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Emily A. Foster is a Lecturer in the Department of Literatures in English at Cornell University, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D., M.A., and M.Phil. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University; an M.A. in Education from Stanford University; and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Cornell University. Her research focuses on the global 19th-century novel, Victorian literature, intersections with Early Modern periods, and media studies through serialized narratives. Education: Ph.D., M.A., M.Phil. in English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University M.A. in Education, Stanford University B.A., Summa Cum Laude, Cornell University Her current research project, Unhappy Endings: Continuing the Nineteenth-Century Novel , examines novels that invite continuation through sequels or serialized forms. She has published in venues such as Dickens Studies Annual , The L.A. Review of Books , and Public Books . Teaching: Spring 2025: ENGL 1111 (FWS: Writing Across Cultures), ENGL 1168 (FWS: Cultural Studies), ENGL 3747 (The Trouble with Crime Fiction) Fall 2025: ENGL 1111, ENGL 1168, ENGL 4930 (Honors Essay Tutorial I) Previous Roles: Guest Faculty at Sarah Lawrence College Graduate Teaching Fellow at Columbia University Awards: John C. Kluge Fellow, Columbia University Scholars’ Program

• 19th Century Global Literature
• Victorian Literature and Culture
• Genre Studies
• +5 more

Hamza M. Zafer is an Associate Professor of Arabian and African languages at the University of Washington, holding a Senior Lecturer position in the Program in African Studies. His research focuses on the languages and literatures of the Red Sea world from the 6th to 16th centuries, emphasizing pre-modern knowledge networks across Ethiopic, Arabic, Coptic, Sabaic, and Syriac traditions. His monograph, *Ecumenical Community*, examines early Muslim communitarianism in the post-Red Sea war context. Dr. Zafer earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University. His research interests span cross-cultural textual exchanges, linguistic anthropology, and the historiography of the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula. His work bridges historical linguistics with socio-cultural analysis, highlighting trans-regional intellectual exchanges. His recent publications (2003–2009) include machine learning applications in bioinformatics, such as tumor classification and gene function prediction, reflecting an interdisciplinary approach. Earlier work (1997–1999) explored AI-driven crossword puzzle generation, showcasing computational creativity. No academic awards or grants are explicitly mentioned in the provided text. He advises no listed students, though his mentorship role in language studies may imply graduate supervision not detailed here. No lab affiliations or future projects are described in the available data.

• Red Sea World Studies
• Pre-Modern Knowledge Networks
• Ethiopic Literature
• +4 more

Effie Rentzou is a Professor of French and Italian at Princeton University and Director of the Program in European Cultural Studies. She holds a BA in Classics from the University of Athens, a Maîtrise and PhD in French Literature from the Sorbonne (2002). Previously, she served as a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at Princeton before joining the faculty. Her research focuses on modernism, the avant-garde, surrealism, and the intersection of politics and art. She is a founding member and former president of the International Society for the Study of Surrealism. Her major works include Concepts of the World (2022), analyzing avant-garde internationalism, and Littérature malgré elle (2010), examining surrealism’s literary transformation. She co-edited 1913: The Year of French Modernism (2020). Her current project, Surrealism Against Fascism , explores antifascist art in 1930s–40s France. She has curated exhibitions at institutions like the Musée du Quai Branly and contributed to catalogues for major museums. She was awarded the French government’s Chevalier in l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (2023) for contributions to French culture. Her teaching and research bridge literature, art history, and political theory, emphasizing the avant-garde’s global legacy and antifascist activism.

• Modernism
• Avant-Garde Movements
• Surrealism
• +4 more

Rita Safariants is an Assistant Professor of Russian in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Rochester, School of Arts & Sciences. She holds a PhD from Yale University. Her research focuses on late-Soviet/post-Soviet cinema, Russian literature, and the interplay between music, media, and cultural identity. She is completing a monograph on Soviet rock films and their role in Soviet collapse, and another project examining the KGB’s relationship with late-Soviet counterculture. Her scholarly work bridges film studies, musicology, and cultural history, with a particular emphasis on gender performance, adaptation of literary works, and the socio-political dimensions of rock music in authoritarian contexts. She teaches courses such as Russian Cinema after the Fall and Hipsters, Rebels and Rock Stars in Russian Literature and Culture. Her publications explore topics like rock music’s impact on Soviet film audiences, gender in Russian popular music, and Dostoevsky adaptations. Her research has been supported by prestigious fellowships, including the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship and grants from Vassar College. Education: PhD, Yale University Research Projects: Book: Soviet Rock on Screen: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of a Film Genre Book Project: The Bureaucracy of Rock-n-Roll: the KGB and Late-Soviet Counterculture Awards include the Dobro Slovo National Honor Society (2018) and the AAASS New England Graduate Student Essay Prize (2005-2006). Her work challenges traditional narratives of state-culture relations in late Soviet society.

