Baloubi, Desire
PhD
Chair, Department of English and Foreign Languages
264 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
dbaloubi@nsu.edu
Adams, Benita K.
Assistant Professor of Public Speaking
228 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
bkadams@nsu.edu
Expertise and Interests: Benita Adams is a successful TV and radio host, author and motivational speaker. She has worked in the media and communications field for nearly 30 years. Most recently, she worked at WVEC, Channel 13 News Now, an ABC affiliate, in Hampton Roads, VA. Her passion is helping Baby Boomer and Middle-Aged Women, 50 years and older, in their Midlife journey of Transformation & Reinvention. She created, produced and hosted her TV show, “The Second Act with Benita Adams”; a 30 minute weekly lifestyle show that engages, informs and educates women. While also educating, enlightening, empowering and inspiring them “to make the rest of their life – the best of their life.” Her book: Reinvent Your Life in The Second Act: A Guide for Women Who Dare to Achieve Their Dreams, was released in 2015.
Courses Taught: Public Speaking, Vocabulary Building
Balla, Bonaventure
PhD
Assistant Professor of French
277 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
bballa@nsu.edu
Expertise and Interests: I hold a Ph.D. in French, an MA in French, and another MA in English. I have been teaching for twenty- four years in West Africa (12 years), France (1 year), and the US (11 years). My specialization covers Symbolism (English, French & Belgian), Synesthesia, Semiotics, Francophone Literature, and Translation. I am the author of several articles and seven books. Two of these books were published in France, one Belgium, two in the US, one will be published in London, and the last in France. My third book titled Symbolism, Synesthesia, and Semiotics, Multidisciplinary Approach has been cited at least fifteen times by national and international scholars and is recommended as a reference text at Florida State University in the US. I speak/use seven languages: French, English, Spanish, Beti, Fang, Latin, and Japanese. Being a polyglot ignited my passion for translation. That is why I became a Professional Translator. As a matter of fact, I have been working as a Translator for twenty-eight years in Africa, France, and the US. My language combination is predominantly English-French; however, I also translate from French into English, and from Spanish into French. Consequently, my research interests cover Translation; Symbolism; Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Francophone Literature; Brain-science and Language/Poetry. I like poetry and while publishing books of poetry I participated in very stringent international poetry contests in Rheims, and Gargenville, France. I won several awards of poetry for three consecutive years: 2013, 2014, and 2015 while vying with the best poets in France, Canada, US, Africa, Haiti, Morocco, and Switzerland.
Boose, Keela A.
MA
Instructor of English
223 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
kaboose@nsu.edu
kboose.pdf
Bynum, Polly
Instructor of English
264 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
pbynum1@cox.net
Camp, William A.
Instructor of English
207 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
wacamp@nsu.edu
Cannon, Uzzie T.
PhD
Associate Professor of English
283 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
utcannon@nsu.edu
Expertise and Interests: Dr. Uzzie T. Cannon earned her Ph.D. in English from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an M.A. in Digital Humanities from Loyola University, Chicago. Her teaching specializations include African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and American literatures. She has secondary interests in Cultural and Gender Studies and Digital Humanities. Dr. Cannon is currently researching Black masculine identity reconstruction in contemporary fiction and culture. She is at work on a book that explores a Black masculine blues aesthetic in contemporary literature and culture, and she is developing web applications involving novels of the African Diaspora and African American photographers respectively. When Dr. Cannon is not teaching, she reads for leisure and enjoys photography.
Demeter, Jason M.
PhD
Assistant Professor of English
221 Madison Hall
(757) 823-2828
jmdemeter@nsu.edu
Expertise: Shakespeare, Early British Literature, American Literature
Interests: Race and Critical Race Theory, Cultural Studies
Courses Taught: Composition, Shakespeare, British Literature, American Literature
Drew, Damani J.
Instructor of English
231 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
djdrew@nsu.edu
Garcia, Fermin
PhD
Instructor of Spanish
232 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
fgarcia@nsu.edu
Expertise: His doctoral studies were in in Golden Age and Medieval, Spain Literature.
Interests: He is fascinated with the concept of honor in Golden Age drama. His research studies Golden Age narratives, the picaresque novel.
Courses Taught: He has taught literature courses as well as language courses. His experience teaching language courses from beginning to advanced levels, has given him more and better understanding on how a second language is learned, and how to motivate students to be successful in learning Spanish.
Hand, Amara E.
