The School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice

African American and Diaspora Studies

108 Ross Hall, (307) 766-2481
Director: Dr. Ulrich Adelt
Web site: www.uwyo.edu/aads

Professors:

JACQUELYN BRIDGEMAN, B.A. Stanford University 1996; J.D. University of Chicago 1999; Professor of Law 2008, 2002.

DARRELL D. JACKSON, B.A. College of William and Mary 1987; J.D. George Mason University School of Law 1990; Ph.D. University of Colorado School of Education 2011; Professor of Law 2018, 2013.

TRACEY OWENS PATTON, B.A. Colorado State University 1993; M.A. 1996; Ph.D. University of Utah 2000; Professor of Communication and Journalism 2012, 2003.

Associate Professor:

ULRICH ADELT, M.A. University of Hamburg, Germany 2000; Ph.D. University of Iowa 2007; Associate Professor of American Studies 2015, 2009.

Assistant Professor:

FREDRICK D. DIXON, B.A. Purdue University 1993; M.A. Northeastern Illinois University 2003; Ph.D. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 2018; Assistant Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies 2019.

Associate Academic Professional Lecturer:

MARY L. KELLER, B.A. Williams College 1987; M.A. Syracuse University 1992; Ph.D. 2002.

Lecturers:

JASCHA HERDT, B.A. University of Wyoming; M.A. 2011.

ERIC D. JOHNSON, B.A. University of Alabama 2003; MA, University of Iowa 2009; Ph.D 2021.

CHAD D. ROBINSON, B.S. Northewestern University 1992; MA, City University of New York 2006; M.S. Mercy College 2008.

The African American and Diaspora Studies Program, through an interdisciplinary course of study, examines the experiences of African Americans in the United States, in the context of Africa and its Diaspora in Europe and the Americas.

Undergraduate Studies

The population of Black America has nearly doubled in Wyoming since the year 2000. As the population becomes more diverse it is important to provide students with a background in multicultural relations so that they are prepared for the global workforce. We intend to provide students with the necessary knowledge to prepare them to participate in an increasingly interconnected world. Therefore, African American and Diaspora Studies offers a bachelor of arts (B.A.) and an undergraduate minor in African American and Diaspora Studies.

Students may access a copy of the undergraduate major and minor check sheets at www.uwyo.edu/aads/major-minor/index.html.

At present, no program for graduate degrees in African American and Diaspora Studies is offered; however, some courses may be counted at the graduate level.

American Studies

Cooper House

(307) 766-3898

Website: www.uwyo.edu/ams

E-mail: amst@uwyo.edu

Director: Frieda E. Knobloch

Professor:

ULRICH ADELT, American Studies; School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice

FRIEDA E. KNOBLOCH, American Studies; School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice; Creative Writing

Associate Professor:

LILIA SOTO, B.A. University of California - San Diego 2000; M.A. University of California - Berkeley 2003; Ph.D. 2008; Associate Professor of American Studies and Latina/o Studies 2017, 2010.

Senior Research Scientist:

ANDREA GRAHAM, American Studies; School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice;

Professors Emeriti:

John Dorst, Eric Sandeen

Adjunct Faculty:

(See Catalog section following name for academic credentials)

R. McGreggor Cawley, School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies

Fred Chapman, public historic preservation consultant

Catherine Connolly, The School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice

Colleen Denney, Department of Visual and Literary Arts

Anthony Denzer, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management

Michael Harkin, Department of Anthropology

Tammy Heise, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies

Isa Helfgott, Department of History

Scott Henkel, Department of English and Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research

Mary Humstone, public historic preservation consultant

Michelle Jarman, Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND)

Mary Keller, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies

Rachel Sailor, Department of Visual and Literary Arts

Trisha Martinez, School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice

American Studies Program

American Studies explores American cultural experience past and present, through a wide range of approaches to American lives, places, arts, knowledges, communities, institutions, histories, and ideas. American Studies is an integrative field that comes from and adds to the context of our cultural lives in the U.S. and the U.S. in the world. American Studies frames present concerns with engagement with the past; expects us to engage people’s experiences in the context of a diversity of experiences; and invites us to understand our own commitments and interests as valuable contributors to American cultural understanding. American Studies as a field depends on and adds to insights of scholars, artists, and scientists from virtually any field of expertise.

The American Studies program offers undergraduate B.A. and graduate M.A. degrees in American Studies, as well as courses of general interest to students in any degree.

Our program places special emphasis on studying American cultures through field experiences and internships: students apply academic knowledge and develop professional skills in community and non-profit organizations, historic preservation efforts and organizations, historic sites, museums and collections, among many possibilities. Every internship is developed in close consultation between the students and our Internship Coordinator, and frequently stems from a student’s general idea about where or with whom they’d like to work, in Laramie or Wyoming, in other parts of the U.S., or sometimes abroad. Our program also highlights international perspectives, as well as the transnational context of American impacts and experiences, in course work and exchanges available to American Studies students.

