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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 in buildling experiential learning opportunities.  Prof. Herbst was an inaugural faculty member for UC San Diego’s Global Seminars  and has led 12 programs in Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America (2008 - 2023).  He has offered 8 other programs in CA, the American Southwest, and in Turkey, and 23 environmental humanities seminars in the deserts and mountains of California in partnership with UCSD’s Outback Adventures. 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 the university.  For more on his work, see here.
  • Eberly Barnes - Assistant Director

    Eberly Barnes - Assistant Director

    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 Peterson - Assistant Director

    Johanna Peterson is Academic Coordinator for MMW 14-15 and the Transfer Sequence (121-122).  She recieved her PhD in History from UC San Diego.  Her dissertation examined the relationship between girl’s education and women’s citizenship in French mandate Lebanon. Johanna received her BA in History from California Lutheran University and her MA in History from Cal State Fullerton. She was a Teaching Assistant for MMW for five years (and received the Don Tuzin Teaching Excellence Award for MMW); lectured in MMW and for the History Department; and has taught at San Diego Mesa College. Johanna is interested in history and writing pedagogy. In MMW, Johanna supervises TAs, administers the writing assignments in MMW 14-15, 121-122, and manages academic integrity cases. Outside of work, Johanna enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, reading, and playing with her toddler.   
  • Edmond Chang - Lecturer

    Edmond Chang - Lecturer

    Edmond Chang received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of California, San Diego in 2002. A former Fulbright 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. Aside from teaching, Dr. Chang has published poetry and worked as a professional translator and editor.  His hobbies include many sports and hiking in the Sierras with his family.  As the Lecturer for the MMW program, he teaches MMW 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 - Program Assistant

    Krystal Covarrubias - Program 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

  • Baris Tasyakan

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

  • Brianne Itaya

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

  • David Hollingsworth

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree:      MA in History from SDSU
    Department: History
    Speciality:      20th Century Revolutionary Latin America, post-Civil War United States
    Email:      dwhollingsworth@ucsd.edu

  • Dionysios Skouloudis

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: Doctoral Student
    Department: History
    Speciality: Modern Greece and Europe
    Email: dskoulou@ucsd.edu

  • Emre Sunu

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

  • Iman Farahani

    Preferred Pronouns:  she/her/hers
    Degree:      B.A. in English from UC Davis
    Department:      Literature
    Email:      ifarahan@ucsd.edu

  • Ivana Polic

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Speciality: Modern Europe, History of Children and Childhood
    Email: ipolic@ucsd.edu

  • Kimiko Nicole LeNeave

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree:      B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill (History, Latin American Studies, Music); PhD in Latin American History in progress
    Department: History
    Speciality:      20th Century Latin American History
    Email:      kleneave@ucsd.edu

  • Joe Djordjevski

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Speciality: Cultural and Environmental History
    Email: jdjordje@ucsd.edu

  • Lauren Wood

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Speciality: Medieval Europe
    Email: lewood@ucsd.edu

  • Leung Ho-chiu

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Speciality: Modern East Asia, History of Capitalism
    Email: c0leung@ucsd.edu

  • Meaghan Baril

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree: M.A | Candidate in Philosophy
    Department: Literature
    Speciality: 20th/21st American Literature
    Email: mbaril@ucsd.edu

  • Mel Vipperman-Cohen

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree:      Ph.D. in Literature from UC San Diego, BA in English from Barnard College, Columbia University
    Speciality:      Early modern England, theater, economic criticism, queer theory
    Email:      mvipperm@ucsd.edu

  • Paul Tchir

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Speciality: Modern Middle East, Egypt
    Email: ptchir@ucsd.edu

  • Rachel Hennings

    Preferred Pronouns:  she/her/hers
    Degree:      Previous: iBBA from Schulich School of Business, York University, Current: PhD Student in History
    Department: History
    Speciality:      Modern Germany
    Email:      rahennin@ucsd.edu

  • ​Reem Taşyakan

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree: MA - Near Eastern Studies |     PhD Student - Literature
    Department: Literature
    Speciality: Contemporary Arab-American Literature
    Email: rehazbou@ucsd.edu

  • Reuben Silverman

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: PhD Candidate
    Department: History
    Speciality: Modern Turkey and the Middle East
    Email: rwsilver@ucsd.edu

  • 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
    Speciality:      20th Century Syrian Intellectual/Cultural History
    Email:      r1nixon@ucsd.edu

  • Samantha Young-Nelson

    Preferred Pronouns:  she/her/hers
    Degree:      BA in History and Religious Studies from SDSU, MA in History from SDSU
    Speciality:      Ancient Jewish/ Mediteranean
    Email:      s2young@ucsd.edu

  • Semih Gokatalay

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

  • Shane McClain

    Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
    Degree: MA - Linguistic Anthropology
    Department: Anthropology
    Speciality: Indigenous languages Mexico
    Email: sbmcclain@ucsd.edu

  • Tricia McMaster

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree: M.A. - English
    Speciality: Teaching English as a Second Language
    Email: pgmcmaster@ucsd.edu

  • Virginia Johnston

    Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
    Degree: M.A.- Ecumenical Studies | MDiv
    Speciality: Global Christianity, Protestant Theology
    Email: vijohnston@ucsd.edu