Skip to main content
Eleanor Roosevelt College Eleanor Roosevelt College
  1. HOME
  2. Making of the Modern World
  3. People

MMW People

MMW Program Staff & Faculty

  • Matthew T. Herbst, Ph.D. - Director

    Matthew T. Herbst, Ph.D. - Director

    Matthew T. Herbst is the faculty director of the Making of the Modern World program, faculty co-director of Study Abroad, and co-director of Classical Studies. He specializes in the pedagogical leadership of academic programs and experiential learning opportunities at home and abroad.  He was an inaugural professor of UCSD’s Global Seminars and has led 13 summer programs in Asia, Europe, Oceania, and North America (2008-2024).   Since 2012, he has led more than 30 other academic experiential programs in the deserts and mountains of California, in the Southwest, and in Turkey.  Prof. Herbst was a first-generation college student and collaborated to found UCSD's college-based First Year Experience & Transfer Year Experience courses, designed to help students transition to and thrive at UC San Diego.  For more on his work, see here.
  • Eberly Barnes - Academic Coordinator

    Eberly Barnes - Academic Coordinator

    Eberly Barnes is the MMW Academic Coordinator for MMW 11-13.  Dr. Barnes earned her PhD in English at St. Louis University, where she specialized in critical theory; studied the evolution of consciousness and history of rhetoric with Walter J. Ong; and wrote her dissertation on the critical history of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.  In addition, she holds an MA in English from The University of Texas at Austin and a BA in English from Louisiana College.  Her research and teaching interests include writing pedagogy; rhetoric, composition, and the writing process; writing program administration; the evolution of consciousness; sustainability, diversity, and social justice; creative non-fiction; and kinesthetic education.   Dr. Barnes also enjoys yoga, tai chi, and exploring nature.  In MMW, Dr. Barnes hires and trains new TAs; supervises TAs in MMW 11-13; oversees writing instruction for MMW 12-13; and manages academic integrity cases. 
  • Johanna L. Peterson - Associate Director

    Johanna L. Peterson - Associate Director

    Dr. Peterson is an Assistant Teaching Professor and Associate Director of the MMW Program. In her role, Dr. Peterson works to foster a student-centered learning environment by supporting course instructors, supervising and mentoring Instructional Assistants, administering the writing project, managing Canvas, and exploring diverse pedagogical approaches and technologies.  

    Dr. Peterson received her PhD in History from UC San Diego, her BA in History from California Lutheran University and her MA in History from Cal State Fullerton. Her research focuses on the relationship between girls’ education and women’s citizenship during and immediately following the interwar period in Lebanon. Dr. Peterson is also interested in writing pedagogy, including peer review as antiracist praxis and alternative grading practices.

    Outside of work, Dr. Peterson enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, reading, learning to play the piano, and marveling at how much her 5-year-old changes every day.
  • Edmond Chang - Senior Lecturer

    Edmond Chang - Senior Lecturer

    Edmond Chang received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, San Diego in 2002. A former Fulbright Research Grant recipient, he focused on comparative philosophy with an emphasis on Chinese aesthetics in the 4th century C.E. Dr. Chang also holds a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, as well as a B.A. in History and International Relations from Tufts University. He has been a four-time recipient of ERC’s “Outstanding Faculty Award,” in addition to receiving UCSD’s Paul Saltman Teaching Excellence Award in 2013. Aside from teaching, Dr. Chang has published poetry and worked as a professional translator and editor. His hobbies include backpacking, kayaking, and learning to play the guqin.  As Senior Lecturer in the MMW program, he teaches MMW 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 121 and 122.
  • Shirley Lam - Program Coordinator

    Shirley Lam - Program Coordinator

    Shirley Lam was born and raised in Hong Kong. She received her BS in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of California, San Diego. After working as a mobile app and web developer in a private school, she found her passion for student service. Prior to joining the MMW, Shirley worked in the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office and the Department of Mathematical Sciences. She likes helping others and enjoys working with faculty and staff. Shirley enjoys traveling, playing badminton, and watching movies in her spare time.
  • Krystal Covarrubias - Administrative Assistant

    Krystal Covarrubias - Administrative Assistant

    Krystal Covarrubias received her BA in Sociology and Criminology and Justice Studies from California State University San Marcos in 2020. Before joining MMW, she worked as a peer advisor and an Intake Advisor at the CSUSM Academic Advising and as an advisor for Escondido High school students. Krystal’s passion is to provide guidance and assistance to students before and during their higher education journey. In her free time, she enjoys offroading, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.  

MMW Departmental Faculty

MMW Teaching Assistants

  • profile placeholder image

    Allie Cook

  • Baris Tasyakan

    Baris Tasyakan

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Speciality: Late Ottoman Empire, Modern Middle East
    Email: batasyakan@ucsd.edu
  • profile placeholder image

    Brianne Itaya

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: Art History, Theory, and Criticism
    Specialty: Art of Ancient Mesoamerica
    Email: bitaya@ucsd.edu
  • Chenfeng Wang

    Chenfeng Wang

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: Literature
    Specialty: Contemporary East Asian, Cinema and Media Studies
  • profile placeholder image

    Christopher Moreland

  • Cj Headley

    Cj Headley

    Preferred Pronouns: He/Him
    Degree: Ph.D. Candidate 
    Department: History
    Specialty: German Imperialism in Africa
    Email: Cjheadle@ucsd.edu
  • David Hollingsworth

    David Hollingsworth

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him
    Degree: History MA, San Diego State University 
    Specialties: Post-Civil War United States, 20th Century Revolutionary Latin America
    Email: dwhollingsworth@ucsd.edu
  • Debra Ligorsky

