Department of English

George E. Haggerty: Distinguished Professor Emeriti, English

kelvin — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 20:05:50 +0000

George E. Haggerty: Distinguished Professor Emeriti, English kelvin Tue, 07/18/2023 - 13:05 More Messages & Announcements July 18, 2023

Colleagues,

We are saddened to report that George E. Haggerty, Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus and Distinguished Professor of the Graduate Division, passed away on June 30, 2023.

In his 42 years at UCR, he shaped the hearts and minds of generations of students, and guided his colleagues across the campus on matters close to his own heart, especially regarding undergraduate education. One of the leading scholars in the world on his subjects—the literature of the Eighteenth Century, the Gothic Novel, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies—he also won the campus Distinguished Teaching Award and was a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teaching. He chaired the Department of English twice, and served on many key Academic Senate committees.

As a scholar, Dr. Haggerty was a defining figure in the field of Eighteenth-Century English literature. Men in Love: Masculinity and Sexuality in the Eighteenth Century (1999), Unnatural Affections: Transgressive Desire in Women’s Novels of the Late Eighteenth-Century (1998), and Queer Friendship: Male Intimacy in the English Literary Tradition (2018) all center queer bonds of affection, made this period central to LGBTQ literary study. He was also unique in his fundamental contribution to Gothic studies across period and medium: Gothic Fiction/Gothic Form (1989) and Queer Gothic (2006) both have lasting and inspiring power. Dr. Haggerty furthermore made huge contributions to the study of Horace Walpole, a figure who appears across nearly the full range of his scholarship. Horace Walpole’s Letters: Masculinity and Friendship in the Eighteenth Century (2011), a remarkable and often moving work, analyzes (and celebrates) Walpole’s letters as constituting a distinct space through which he manifested a sense of masculine expression which braided love for his friends and for his work. His impact on his field was such that on his retirement the journal Eighteenth Century Studies published an interview with him highlighting his transforming influence.

He will be remembered as an enormously generous scholar and beloved mentor to students and to younger members of the profession. He played a central role in developing and nurturing the field of LGBTQ Studies. Working in collaboration with Bonnie Zimmerman, Dr. Haggerty edited the first publication by the Modern Language Association committed to gay and lesbian studies, Professions of Desire: Gay and Lesbian Studies in Literature (1995). A Companion to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Studies (2007), which he co-edited with Molly McGarry, remains one of the most important representations of the breadth and depth of scholarship in this area. At UCR, Dr. Haggerty led the effort to establish the undergraduate minor in LGBT Studies, the state’s first, and mentored generations of queer students. With a community of scholars working in queer studies, including his late partner Philip Brett (who passed away in 2002), he helped make our campus into an important space for queer thought and work.

George delighted in sharing his enthusiasm for literature. Earlier in his career, he was a prolific book reviewer for the Riverside Press-Enterprise in the great days of newspapers. He wrote a literary blog for the Orange County Register online edition, offering everyone who wishes the benefits of his wisdom on what we should read and how we should read it. In retirement, he served as a Vice-President of the UCR Emeriti Association, and led a monthly book club devoted to mystery novels. He was also appointed Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor in 2021-2022 in recognition of his ongoing research.

He is survived by his brothers and sister, and by his husband Eddie O'Bannon, to whom he was grateful for loving care during the last few months of his life. The English Department plans to host a memorial service in the fall. Information about this event, and the opportunity to make donations in George’s memory, will be available on the department’s website.

Sincerely,

Daryle Williams
Professor of History and Dean
College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Sherryl Vint
Department Chair of English
Professor of English and Media & Cultural Studies

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With honors comes many benefits

kelvin — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 22:22:32 +0000

With honors comes many benefits kelvin Mon, 04/05/2021 - 15:22 More Press Releases Mina Shiratsuchi, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing and Communications April 05, 2021

Small classroom sizes, individualized support, and one-on-one opportunities with professors and alumni are some of the many benefits of UC Riverside’s University Honors. The program offers an immersive undergraduate experience to a select number of UCR students who meet the academic requirements.