MA
Instructor of English
aehand@nsu.edu
amarahandwrites.co
aehand@nsu.edu
Expertise: Amara Hand is an adjunct instructor of English at, and an alumna of Norfolk State University. She earned her BA in 2011, followed by a master’s in 2015 from Monmouth University. Her focus lies in rhetoric and writing. Professor Hand began teaching at NSU in 2016. Professor Hand is a native of Hampton Roads, but now resides in North Carolina — where she serves as a full-time writing consultant and instructor at another historically black college. Dedicated to the social significance of HBCUs (especially her alma mater), she continues to teach first-year courses for NSU, all online. She is also an essayist and freelance writer and editor.
Interests: Rhetorical theory (Burke); AAVE/Black English; rhetoric, rap music, and millennialism; sociolinguistics; composition pedagogy; nonfiction writing; personal narratives; storytelling
Courses Taught: Composition, Vocabulary Building
Heath, Jocelyn A.
PhD
Assistant Professor of English
220 Madison Hall
(757) 823-2827
jaheath@nsu.edu
Expertise: Creative Writing (Poetry and Nonfiction), Contemporary American Poetry, Editing, Professional Writing
Interests: Dr. Heath is interested in LGBT literature, poetry, environmental writing, lyric essays, narrative writing. She is seeking a publisher for her first poetry collection and writing her second. She is also working on a lyric essay collection about the ten years she spent in theater.
Courses Taught: Composition, Advanced Composition, Creative Writing
Huberdeau, William
Instructor of English
214 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
whuberdeau@nps.k12.va.us
Expertise and Interests: Creative writing (short fiction, poetry), composition, literature. B.A. in English from The College of William and Mary; M.S.Ed. in Secondary English Education from Old Dominion University. Traveled on several artist residencies to Portugal, Iceland, Canada, Turkey, Costa Rica, Morocco, and, soon, Kenya. Works of short fiction and poetry appear in various literary journals around the country and Internet. Karaoke fiend; open-mic connoisseur (singer/songwriter). Appears on Spotify and other music media venues as Honorary Squirrel.
Course Taught: ENG 101 Communication Skills
Johnson, Mamie
Ed.D.
Associate Professor of English
275 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8889
majohnson@nsu.edu
Expertise: English composition, with emphasis in APA and MLA research writing styles, speech communication, and assessment.
Research Interests: African American history, English composition, Information Literacy, and assessment of student learning outcomes.
Courses Taught: Communication Skills I and II, Advanced Communication Skills, Principles of Speech, and Techniques in Vocabulary Building.
Additional Information: Dr. Johnson is a graduate of Norfolk State University with both a Bachelor of Science degree in Office Systems Management and a Master of Arts degree in Communication/Languages Studies. She earned her doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University, Washington, DC. In addition, Dr. Johnson is a former department chair of English and Foreign Languages, an alumnae of Norfolk State University, and the past president of the Norfolk Chapter, NSU Alumni Association. She is also a past president of the Conference of Minority Public Administrators and a veteran member of Toastmasters International. Currently, she serves on several University-wide committees, the Executive Board of the City of Virginia Beach Public Libraries, and the Framingham Executive Board in her community.
Jones, Ellen E.
Instructor of English
260 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
eejones@nsu.edu
Jones, Ronald C.
Instructor of English
264 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
rcjones@nsu.edu
Kiah, Rosalie
PhD
Professor of English
219 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
rbkiah@nsu.edu
Expertise and Interests: Young Adult Literature and Literature of the African Diaspora
Courses Taught: Young Adult Literature, Teaching English in the Secondary School, African American Literature, American Literature, World Literature, University Supervisor for English Education majors, Coordinates English majors seeking endorsement in middle school and high school teaching
Additional Information: Served two consecutive years as a Senior Fulbright Scholar at the University of Botswana in South East Africa teaching Literature of the African Diaspora
Linsey, Brando
264 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
blinsey@nsu.edu
Lofton, Synnika A.
Instructor of English
259 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
salofton@nsu.edu
Expertise: Spoken Word Poetry, Performance Poetry
Interests: Poetry, Politics, Social Justice, Literature
Courses Taught: Composition, Literature
Malia, Jennifer L.