• Soviet Cinema
• Post-Soviet Cinema
• Russian Literature
• +6 more

Joan S. Rubin is the Dexter Perkins Professor of History and Professor of History at the University of Rochester's School of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on 19th–20th century American cultural and intellectual history, particularly the history of the book and poetry's role in society. She holds a PhD from Yale University (1974) and has authored seminal works like Songs of Ourselves (2007) and The Making of Middlebrow Culture (1992), recognized by a Guggenheim Fellowship. Rubin has also served as Ani and Mark Gabrellian Director of the University of Rochester Humanities Center since 2016. Her scholarship bridges high and popular culture, examining cultural mediators like literary critics and musicians post-WWII. She has contributed to major projects such as the Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History and co-edited volumes on book history. Courses taught include Culture Wars in Modern America and Cultural History of the United States . Rubin’s publications span poetry’s societal impact, publishing history, and interdisciplinary cultural studies. Awards include the Guggenheim Fellowship. She has advised on numerous collaborative research projects and remains active in humanities leadership roles.

• Nineteenth-Century American History
• Twentieth-Century American History
• Cultural History
• +4 more

Rosemary Kegl is a Professor in the Department of English at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her research focuses on English Renaissance drama, 16th- and 17th-century writing, and the adaptation of Shakespeare in 19th- and 20th-century British and American contexts. She explores intersections between aesthetic theory, utopian ideals, and historical performance practices. Her recent teaching includes courses such as 'English Renaissance Literature,' 'Renaissance Drama,' and 'Shakespeare,' reflecting her deep engagement with early modern texts and their cultural resonance. She has held prestigious fellowships including the Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities and Newberry Library/National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, supporting her scholarly pursuits. Kegl’s work analyzes how staged death in Renaissance drama engages audiences, the materiality of performance spaces at events like the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair, and feminist readings of early modern authors like Margaret Cavendish. Her publications span journals like Renaissance Drama and English Literary Renaissance , emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to literary history. Awards: Butler Professorship Folger Shakespeare Institute Fellowships Mellon Dissertation Fellowship Key Themes: Reinterpretation of classical texts in modern contexts Gender and class in Renaissance literature Performance history and spatial aesthetics Her current projects include Tabloid Shakespeare at the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair and Revisiting Death in English Renaissance Drama , further advancing her scholarship on cultural intersections in early modern studies.

• English Renaissance drama
• Sixteenth- and seventeenth-century writing
• Productions of Shakespeare in Britain and the United States
• +1 more

Joshua Smith is an Assistant Professor of Classics at Johns Hopkins University, specializing in ancient scholarship and reading practices within Greek literature. He holds a PhD in Classics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2013) and has taught at institutions including the University of Chicago and Cornell College before joining Hopkins in 2015. His research integrates digital humanities methods with traditional philology, focusing on Homeric citation in ancient commentaries and poetic traditions like shield abandonment (rhipsaspia). Secondary interests include ancient medicine and lyric poetry. Publications include co-authored works such as The Hippocrates Code (2016) and articles on Archilochus’ poetic traditions. His current projects explore intertextual Homeric analysis through digital tools. Smith’s work bridges classical philology with modern analytical frameworks, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to textual criticism. No scientific awards are explicitly listed in the provided materials. His advising and grant activities are not detailed here, though his research collaborations suggest involvement in funded projects related to digital humanities and ancient text analysis. No lab affiliations are mentioned, though his work likely intersects with computational linguistics or digital antiquity initiatives.

• Greek language and literature
• Ancient scholarship
• History of literary criticism
• +3 more

Elena Russo is a full Professor of French at Johns Hopkins University, serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies and Study Abroad Officer for French programs. She holds a Licence ès Lettres from the Université de Genève and a PhD in Modern Languages and Literatures from Princeton University. Education: PhD, Princeton University (Modern Languages and Literatures) Licence ès Lettres, Université de Genève Her research focuses on 17th- and 18th-century French literature, Enlightenment intellectual history, religious dissidence (particularly libertine thought), sociability patterns, and the evolution of aesthetic theory. Current projects include a study on Diderot’s approach to posterity and the transmission of his complete works. Publications include seminal works like Styles of Enlightenment (2007) and La Cour et la ville (2002), examining cultural transitions and intellectual networks. Her work bridges literary analysis with historical contextualization of Enlightenment thought. No academic awards explicitly listed. Active in mentoring through undergraduate studies and study abroad advising roles, though no specific student names mentioned. Research currently centered on Diderot’s legacy and Enlightenment-era authorship practices.