Since 2010, the number of University Honors student enrollment has increased from 1.4% to 3.4% of UCR undergraduates, with CHASS students constituting the majority at 40.4% of the 800 honors students (2020).

Located at 381 Skye Hall, the honors program provides various benefits to students such as priority registration, leadership and research opportunities, scholarships and fellowships, and personalized counseling.

Incoming students can also meet with a University Honors ambassador who acts as a peer mentor to help ease the experience into University Honors. Students within University Honors can apply to become an ambassador during winter quarter for the upcoming academic year.

Priority registration, leadership and research opportunities, and personalized counseling are just some of the many reasons UCR students join University Honors.

At University Honors, students are able to be a part of a small dynamic learning community.

Many UCR classes offer an honors version of general courses, which are designated with an ‘H’ when registering. These classes are smaller in size and are often taught by the faculty member, instead of a teaching assistant. In Ethnic Studies 1H, honors students are able to take a discussion taught by the lecturing faculty member, as opposed to a teaching assistant which is the standard for many UCR classes. This structure allows for students to engage directly with faculty.

First-year students are able to take seminar-based honors classes with their peers on topics such as dystopian literature, air quality and control, and business and leadership. These honors-only courses known as Ignition Seminars count towards breadth requirements. In upper-division honors courses, honors students explore concepts with more depth compared to other students. For example in honors biochemistry courses, students not only learn the required material but also learn how to write a scientific research paper.

“In large introductory classes, honors students were able to get one-on-one time with the professor,” said Maya Gortarez, third-year English honors student and an aspiring lawyer from Riverside. “In the English department, the professors are very open and interested in talking to students.”

Gortarez is currently doing a capstone project on people who have experienced alienation from cultures they “belong to” by creating a six-episode mini-web video series. Despite the struggles caused by COVID-19, including obstacles related to interviewing and a lack of participants, Gortarez worked hard to give UCR students including those who are bi-racial and non-native English speakers an opportunity to open a dialogue on the impact of their surroundings on the formation of their identity.

Recently, Gortarez was awarded the Honors Excellence in Research Scholarship by University Honors for the capstone project.

University Honors students are also assigned a University Honors counselor, who can advise students and help them maximize their time at UCR including opportunities with UCDC, UCCS, study abroad, and research fellowship. In addition to their academic advisor, counselors can also help students combat any academic-related struggles, such as impostor syndrome, by facilitating conversations about how to position students for success.

“The most fulfilling part about being a counselor is having the opportunity to work with the same group of honors students for a couple of years and seeing their growth over time,” said Dennis McIver, University Honors Counselor. “Watching them become capable, motivated, and high-achieving students is a rewarding experience.”

The honors experience culminates with a capstone thesis project in the last year before graduation. Within the honors program, there is an increase of students who have completed the honors capstone project from 42 students in 2010 to 137 students in 2020. The project can be anything from scripts for plays to research papers, which allows students to demonstrate research and writing skills on topics they are passionate about. Students are required to participate in various research courses from the previous year before graduation, totaling 6 units towards graduation units.

Additionally, students are required to find a faculty mentor to advise them through the process of completion. These experiences can differentiate honors students from others when applying to graduate schools and professional schools, and on job applications, McIver said. After completion, the students’ capstone projects are added to the UCR Digital Library, eScholarship.

“I juggled applying to a graduate school for anthropology while completing my capstone project,” said Leana Marie Rudolph, a fourth-year anthropology honors student. “Doing the capstone project and being in University Honors made me feel more confident in myself and my abilities.”

Rudolph is also a transfer student, a second-year honors student, and an aspiring anthropology professor and researcher from Rancho Cucamonga.

