ADAM FINGERHUT

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

PSYCHOLOGY

BRIAN FOSTER

CLINICAL PROFESSOR

AMERICAN CULTURES

Adam earned his B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University in 1996 and his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from UCLA in 2007. Using a variety of research methods including experiments, surveys and daily diaries, his research examines the interplay between majority and minority groups. Adam’s research addresses two broad questions: First, how are minority group members affected by their minority identity and social status? Second, what factors affect how majority group members perceive and interact with individuals from minority social groups? Adam has taught a variety of social psychology courses including classes on the psychology of gender and on the psychology of social group membership. Prior to graduate school, he worked for 3 years in the Undergraduate Admission Office at Stanford as an Admission Director. In his free time, Adam does Yoga and enjoys painting, sewing and being creative and spending time with his husband, Stewart, and Izzi, their puppy.

Brian earned his B.A. from the California State University Northridge and his M.A. from California State University Dominguez Hills. Both degrees were in the Humanities. He is pursuing his doctorate in Cultural Studies at The Claremont Graduate University focusing on Contemporary Black Britain, Postmod-ernism and Popular Culture. Since 1999, he has held the position of Adjunct Faculty at California State University Northridge where he has taught in the Humanities Interdisci-plinary Program and in the Pan African Studies Department. At the Museum of Tolerance, Brian has served as a “Tools for Tolerance” facilitator and museum educator.

RICHARD FOX

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

POLITICAL SCIENCE

CECILIA GONZÁLEZ-ANDRIEU

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

THEOLOGICAL STUDIES

After graduating from Claremont McKenna College, Richard earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Richard teaches and conducts research in the areas of U.S. Congress, elections, media and politics, and gender politics. He has taught or held positions at Union College, Rutgers University, University of California-Santa Barbara, College Year in Athens, California State University-Fullerton, and the University of Wyoming. Most recently, he has completed work on a book entitled Tabloid Justice: The Criminal Justice System in the Age of Media Frenzy, 2nd ed. (Rienner, 2007). Richard is co-author of It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’t Run for Office (Cambridge, 2005) and co-editor of gender and Elections: Change and Continuity Through 2004 (Cambridge, 2006). His work has appeared in such journals as Political Psychology, The Journal of Politics, American Journal of Political Science, Social Problems, PS, and Politics and Gender. He is currently working on a project examining political ambition and why people choose to run for elective office. He has also written op-ed articles, some of which have appeared in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Cecilia earned her B.A. as a double major in Communication Arts and Spanish. She received her M.A. in Theological Studies at LMU and her Ph.D. in Art and Religion at Graduate Theological Union. She has taught and lectured widely, especially for organizations serving the Hispanic/Latino community and lay formation. She was the winner of the Catholic Press Association’s Best Regular Column in “The Tidings.” She has published essays in: The Treasure of Guadalupe, The Sky is Crying, Presente! and in Camino a Emaús (all books). Her area of specialization is Theological Aesthetics. She is married to Jean-Paul Andrieu and has two children. In her free time she is a singer, having trained with the fabulous LMU choruses. She also enjoys cycling and hiking, especially in Yosemite!

NADIA KIM

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

SOCIOLOGY

NICHOLAS KOCKLER

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

BIOETHICS INSTITUTE

Nadia earned her B.A. majoring in English and Sociology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She went on to receive her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Sociology from the University of Michigan. From 2003–2004, Nadia was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California, San Diego. Prior to her appointment to LMU, from 2004–2007, Nadia was an Assistant Professor at Brandeis University for the Department of Sociology and Program in Women’s and Gender Studies. Her book tentatively titled, “Imperial Rankings: Koreans and ‘Race’ from Seoul to L.A.,” is under contract with Stanford University Press. She has published in peer-reviewed journals such as Social Problems Journal and Critical Sociology. She and her partner, Dan, enjoy running, surfing, and listening to and playing music.

Nicholas is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago where he earned a B.A. in Theology and an M.A. in Health Care Ethics. He went on to complete his M.S. in Biotechnology at Northwestern University and earned his Ph.D. in Health Ethics from Duquesne University. Most recently, he served as the Regional Ethicist for Providence Health Systems in Southern California. He has also been a Clinical ethicist in various hospitals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His research focuses primarily on Catholic bioethics in health care, biotechnology, and genetic medicine. The title of his dissertation is Courage for a Brave New World: Medical Genetics, Evolution, and a Roman Catholic Approach to Human Gene Transfer. A recent transplant to L.A., Nicholas is a Torrance resident. He enjoys creative writing, bicycling, reading, and photography.

NORA A. MURPHY

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

PSYCHOLOGY

DALIA ANTONIA MULLER

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

HISTORY

Nora received her B.S. from Trinity College and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Northeastern University. She was a visiting professor at the University of Florida, and a research fellow in psychology at Brandeis University. She publishes in the area of nonverbal communication, accurate person perception, and social development across life span. Nora is a vegetarian, addicted to the New Yorker and Memoirs, and works with her dog, Myles. He is a registered therapy dog and together they visit retirement communities and assisted living facilities to share affection and friendship.

