FACULTY FOCUS
New Faculty JUSTIN FOX BURKS
(Front row, from left) Dr. Leigh Pittenger, Yi Lu, Dr. Cynthia Ryder, Ashanté Reese, Dr. Jason Haberman; (second row) Dr. Melody Durrett, Dr. Amanda Dykema, Dr. Jamie Jirout, Dr. Bradley Onishi, Joel Parsons ’07; (third row) Dr. Yuanting Lu, Dr. Dana Horgen, Dr. Thilina Surasinghe, Dr. Hannah Barker, Dr. Ryan Johnson, Dr. Rebecca Tuvel; (fourth row) Dr. Benjamin Purkis, Dr. James Barker, Dr. Keith Veal, Dr. Zachary Casey, and Dr. Kelly Ann Dougherty
Hannah Barker joins the Department of History as assistant professor. She received a PhD in history from Columbia University. While at Columbia, she was a teaching assistant in a variety of courses: The Early and Late Middle Ages, The Romans, Christianity, Ancient Egypt, and The Mongols.
a PhD in education, curriculum and instruction from the University of Minnesota. He has taught courses in the social and cultural foundations of education, curriculum theory, multicultural education, and practitioner research at Arizona State University and the University of Minnesota.
James Barker joins the Department of Religious Studies as assistant professor. He received a PhD in new testament and early Christianity from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Barker comes to Rhodes from Luther College, where he taught courses such as Christians, Jews, and Pagans in the GrecoRoman World; Introduction to Biblical Studies; The Making of the Bible; and Interrelations of the Gospels.
Kelly Ann Dougherty joins the Department of Biology as assistant professor. Dr. Dougherty received a PhD in cell and developmental biology from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. Most recently she has been a research associate at the Center for Learning and Memory at the University of Texas at Austin. There she also taught courses in biology, neurobiology, and synaptic physiology and plasticity.
Zachary A. Casey joins the Department of Psychology as assistant professor of educational studies. He received
Melody Durrett joins the Department of Biology as assistant professor. She received a PhD in biological sciences
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with a concentration in botany from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Most recently she has taught courses including Wetland Ecology, Flora of Alaska, and Fundamentals of Biology. Amanda Dykema joins the Department of English as visiting assistant professor. Dr. Dykema received a PhD in English from the University of Maryland, College Park. Most recently at Maryland, she taught courses in American literature, world literature, and literature by women. Jason Haberman joins the Department of Psychology as assistant professor. Dr. Haberman received a PhD in psychology from the University of California at Davis and did his postdoctoral training at Harvard University. He has taught courses such as Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology, Sensation and Perception, and Brain and Behavior. rhodes.edu