Rudolph is currently doing a capstone project on Buddhism, meditation, and the negotiation of the public sphere, where she interviews members of the Buddhist community in the Inland region. Even with an understanding mentor, Rudolph struggled with the project throughout COVID-19 due to changes of plans with the interviews and mental health struggles. Through completing the project, Rudolph learned how to conduct interviews following the Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol and gained experience with transcription. She will be completing a 15-page report and creating an ArcGIS story map open to the public. Rudolph hopes it’s ready to present at the undergraduate research symposium.

The capstone project has changed from previous years due to COVID-19. There has been increased structure and guidance for the students in the senior research courses, which are built around the capstone projects. Additionally, faculty-mentors are required to submit progress reports to University Honors on a quarterly basis.

Despite the pandemic, University Honors have been able to support its students in different ways. Events and conversations still take place via Zoom allowing students and staff to connect virtually.

Photo courtesy of Dennis McIver.
Honors student with Jack Eichler, Chemistry Professor of Teaching, on a nature hike and clean-up.

Some of the on-campus experiences that enable honors students to interact with others that have been affected by the pandemic include the honors living-learning communities. These communities are located in Pentland Hills Residence Hall and Glen Mor and are an opportunity for honors students to interact with fellow students and faculty-in-residence. Due to COVID-19, the communities have been adjusted but they will be open for fall 2021.

The acceptance rate into University Honors for each year varies on the number of students who apply and who leave from the previous year. The program accepts students from each college, but acceptance is based on the strength of the student’s application.

“Don’t worry about the competition and prioritize just applying,” McIver said. “The biggest determining factor is whether you decide to go for University Honors. If you do, then you’ve already placed yourself ahead of all the folks who have not.”

For current UCR students, University Honors recruitment is held once a year during the spring quarter for the incoming fall class. For eligibility, deadlines, and questions, please visit honors.ucr.edu or email honors@ucr.edu.

FEATURED PHOTO. Photos courtesy of Dennis McIver.
Honors students attend a faculty fellow office hour hosted by Elaine Wong, Associate Professor of Management (pre-COVID restrictions).

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University Honors

Department of Anthropology

Gearing Up and Winding Down

kelvin — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 23:47:36 +0000

Gearing Up and Winding Down kelvin Wed, 07/15/2020 - 16:47 More Press Releases Ian Peltz, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing & Communications July 15, 2020

In February, CHASS welcomed Crystal Petrini as Department Manager to the departments of English and Philosophy. Petrini is responsible for all administrative and financial transactions, “and a little bit of everything else,” Petrini said.

Previously, Petrini was the financial analyst for Alianza UCMX, a system-wide institute that is headquartered at UC Riverside. It provides funding to doctoral fellows, postdocs, and faculty doing bi-national research and collaboration.

“I’d been there for a couple years and was ready to take the next step of my career,” Petrini said. “I really wanted to have a team of my own that I could shape and develop so that we could have a greater impact. That’s when this position came up in CHASS and it seemed to be that perfect next step.”

Petrini was already well-known in CHASS, prior to beginning her role as Department Manager.

“She has a beautiful personality which makes it easy to work together,” said Katrice Calloway, Petrini’s supervisor and the Budget & Operations Manager in the CHASS Dean’s Office. “Even before she applied for a position in CHASS, I noticed her natural leadership qualities, strong compassion for staff, impeccable speaking ability, and her overall genuineness as a person.”

This strong compassion and genuineness was also evident during Petrini’s tenure as President of UCR’s Staff Assembly, which supports and promotes staff welfare across campus.

“I feel very lucky for a lot of reasons,” said current Staff Assembly President Dennis McIver, “but I feel beyond lucky that I’ve had a chance to learn under her inspired leadership.”

Petrini was elected Staff Assembly President-Elect in April 2018 and was president during the 2019-2020 academic year. Petrini was also recently elected Chair-Elect of the Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA), the system-wide counsel for all UC staff assemblies. She is the first person from UCR to serve in this position since 2002.

Petrini’s mission on Staff Assembly is direct: “It’s about making our campus a place where the staff wants to be. Without staff, the university wouldn’t run.”

