committed to each and every student, and are always willing to help. Our faculty are truly extraordinary educators and mentors, and I consider myself lucky to have the chance to work with them.

Faculty Achievements

Here are just a few of the many achievements of our faculty members during the 2009-2010 academic year:

Awards

• Rachel Adler (Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology) – Sigma Theta Tau award (nursing honor for Associate Professor of Anthropology who recently completed her nursing degree / her area of research focuses on anthropology of health care)

• Timothy Clydesdale (Professor of Sociology) – Visiting Professor Award, Faculty of Arts at ACU National University in Melbourne, Australia

• Emilie Lounsberry (Assistant Professor of English / Journalism and Professional Writing):  Keystone Press Awards – first place for online breaking news, first place for on-line special project, second place for investigative reporting.  National Headliner Award – second place for investigative reporting.

• Michael Roberts (Professor of English):  NJ Humanities Award for Worshipping Walt: The Whitman Disciplines (published by Princeton University Press)

• Jess Row (Associate Professor of English / Creative Writing):  won the PEN / O’Henry Prize for his short story “Sheep May Safely Graze” published in the Threepenny Review

Media Contributions

• Rachel Adler – The Times of Trenton on changing neighborhoods in Trenton

• Tamra Bireta – The Times of Trenton on memory

• Stuart Koch – a frequent commentator on NJ Politics for NJN Nightly News and ABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News

• Emilie Lounsberry – Philadelphia Inquirer on numerous topics

• Michael Roberts – Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio

• Donna Shaw-Bielski –  American Journalism Review, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Bulletin (Philadelphia), among others

• Moussa Sow – CineAfrique

• Bruce Stout – The Star Ledger

Grants

• 10 external grants now active within our school, not including two small grants won this summer:  French Film Festival to be run in the Spring 2011 semester is sponsored by the French American Cultural Exchange and acquisition of materials for the library to support the new minor in Holocaust & Genocide Studies is sponsored by the Karma Foundation.

Books written and the volumes edited

(from July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010):

• Tim Clydesdale, Professor of Sociology, is author of Who Are Emerging Adults?

• Dan Crofts, Professor of History, is author of A Secession Crisis Enigma:  William Henry Hurlbert and “The Diary of a Public Man.

• James Graham, Associate Professor of Psychology, is editor of Children of Incarcerated Parents: Theoretical, Developmental, and Clinical Issues AND co-author of Developmental Science:  An Introductory Approach (a new textbook)

• Cynthia Paces, Professor of History, is editor of 1989: The End of the 20th Century and author of Prague Panoramas:  National Memory and Sacred Space in the 20th Century

• Melinda Roberts, Professor of Philosophy, is author of Abortion and the Moral Significance of Merely Possible Persons:  Finding Middle Ground in Hard Cases and editor of Harming Future Persons:  Ethics, Genetics, and the Nonidentity Problem.

• Catie Rosemurgy, Associate Professor of English, is the author a volume of poetry entitled The Stranger Manual.

• Jess Row, Associate Professor of English, is the author of a volume of short stories entitled The True Catastrophe.

• John Ruscio, Associate Professor of Psychology, is co-author of The 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology:  Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior.

• Piper Kendrix Williams is co-editor of Representing Segretation:  Toward an Aesthetics of Living Jim Crow and Other Racial Divisions.

• In addition, David Venturo, Professor of English, and Benjamin Rifkin, Professor of World Languages & Cultures and Dean of the School, edited special issues of the professional journals The Scriblerian and the Slavic and East European Journal, respectively.