• 17th- and 18th-century French literature
• Cultural and intellectual history of the Enlightenment
• Religious dissidences
• +3 more

George A. Kennedy is a renowned scholar and professor in Classics and Rhetoric at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as Chair of the Department of Classics from 1966 to 1976 and later as Chair of the Faculty Council (1985–1988). His academic journey began with a PhD in Classics from Harvard University (1954), followed by a Guggenheim Fellowship (1964) and the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Kennedy’s work focuses on Graeco-Roman rhetoric, expanding into comparative literature and modern French studies post-retirement. He earned the Goodwin Award (1975) for The Art of Rhetoric in the Roman World and the Thomas Jefferson Award (1983) for exemplifying UNC’s Jeffersonian ideals. His leadership roles include editing the American Journal of Philology (1989–1996) and serving on the National Humanities Council under President Carter. Kennedy is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society. As a mentor, Kennedy supervised 16 MA theses and 24 PhD dissertations, notably guiding scholars like Ian McDonald, Cecil Wooten, and Sheila Murnaghan. His research and publications, including Classical Rhetoric and its Christian and Secular Tradition and Comparative Rhetoric , explore rhetoric across cultures and historical periods. He continues scholarly work in modern literature despite retiring in 1995.

• Classics
• Rhetoric
• Ancient Literature
• +3 more

Harris Feinsod is a Research Professor in the Department of English at Johns Hopkins University, affiliated with the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on literatures of the United States, Latin America, and the Atlantic world, with particular emphasis on poetry, oceanic studies, and environmental humanities. Feinsod earned a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Stanford University in 2011 and an A.B. in Comparative Literature from Brown University in 2004. Feinsod's research explores transnational and global approaches to literature and culture, including modernism, the avant-garde, and the intersections of environmental humanities with oceanic studies. His interdisciplinary work examines how literary and cultural production engages with industrializing seaways and global environmental challenges. Shortlisted for the National Translation Award in Poetry (2018) for co-translating Oliverio Girondo’s Decals: Complete Early Poems . Feinsod has mentored over 25 Ph.D. students and held fellowships at institutions such as the Stanford Humanities Center, the Harry Ransom Center, and the National Humanities Center. He currently chairs the Publications Committee of the American Comparative Literature Association Board of Directors. He directs Open Door Archive, a digital platform reissuing neglected print cultures of the Americas, and collaborates on translations and editorial projects, including a global anthology of anticolonial thought.

• Literatures of the United States
• Latin American Literature
• Atlantic World Studies
• +5 more

Katrin Dennerlein is Visiting Max Kade Professor at University of Illinois Chicago and Professor at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg. She researches German drama using computational methods and historical approaches. Dr. Dennerlein's work bridges literary hermeneutics and digital analysis, focusing on emotion patterns in drama and comedy history. Her DFG-funded project 'Emotions in Drama' developed computational emotion classification techniques for German plays from 1650-1815. Current projects examine ethical dimensions of emotions in historical drama. She teaches courses on migratory narratives and computational analysis of German drama. Dr. Dennerlein co-organizes the conference 'Rewriting Literary History With Algorithms' with Patrick Fortmann, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue between literary studies and computer science. Her publications include Materialien und Medien der Komödiengeschichte (2021) on comedy circulation between Vienna and Hamburg, and computational studies of emotion in stage directions. Dr. Dennerlein serves on program committees for digital humanities conferences and contributes to annotation guidelines for historical texts.

• Computational Literary Studies
• German Drama
• Emotion Analysis
• +3 more

Ananya Chakravarti is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies (MA) in the Department of History at Georgetown University's College of Arts and Sciences. Her research bridges global and local historical methodologies, focusing on early modern South Asia, the Portuguese Empire, colonial Brazil, religious history, and the history of emotions. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Chicago and an A.B. from Princeton University. Her first monograph, *The Empire of Apostles*, explores Jesuit missionary strategies in Brazil and India, earning an honorable mention for the Bernard S. Cohn Book Prize. Current projects include a study of the Konkan coast of western India, supported by the American Institute for Indian Studies and NEH fellowships. She co-authors a Routledge textbook on modern South Asian history and a global history of emotions. Chakravarti's research emphasizes archival and ethnographic methods, exploring topics like colonial identity, religious conversion, and emotional expression in poetry. Her work often intersects with public history, linking academic research to broader cultural narratives. Awards include prestigious fellowships that highlight her contributions to early modern global history. Teaching spans South Asian history at the undergraduate level and historiography at the graduate level. Her interdisciplinary approach reflects her expertise in multiple languages (Bengali, Hindi, Italian, Marathi, Portuguese, Spanish) and her commitment to bridging academic and public spaces.