American Studies puts people and their plans together building career goals in K-12 education, law, or business, work in community organizations and public institutions, or further graduate-level study.

Native American and Indigenous Studies

Main Office: 117 Native American Education, Research and Culture Center,
(307) 766-6520
Director’s Office: Native American Center,
(307) 766-6520
Web site: www.uwyo.edu/nais/
Director: Dr. Christopher Caskey Russell

Professor:

Associate Professor:

Assistant Professor:

JESSICA F. NELSON, B.A. University of Michigan 2006; M.A. University of Arizona 2011; Ph.D. 2018; Assistant Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies 2019.

Assistant Lecturer:

ROBYN LOPEZ, A.A. Central Wyoming College 2004; B.A. University of Wyoming 2007; M.A. University of Hawai’i at Mānoa; Assistant Lecturer of Native American and Indigenous Studies 2019.

Adjunct Faculty:

(See Catalog section following name for academic credentials.)

Pamela Innes, Anthropology
Jeffrey Means, History

Affiliated Faculty:

The Native American and Indigenous Studies offers an academic major at the undergraduate level and a minor at both the undergraduate and graduate level. This interdepartmental course of study examines Native North American cultural and social life, as well as Indigenous cultural and social life globally, including economic, political, and educational systems. Historical and contemporary perspectives of American Indian and global Indigenous experiences are included in this program.

Students may choose a NAIS studies minor to complement a major field of study. Related disciplines include American studies, anthropology, art, ethnic studies, geography, history, law, music, philosophy, political science, and sociology. A minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies provides excellent preparation for teachers, researchers, social workers, healthcare providers, resource managers, economic developers, and legal practitioners.

Gender and Women’s Studies

108 Ross Hall, (307) 766-2733
FAX: (307) 766-2555
Web site: www.uwyo.edu/gwst

Director: Michelle Jarman

Professor:

CATHERINE CONNOLLY, B.S. State University College at Buffalo 1984; M.A. State University of New York at Buffalo 1989; J.D. 1991; Ph.D. 1992; Professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies 2004, 1998, 1992.

Visiting Assistant Professor:

SAMANTHA L. VANDERMEADE, B.A., Appalachian State University, 2009; M.A., North Carolina State University, 2015; Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2020; Visiting Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies 2020.

Associate Lecturer:

ALISON QUAGGIN HARKIN, B.A. Trinity College at the University of Toronto 1981; M.A. Athabasca University 2010; Assistant Lecturer of Gender and Women’s Studies 2019.

Professor Emeriti:

Colleen Denney, Professor Emeritus

Janice Harris, Professor Emeritus

Susan McKay, Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Affiliated Faculty:

(see department section following name for academic credentials)

Ulrich Adelt, African American and Diaspora Studies, American Studies

Stephanie Anderson, Political Science

Cecelia Aragon, Latina/o Studies, Theatre and Dance

Ruth Olga Bjorkenwall, Politics, Public Affairs, & International Studies

Christine Boggs, Elbogen Center for Teaching & Learning

Christin Covello, Gender and Women’s Studies

Danielle Renee Cover, Law

Cynthia Hartung, Psychology

Isadora Helfgott, History

Michelle Jarman, Disability Studies, WIND

Frieda E. Knobloch, American Studies

Renee Laegreid, History

Barbara Ellen Logan, History

Tracey Patton, African American and Diaspora Studies, Communication and Journalism

Chian Jones Ritten, Agricultural and Applied Economics

Nancy Shea, Gender and Women’s Studies

Nathanial Smith, Gender and Women’s Studies

Jamie Snyder, Criminal Justice & Sociology

Lilia Soto, American Studies, Latina/o Studies

Jennifer Tabler, Criminal Justice & Sociology

Grant Walsh-Haines, Gender and Women’s Studies

Rachel Watson, Chemistry, Director, Queer Studies

Arielle Zibrak, English

The Gender and Women’s Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary course of study that examines the relevance of sex, gender and sexuality in history, societies, and cultures. Students may earn a major, minor, or graduate minor in Gender and Women’s Studies, or a minor or graduate minor in Queer Studies.

Program Learning Objectives

Students graduating with a degree in Gender and Women’s Studies will have skills to apply in a variety of settings indicated by their ability to:

Engage in intersectional, interdisciplinary feminist analysis.
Analyze socio-historical and contemporary power dynamics underpinning group relations, social institutions, and systems of representation.
Situate their analyses within various place-based contexts, including the rural, local, community, transnational, and global.
Understand and articulate the history, strategies, and goals of interconnected movements for social justice.
Demonstrate mastery of critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in diverse, 21st century work forces and communities.