PhD
Associate Professor of English
278 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
jlmalia@nsu.edu
McGarry, Joshua
Instructor of English
212 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
Jmcgarry1991@gmail.com
Menjivar, Cristina
Instructor of English and Foreign Languages
237 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
crismenjivar@gmail.com
Nicholson, Cynthia
PhD
Instructor of English
211 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
csnicholson@nsu.edu
Expertise: Young Adult Literature, English Education methods, African American Literature
Interests: Cultural and Political Issues of Literacy, and College Literacy Processes in First-Year Composition, and Women's and Gender Studies
Courses Taught: Composition and Public Speaking
Norman, Jason R.
Instructor of English
264 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
jrnorman@nsu.edu
O'Daniel, Ahmasi K.
MA
Instructor of English
229 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
akodaniel@nsu.edu
Expertise: Cultural Materialism, Critical Race Theory, Critical Theory
Interests: A majority of my research focuses on European and American constructions of racial hierarchies within Early Modern Africa, Post-Colonial Africa, the Antebellum Period, The Black Arts Movement, The Black Revolution, The Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, and the 21st century conflict between the Military Industrial Complex and Islam. Specifically, my research explores the homogenization and dehumanizing of African personae and the media strategies through which stereotypes can maintained and what resistance and imperialist traditions have developed as a result. Some scholars whose publications have helped me on this journey are Dr. Maya Angelou, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Paulo Friere, N'Gugi Wa' Thiango, Edward Said, Emily Bartels, Thomas Cartelli, Jonathan Dollimore, Dr. Alison Reed, and Dr. Imtiaz Habib.
Courses Taught: English Composition
Perkins, Annie S.
PhD
Professor of English
225 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
asperkins@nsu.edu
Perry, Dottie
Instructor of English
227 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
dottieperry2@aol.com
Pinkston, Christina
PhD
Assistant Professor of English
282 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
cpstreets@nsu.edu
Expertise and Interests: Dr. Christina Pinkston earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Sacred Literature from Trinity Theological Seminary, her Master of Arts degree with specializations in Medieval Studies, 19th Century American Literature, as well as Rhetoric and Composition from The Ohio State University, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and French (a double major) with a double minor in Music (voice and violin) from Ohio Wesleyan University. Additionally, she has studied at the University of Dijon (Dijon, France) in advanced studies of French as well as at the Philadelphia Settlement School of Music and Performing Arts with a concentration in ballet, piano, violin, and clarinet. A mother of three daughters, Dr. Pinkston is the recipient of numerous honors and recognitions for her work as an outstanding educator
Courses Taught: Composition, Public Speaking
Ponack, Shannon
Instructor of English
213 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
sponack@vwu.edu
Rozga, Michele E.
PhD
Assistant Professor of English
276 Madison Hall
(757) 823-2370
merozga@nsu.edu
https://michelerozga.com/
Expertise: Creative Writing in Poetry; Contemporary Literature; Literary Publishing; Writing Across the Curriculum; Interdisciplinary Studies in English.
Interests: Humanities-based thinking and learning; creative approaches to undergraduate core courses; interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving; writing for theater artists; long-form journalism; popular culture and cultural studies.
Courses Taught: Introduction to Literary Criticism; Advanced Communications for non-English majors; Advanced Composition (literary genres); Public Speaking; Composition.
Additional Information: I started writing poetry while I was a semi-professional modern dancer. Before I entered academia, I also worked as a theater artist. My academic studies, and my artistic life, sustain my interdisciplinary views about university life and the value of a college degree.
Tenenbaum, David A.
Instructor of English
260 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
datenenbaum@nsu.edu
Watson-Miller, Ingrid
PhD
Associate Professor of Spanish
279 Madison Hall
(757) 823-9168
iwatson-miller@nsu.edu
Expertise: Luz Argentina Chiriboga, Afro-Hispanic literature and culture, Latin American women's literature, Spain's Picaresque novel
Interests: intersectionality, the Black woman in Latin America, Afro-Latina's self-realization (concientizacion) as a means of empowerment in a racist and sexist society.
Courses: Spanish 101-102, 201-202, Afro-Hispanic Literature, Spanish Literature in Translation, 19th Century Spanish Literature, 19th Century Latin American Literature, Introduction to Latin American Culture
Wilkens, Gary C.
PhD
Associate Professor of English
273 Madison Hall
(757) 823-2956
gcwilkens@nsu.edu
Williams, Melody S.
PhD
Assistant Professor of English
280 Madison Hall
(757) 823-9430
mswilliams@nsu.edu
Youssef, Lamiaa S.
Associate Professor of English
224 Madison Hall
(757) 823-8891
lsyoussef@nsu.edu