Part of giving back to the staff came in the form of UC’s employee travel benefit. Until recently, the travel benefit has not been permitted for personal use at UC Riverside, even though it was permissible at other UC’s.

“The travel benefit had been a topic of discussion on this campus for years,” said McIver, “and she made it a point to take the initiative and connect with UCOP to have them come and discuss this. It was an effort that had taken literal years and [she] had it wrapped up during her presidency.”

Petrini’s time as staff assembly president has well prepared her for the team she now leads.

“Being President of Staff Assembly required me to use several skills I hadn’t had to tap into in order to successfully oversee a large board of people and advocate with senior leadership,” Petrini said. “It gave me the chance to sharpen skills related to managing and interacting with people which includes having difficult conversations and mitigating any conflicts that may arise within the board.”

As Petrini transitions into the next chapter of her career, her approach to work is unwavering.

“After my presidency, I really look forward to creating more efficient processes within my department,” Petrini said. “Really digging into my current position and making it the best that it can be so that it works for not only the team, but also the faculty and students we serve.”

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Department of History

Department of Philosophy

English and cannibalism

kelvin — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 19:39:34 +0000

English and cannibalism kelvin Mon, 11/04/2019 - 11:39 More Press Releases Hannah Croft, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing & Communications November 04, 2019

Cannibalism is a hard topic to write about positively. But to UC Riverside English Professor Michelle Raheja, cannibalism encompasses more than just negative images.

“The class I teach on cannibalism, English 130, is a kind of prehistory to studies of American literature,” Raheja said. “It’s really a class that plays around with what a historical period is, and what a literary genre is. The course traces out a genealogy of thinking about what constitutes cannibalism and what constitutes cannibal evidence or representation from Indigenous oral narrative, to the early modern period, to our contemporary moment.”

Raheja last taught English 130 during the fall quarter, 2018. It is not offered this year but she hopes to teach it again in the future. The upper division English class strives to broaden the conventional view of early American history, which traditionally begins in 1630 and ends in 1850, by connecting physical consumption of the human body to the ways in which colonization has consumed and committed violence against Indigenous and oppressed peoples, as well as to the ways in which Indigenous writers and artists employ cannibalism as a trope to understand customary practices and settler colonial texts and contexts.

“The theme is consumption and reproduction, dealing mostly with the Puritan era and coming into the Americas,” said Celeste Jackson, a second-year Ph.D. student. “It’s toying with this idea of what it looks like to see cannibalism as a metaphor for colonialism. It’s really important to see how wanting to take something entirely for oneself, for your own means and production, is damaging.”

The class also studies contemporary literary and popular culture representations of cannibal creatures such as vampires, werewolves and zombies, and how these characters draw from and rework the traditional “cannibalism” definition. Lectures cover critical thinking and both literal and figurative analysis, and touch on other topics including Indigenous nations, European settler colonial writers, film, visual culture, and poetry, public exhibitions such as the Body Worlds show, and even historical woodcuts. Some of the assignment options that develop critical thinking include a final research paper, ‘zines, graphic novellas, and podcasts.

“Critical thinking is the most important thing to me,” Raheja said. “I want students to look at things that are strange, things that are removed from them or have been translated, and to look at that material and have something to say about it. Also, to rethink how Indigenous people have been represented, and broader issues of settler colonial literature.”

“I hope that students are able to see things more creatively,” Jackson said.

The interdisciplinary class strives to teach students how to take ideas and concepts from different majors and apply them to the course, and frequently hosts guest speakers to discuss the effects of colonization and the influence of modern industrialization on traditional cultures. In the fall of 2018, Professor Raheja invited Bepkadjoiti Kayapó, a Mẽbêngôkre filmmaker from Brazil, and Simone Giovine, an Italian filmmaker living in Brazil, to discuss Indigenous filmmaking practices and their relationship to the consumption of new media in the Amazon. Students from all CHASS majors are encouraged to take the course as long as prerequisites are met, and students with English, History, Psychology, Ethnic Studies, and Sociology majors have all participated in the class.