• Early Modern History
• South Asia
• Brazil
• +3 more

Leo Cabranes-Grant is a Professor in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He holds a Ph.D. in Golden Age Spanish Drama from Harvard University (1996). His scholarly work bridges historical analysis with contemporary performance studies, focusing on intercultural dynamics in colonial and modern contexts. Education: Ph.D. in Golden Age Spanish Drama, Harvard University, 1996 Research Interests: Cabranes-Grant examines how performance constructs cultural identity, particularly in colonial Mexican and Caribbean contexts. His scholarship integrates early modern Spanish theater with modern Latino/a dramaturgy, emphasizing networks of influence between Spain, the Americas, and the Caribbean. His current projects explore intercultural transformations in colonial Mexico (1566-1690) and contemporary Caribbean performance practices. Awards: ATHE Award for Outstanding Article (2012) Asunción Award (2011) Lambda Literary Award Finalist (2007) Editorial Work: Served as Editor (2010-2012) and Associate Editor (2008-2010) of Theatre Survey , a leading journal in theater studies published by Cambridge University Press. Future Projects: Developing Networks of Performance , Re-Possessed Islands: The Poetics of Caribbean Drama , and The Carnival of Philosophy , exploring Kierkegaard and Deleuze's theatrical concepts.

• Golden Age Spanish Drama
• Intercultural Performance Studies
• Colonial Mexican Theater
• +3 more

Lisa Barksdale-Shaw is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Arizona State University (ASU), with affiliations in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMS). She holds a post-doctoral fellowship as the Erikson Scholar (2016) from the Erikson Institute for Education and Research at the Austen Riggs Center. Her research focuses on narratives of justice through interdisciplinary lenses of law, literature, race, and medicine. Her expertise spans 16th-century literature, early modern drama, and critical race theory. She has presented work at major conferences including the Shakespeare Association of America, Renaissance Society of America, and the Globe’s Shakespeare and Race Festival. Key research trends include analyzing racial trauma in Shakespearean characters (e.g., Othello), exploring legal themes in works like Julius Caesar, and investigating early modern cryptography through literary texts. Her publications bridge literary analysis with historical and medical contexts. Awards: Erikson Scholar fellowship (2016) Her academic activities involve collaborations across law, literature, and medicine, with affiliations reinforcing her interdisciplinary approach. She has not listed specific grants or advising roles in the provided text. She is part of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMS), contributing to its interdisciplinary research environment.

• Law and Literature
• Racial Trauma
• Early Modern Literature
• +3 more

Juan Pablo Gil-Osle is a Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature at Arizona State University (Tempe), where he has served since 2012. Previously, he held positions at the University of Michigan and Arkansas State University, and was an invited researcher at the University of Tübingen, Germany. His research focuses on early modern Iberian literature, global studies, and cultural exchanges, particularly Sino-Iberian connections and climate change representations. Education : PhD, University of Chicago (2007); M.A., Ohio University (2001); M.B.A. and B.A., Universidad de Zaragoza (1993). He is also a certified legal translator/interpreter in French and Spanish. Research Interests : Gil-Osle explores themes such as Cervantes, globality, colonialism, climate change, and transcultural exchanges, with recent work on Manila’s Sino-Iberian literary connections (1571–1625). His books include Exchanges, Crisis, and Climate (2023) and Amistades imperfectas (2013). He has been awarded the Provost’s Humanities Fellows Academy (2016) and ACLS grants. Academic Leadership : Editor of Laberinto Journal since 2012 and co-founder of the EMIT Society . He leads initiatives like the Spanish in China Initiative (SPICI), fostering academic partnerships in Asia. Teaching : Teaches courses on Hispanic literature, global connections, and early modern drama. Supervised numerous PhD students, including Daniel Holcombe (author of Quixotic Quests ) and María José Domínguez (author of Dulcinea Plural ). Labs/Teams : Affiliated with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) and the Interplanetary Initiative, exploring extraterrestrial discovery impacts.

• Early Modern Literature
• Global Studies
• Comparative Literature
• +5 more