Dalia earned her B.A. at Yale University. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to her appointment at LMU, Dalia was a graduate student. Her dissertation research was on Cuba and Mexico between 2003 and 2005. Her primary research interest is late 19th-century circum-Caribbean history. Dalia was raised in New York City and now she lives in Culver City. She has studied the martial arts for 10 years.

CURTISS TAKADA ROOKS

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

AMERICAN CULTURES

DERMOT RYAN

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

ENGLISH

Curtiss earned his B.A. in 1979 with a double major in Economics and Asian Studies from Dartmouth College. He received his M.A. in Public Policy from Trinity College in 1982 and his Ph.D. in Comparative Culture from the University of California, Irvine. In 1996, he was a University of California Regents Fellow. Prior to his appointment at LMU, Curtiss was a tenured assistant professor in Asian American Studies at San Jose State University. Between 1992 and 1998, he taught in Asian American Studies at LMU, CSU Northridge, and at UC Santa Barbara. From 1982 to 1988, he served as associate dean of student and dean of residential life, Pomona College. His research interests include applied community-based research focusing on cultural competency in community health and ethnic community development. His work includes program evaluation, assets, and needs assessment for underserved ethnic communities serving. Current projects include a cultural assessment of Japanese and African American senior care-giving needs, community partnerships in evaluating diabetes education programs, and community partnerships in chronic disease needs assessment in the Samoan community. A second research trajectory focuses on multiracial identity and Asian American diversity. Curtiss lives in Culver City with his wife Miki. Fujimoto and their daughter Mariko. He enjoys coaching his daughter’s softball team and attending her school and girl scout programs. As a former intercollegiate athlete he is an avid sports fan and enjoys a variety of athletic activities including swimming and basketball.

Dermot earned his B.A. in English at Trinity College, Dublin, his M. Phil. and M.A. in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and his M.A. in Irish Writing at the Queen’s University of Belfast. He just completed his Ph.D. at Columbia University. Prior to his appointment to LMU, Dermot taught an undergraduate course on Romanticism and a graduate seminar in Post-colonialism at Rutgers University, Newark in the Spring 2007. Dermot’s research focuses on British and Irish literature of the Long 18th Century with a particular emphasis on print culture and postcolonial theory. Other teaching and research interests include cultural studies, contemporary Irish literature, Marxism, and genre theory. His current project explores how 18th and early 19th century authors use imagination and writing not only to conceptualize emerging global empires, but also to contribute to their consolidation and expansion. His article on Adam Smith is forthcoming in the journal, Studies in Romanticism. Dermot grew up in Ireland and visits family and friends there every summer and at Christmas. His wife, Alexandra Neel, is also an English Professor who specializes in the literary and visual culture of the Long Nineteenth Century. He is currently learning how to drive and he is thrilled to be living in Los Angeles.

REBECCA SAGER

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

SOCIOLOGY

DANIEL SPEAK

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

PHILOSOPHY

Rebecca received her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego and her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Arizona. She has taught undergraduate courses in the Sociology of religion, Social Movements and Collective Behavior, Sociology of Sexuality, and Gender in Contemporary Society. Rebecca has published in such scholarly journals as Sociology of Religion, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion and the Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. Her primary research interests include the sociology of religion, state and social policy, social movements and collective behavior, the nonprofit sector, qualitative methods, and gender and sexuality.

Daniel earned his B.A. at Biola University, his M.A. at Claremont Graduate University, and his Ph.D. at the University of California, Riverside. His research focuses on the metaphysics of free will, moral responsibility, and the philosophy of religion. Daniel has published articles in Faith and Philosophy, American Philosophical Quarterly, Midwest Studies in Philosophy, and The Philosophical Quarterly. Daniel has been married to Lori, his wife, for sixteen years. They have a 14 year old son named Justin. In his free time, Daniel enjoys playing golf, basketball, and just about any other sport involving a ball. As a family they see a lot of movies and do a lot of reading.

MOLLY YOUNGKIN

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

ENGLISH

Molly received her B.G.S. from the University of Dayton, her M.A. from Wright State University and her Ph.D. from Ohio State University. She specializes in nineteenth-century British literature and teaches courses in Romantic and Victorian literature, as well as gender studies and narrative theory. Her first book, “Feminist Realism at the Fin de Siècle: The Influence of the Late-Victorian Woman’s Press on the Development of the Novel,” examines the influence of feminist ideals in the debate over realism in the work of male and female authors writing in the 1890s. She currently is working on a new book, which focuses on the relationship between art and literature in nineteenth-century women’s writing. In her spare time, she likes to visit art museums, since doing so reminds her of her earlier aspiration to be an artist.