NOTE: Gender & Women’s Studies recently changed all course prefixes to GWST (from WMST). All former WMST courses will count toward Gender & Women’s Studies degree programs.

Latina/o Studies

108 Ross Hall, (307) 766-4127
Web site: uwyo.edu/ltst
Director: Dr. Lilia Soto

Professor:

CECILIA ARAGON, B.S. McMurry University Texas 1991; M.A. University of New Mexico 1996; Ph.D. Arizona State University 2003; Professor of Theatre and Dance and Latina/o Studies 2017, 2005.

Associate Professor:

LILIA SOTO, B.A. University of California, San Diego 2000; M.A. University of California, Berkeley 2003; Ph.D. 2008; Associate Professor of American Studies and Latina/o Studies 2017, 2010.

Visiting Assistant Professor:

MARGARITA PIGNATARO, B.A. Florida State University; M.A. Arizona State University, Ph.D.; Visiting Assistant Professor of Latina/o Studies 2018.

Adjunct Faculty:

Jennifer Macias, Adrian Molina, Dewey Gallegos, Estella Soto, Macros Martinez

Faculty and Staff Affiliates:

Jacqueline Shinker, Geography
Mark Guiberson, Communication Disorders
Carolyne Larson, History
Conxita Domènch, Spanish Literature
Joy Landeira, Spanish
Irene Checa-Garcia, Spanish Linguistics
Rachel Sanchez, Office of the Registrar

State-Wide Advisory Board:

Connie Coca
Ana Cuprill
Linda Devine
Floyd Esquibel
Mary Elizabeth Galvan
Chris Novarro
Milton Ontiveros
Ann Redman

The Latina/o Studies program, through an interdisciplinary and comparative approach examines the history, cultures, language and contemporary experiences of Mexicans, Mexican-Americans and other Latinos/ as in Wyoming, and the United States.

Learning Outcomes

Latina/o Studies courses emphasize perspectives that are historical and contemporary, theoretical and practical, as well as critical and aesthetic. These perspectives help to develop an understanding of oppression and resistance, at the individual, institutional, and ideological levels.

Upon completion of the University of Wyoming Latina/o Studies minor curriculum, students will have an awareness and appreciation for the Latina/o experience. Particularly as the Latina/o experience is expressed in the following concepts and principles of organic insight, relational awareness, historical perspective, power for social change, intersectionality, and aesthetics.

Organic Insight - The development of a contextual framework for understanding one’s own and others’ experiences in relation to the Latina/o experience.
Relational Awareness - The development of a theoretical framework for understanding how institutional social structures impact individuals, families, and communities, and in turn, how individuals, families, and communities impact social structures through resistance, social agency, and change.
Historical Perspective - The development of a critical historical viewpoint for understanding how struggles around social, economic, and political forces have shaped the traditional and contemporary Latina/o Diaspora.
Power for Social Change - The development of a critical consciousness, which is necessary for a social praxis that combats oppressive racist ideologies and social structures that perpetuate individual and institutional inequalities.
Intersectionality - Gaining an awareness of the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual orientation as it plays out organically, relationally, historically, and politically.
Latina/o Aesthetics - The development of an appreciation and awareness of the aesthetics evident in Latina/o art, music, theatre, literature, and other artistic expressive forms and styles.

Latina/o Studies Minor

Latina/o Studies offers an undergraduate minor. The minor in Latina/o Studies requires 18 credit hours. Two of those courses (6 hours) must include the required foundation courses, and the remaining courses (12 hours) can be selected from the other areas of studies listed below.

Programs

Major

Minor

Graduate

American Studies, M.A.

Certificate

The School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice

African American and Diaspora Studies

Professors:

Associate Professor:

Assistant Professor:

Associate Academic Professional Lecturer:

Lecturers:

Undergraduate Studies

American Studies

Professor:

Associate Professor:

Senior Research Scientist:

Professors Emeriti:

Adjunct Faculty:

American Studies Program

Native American and Indigenous Studies

Professor:

Associate Professor:

Assistant Professor:

Assistant Lecturer:

Adjunct Faculty:

Affiliated Faculty:

Gender and Women’s Studies

Director: Michelle Jarman

Professor:

Visiting Assistant Professor:

Associate Lecturer:

Professor Emeriti:

Affiliated Faculty:

Program Learning Objectives

NOTE: Gender & Women’s Studies recently changed all course prefixes to GWST (from WMST). All former WMST courses will count toward Gender & Women’s Studies degree programs.

Latina/o Studies

Professor:

Associate Professor:

Visiting Assistant Professor:

Adjunct Faculty:

Faculty and Staff Affiliates:

State-Wide Advisory Board:

Learning Outcomes

Latina/o Studies Minor

Programs

Courses