“In terms of CHASS, I love the way that students are able to talk and open up and share their ideas,” Jackson said.

Though Raheja is not teaching the class in the 2019 academic year, she plans on continuing to teach the course in the future and encourages students to register for her other lectures.

Hannah Croft/CHASS Marketing & Communications.
Guest lecturers Bepkadjoiti Kayapó, right, a Mẽbêngôkre filmmaker from Brazil, and Simone Giovine, an Italian filmmaker living in Brazil.

FEATURED PHOTO. Hannah Croft/CHASS Marketing & Communications.
Professor Michelle Raheja teaches English 130 which explores cannibalism in early American history.

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CHASS alumna turns her passion for media into an online magazine

kelvin — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 19:29:44 +0000

CHASS alumna turns her passion for media into an online magazine kelvin Mon, 11/04/2019 - 11:29 More Press Releases Chris Fleming, Student Writer/CHASS Marketing & Communications November 04, 2019

Alissa Medina, M.A. is a journalist and has been since her days as a double-major in English and women’s studies at UC Riverside. As founder and chief digital strategist for the online feminist magazine, Fembot, Medina continues to showcase diverse voices to deliver fresh stories on topics that include homelessness and cultural appropriation.

Created by Medina in 2007, Fembot Magazine has a Facebook following of more than 50,000 readers daily. Daily stories are published online by more than 40 writers. Fembot’s tagline is “no click-bait, no gimmicks, just real perspectives” and features “diverse voices in intersectional feminism and social justice.”

In 2010, Medina was accepted to UCR. One of her first calls was to UCR’s school newspaper, the Highlander. Medina, a graduate of Los Osos High School, had served as her high school newspaper’s editor-in-chief since 11th grade.

“The minute I got into UCR,” she said, “I contacted the Highlander and was like, ‘I really want to work with you guys.’” A Highlander editor suggested she apply for an open editor’s position.

She applied for features editor and got it as a first-year student, making her one of the Highlander’s youngest editors in history.

CHASS helped prepare Medina for her future career at Fembot. Medina said professors introduced students to a variety of authors and voices. One of the most memorable pieces she read as an English major was “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, about a woman trapped in wallpaper taught to her by then graduate student Giulia Hoffman. The text highlights “the elasticity of a woman’s role in the household,” according to Medina, which inspired her to learn about women’s literature.

As a double-major in women’s studies, Medina also noted that many gender studies professors taught a type of feminism called intersectional feminism, which “encompasses all races, all genders, all ethnicities, and classes.”

Entering the classroom of women’s studies professor Jane Ward transformed her thought process. “I wanted to have a really specific angle to things that I knew I would be writing about in the future,” Medina said.

This global perspective inspired Medina and inspired her to reach out to her professors. They were encouraging and supportive of her goals, and she specifically mentioned English Professor James Tobias. She asked Tobias to be her independent study professor for an internship with entertainment news outlet TMZ.

“Tobias said, ‘If you want to take this on as an English major, you need to analyze the tone with which they present themselves to listeners and viewers.”

Medina was up for the challenge and took it one step further. She analyzed TMZ’s tactics and compared them to Jezebel, a feminist news website. She then used her findings to write a paper based on how structures and tone are apparent in media. Medina realized the power that the media has over the public psychology and opinion, and how voices have power over the media itself.

Medina graduated from UCR in 2014 and since then has earned her master's degree in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University in 2017. She has utilized everything she’s learned to take Fembot even further. The beginning of the Trump administration has increased Fembot page traffic, and Media sees the importance of continuing to showcase feminist voices.

For more information regarding Fembot Magazine, visit fembotmag.com.

FEATURED PHOTO. Photo courtesy of Alissa Medina.
Alissa Medina is a UC Riverside graduate who created Fembot Magazine featuring "real feminist perspectives to educate and empower.

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Department of Gender & Sexuality Studies