    Debra Ligorsky

    Preferred Pronouns:  She/her/hers
    Degree:  Ph.D. In English  
    Specialty:  The Revolutionary Period, Romanticism, and the Literature of Citizenship
    Email:  dligorsky@ucsd.edu 
  • profile placeholder image

    Dimitris Stergiopoulos

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/hisDegree: Doctoral CandidateDepartment: HistorySpecialty: Modern Greek, Ottoman, and European HistoryEmail: dstergio@ucsd.edu 
  • Emre Sunu

    Emre Sunu

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: M.A | PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Specialty: Social and Cultural History, 19th century Balkans
    Email: sesunu@ucsd.edu
  • Ho-chiu Leung

    Ho-chiu Leung

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Specialty: Modern East Asia, History of Capitalism
    Email: c0leung@ucsd.edu,     leung.hochiu@gmail.com
  • Iman Farahani

    Iman Farahani

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree: MFA Candidate
    Department: LiteratureEmail: ifarahan@ucsd.edu
  • profile placeholder image

    Jaime (Jamie) Ivey

    Preferred Pronouns: He/him
    Degree:     PhD candidate
    Department: History
    Specialty: Cold War and Sport; Soviet Union and Africa
    Email: Jaivey@ucsd.edu
  • John Grove

    John Grove

    Preferred Pronouns: they/them
    Degree:  PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Specialty:  LGBTQ political activism in the U.S.
  • Kimiko Nicole LeNeave

    Kimiko Nicole LeNeave

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree: 

    B.A. History, Latin American Studies, Music; MA History; PhD Candidate in Latin American History and Caribbean Studies
    Department: History
    Specialty: 

    20th Century Latin American History (Cuban and Chilean History - Music History)
    Email: 

    kleneave@ucsd.edu
  • Kris Fabian

    Kris Fabian

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: Ph.D. in History
    Specialty: Colonial Latin America; The Spanish Empire
    Email: kfabian@ucsd.edu
  • profile placeholder image

    Matt Ehrlich

    Preferred Pronouns: 
    Degree: 

    Department:
    Specialty: 

    Email: 
  • profile placeholder image

    Melissa Hurt

  • Michael Campbell

    Michael Campbell

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: MA from SDSU
    Department: History
    Specialty: Cold War, Urban History
    Email: macampbell@ucsd.edu
  • Nolan Dannels

    Nolan Dannels

    Preferred Pronouns: he/them
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: Literature
    Specialty: Modern and Contemporary English/Global Anglophone Poetry
    Email: ndannels@ucsd.edu
  • Oswin Orellana

    Oswin Orellana

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: B.A. in History from UCI, M.A. in History from CSUN; Current Ph.D. student at UCSD
    Department: History 
    Specialty: Early Modern Europe with an emphasis on 15th-16th century Spain 
  • Rachel Hennings

    Rachel Hennings

    Preferred Pronouns:  she/her/hers
    Degree:      Previous: iBBA from Schulich School of Business, York University, MA in History from UCSD, Current: PhD Candidate in History
    Department: History
    Specialty:      Modern Germany Business History
    Email:      rahennin@ucsd.edu
  • profile placeholder image

    Rebecca Shoup

  • profile placeholder image

    Robert Nixon

    Preferred Pronouns:  he/him/his
    Degree:      B.A. in History and French from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, with a Minor in Middle Eastern Studies
    Department: History
    Specialty:      20th Century Syrian Intellectual/Cultural History
    Email:      r1nixon@ucsd.edu
  • profile placeholder image

    Sam Sotomayor

    Preferred Pronouns: they/them/elle
    Degree:  BA in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University, Graduate Student
    Department: Latin American Studies
    Specialty:  Theatrical Storytelling
  • profile placeholder image

    Scott Howard

    Preferred Pronouns: he/his/him
    Degree:  MA in History - SDSU | BA in History - UC Santa Cruz
    Department: History
    Specialty: Modern Middle East (19th-20th centuries) | War & Society (emphasis: United States)
  • profile placeholder image

    Semih Gokatalay

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Specialty: Modern Middle East, economic history, business history
    Email: sgokatal@ucsd.edu
  • Shane McClain

    Shane McClain

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: MA - Linguistic Anthropology
    Department: Anthropology
    Specialty: Indigenous languages Mexico
    Email: sbmcclain@ucsd.edu
  • profile placeholder image

    Sophia Veran

    Preferred Pronouns: She Her Hers
    Degree:  BA in History, UCSD – Masters in Latin American Studies, UCSD (in progress)
    Department: Latin American Studies
    Specialty: Cacicas and Litigation Practices in Mexico City, 1790-1830, Late Medieval Iberian Socio-Literary Practices
  • profile placeholder image

    Thomas Connell

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: PhD
    Department: History
    Specialty: Modern Middle East
    Email: tdconnell@ucsd.edu
  • profile placeholder image

    Thomas McLamb

  • profile placeholder image

    Yingjie Fei

    Preferred Pronouns: She/Her
    Degree: PhD student, Literatures in Spanish
    Department: Literature 
    Specialty: Memories and narratives of violence in 20th and 21st century Latin America
    Email: yifei@ucsd.edu
  • profile placeholder image

    Yuchen Yan

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree:  PhD in Progress from UCSD 
                    MA from Duke University (Critical Asian Humanities)
                    BA from Peking University (Chinese Language and Literature)
    Department: Literature
    Specialty:  Late Qing and modern Chinese literature and cultural studies; urban literary studies; narratives of the grotesque
    Email:  y9yan@ucsd.edu