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M. Alsiadi is the Coordinator and head instructor of the Arabic Language and Cultural Studies Program at Rutgers-Newark. He is a recipient of the award for Outstanding Teaching Effectiveness by the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Rutgers University-Newark (2007) and he has received the Faculty Academic Service Award from the Office of the President, Rutgers University (2006;2007).
Alsiadi is also a composer/conductor of classical Arabic music, and he plays the oboe and the lute professionally. He earned a B.A. from the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus , Syria , where he taught music composition, theory, and practice, as well as Arabic culture and history. As a new doctoral student, Alsiadi's research interests include issues related to Arab-American identity post-9/11; the impact of East-West relations on contemporary Arabic music and literature; and the use of Islam to democratize groups and nations.
A native of Staten Island , NY , Thomas had a very successful career on Wall Street during the 1980s. He left the financial world to start his own business. He purchased and operated his own clam digging boat in Raritan Bay . After several seasons on the bay, Thom decided to seek a college degree enrolling in The College of Staten Island (CUNY) where he earned his AA, and BA in history with honors. Thom then went on to earn his Master's degree in history while at CUNY. Currently Thom lectures on American history and American government at Union County College.
Jaehyun Jeong is a first-year Ph.D. student in American Studies Program. She earned her MA in Comparative Literature from Seoul National University ( South Korea ). Her research interests include: identity issues in Asian American literature including identity as both individual and collective, narrative and subject formation, and the relationship between literature and politics.
As a performing singer-songwriter, Samantha independently released four critically acclaimed albums and spent ten years touring extensively throughout North America . Retired from Rock ‘N' Roll and working as a voice actress for radio and television, she graduated magna cum laude from the City College of New York's Center for Worker Education with a BA in Liberal Arts and was honored with the Edward Rivera Award in Autobiographical Literature for a memoir-in-progress of life on the road. She joins the American Studies department with a focus on America in its Global Context and her areas of interest include symbolic representations of “American-ness” at home and abroad, perceptions of foreign cultures in American life and the role of language in shaping identity.
Jen Kosakowski earned her BA from Rutgers University in English Literature and Women's and Gender Studies, and her MA from NYU in English Language and Literature. Her research interests include: projects of racialization and gendering in citizenship, and queered conceptions of citizenship; immigration as both a process and effect of globalization; the performativities of gender, race, and culture; heteronormativity and masculinity in war and torture; 9/11 and its influence on the production of space, discipline, and master narratives; and the affective processes of memory, witness, and trauma in testimonials and human rights scholarship. Jen currently teaches undergraduate courses in English Composition and Women's and Gender Studies.
Sheila Moreira is currently pursuing dual degrees in both the American Studies PhD program and the Political Science Masters program. Before coming to Rutgers, Sheila earned a BA in English, with a minor in Women's Studies, from the College of New Jersey ; she then attended and graduated Magna Cum Laude from American University , Washington College of Law in 2003. Since earning her J.D., she has been practicing civil law in both New York and New Jersey , concentrating mainly on family law, immigration law, and trial litigation. She has also volunteered with various non-profit groups monitoring election law compliance and securing individuals' voting rights on election days. Her research interests include Constitutional law and the democratic process, immigration and naturalization policy, gender studies – particularly domestic violence and feminist legal theory, education as a human right, and comparative social movements.
After graduating from the Institute of Audio Research in New York City where he studied audio engineering, Christopher went on to earn both Bachelor's and Master's degrees as a scholarship recipient at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. In addition to guitar studies with Mark Delpriora and David Starobin, he studied composition and orchestral conducting. On top of solo and chamber ensemble performances on the classical guitar throughout the tri-state area, he regularly performs on both the electric guitar and as a drummer/percussionist. In the recording studio, Christopher often serves as both session musician and producer. As a music educator for over ten years, he maintains a large studio whose students have gone on to study with international artists such as Elliot Fisk and Scott Tennant.
Evelyn Rodriguez received a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts from Monmouth University , where she had earned her B.A., and decided to continue her education in the field of American Studies. Her research interests include the immigration of Spanish-speaking people to the United States , race and ethnicity, and women's and gender studies. She worked on a paper for her graduate studies at Monmouth University where she examined gender differences in the assimilation of Cubans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans into American culture.
Larry Ling-hsuan Tung's major research interests include race, identity, and representation; US cultural imperialism and diaspora; as well as media studies and US popular culture. Larry is also an independent documentary filmmaker whose works have been shown in film festivals across North America . His documentary, Daughters form China , won the Best Documentary Prize at the Honolulu Film Festival. A native of Taiwan , he covers the immigrant communities in New York City for the award-winning Gotham Gazette , a news website on public policy. He teaches media production at Kean University where he is an Assistant Professor of Media and Film.
Rosalie Jayde Uyola is a Ph.D. student in American Studies. Prior to attending Rutgers-Newark Graduate School , Rosalie earned her M.Ed. from New Jersey City University in Educational Technology. Earlier educational endeavors include completing a B.A. in Economics at Rutgers College in New Brunswick , where she also worked as the New Jersey Folk Festival Finance Coordinator for the Department of American Studies. Rosalie is currently studying theories of Race, Ethnicity, and Modern Society with particular focus on Urban Cultures and Artistic Production. Other research interests include: globalization, folk and oral traditions, immigration law, and music festivals.
Bernie Williams is a Master's degree student in the American Studies Department. He is attracted to this discipline by the variety of fields available for study. Among his various interests are music, films, history, literature, cooking, and teaching. Bernie is currently teaching English at Hudson County Community College .
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