Nanette E. Boileau
Ph.D. Student

Nanette E. Boileau (M.F.A. Pasadena Art Center College of Design) lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri. She is a doctoral student at Saint Louis University in the department of American Studies with an emphasis on Visual Culture. Boileau received her Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1988, from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Curating for the last ten years at Saint Louis University and opening the Museum of Art for the University, Boileau developed exhibitions such as; Time Play: A 25 year retrospective of Van McElwee Video Art, Lampo Leong and Yueying Zhong; Suspended Marks, Jeff Carter; Things Move, Shirley Tse; Encapsulated, and Christina Shmigel, Betwixt and Between. Boileau has also been an exhibiting artist during the same period and has exhibited with the centre of attention, London, England, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, The Sheldon Art Galleries, Gallery 210, The Museum of Transportation Museum in St. Louis, Missouri and in Los Angeles, California at the Bradbury Building, I-KLEC/TIC gallery and the South Bay Contemporary.

Brandy Boyd
Ph.D. Student

I am a first year student in the American Studies doctoral program. I earned my B.A. in political science (with English and history minors) from Eastern Illinois University in 2004, and I received my M.A. in political science with an emphasis in international relations from EIU in 2006. Prior to coming to SLU in the fall of 2007, I taught an introductory course in American Government at a local community college. Since I am very new to the program, I do not have specific research topics narrowed down, but generally speaking, I am interested in American politics and the influences popular culture has had on the American political arena, both past and present.

Henry T. Brownlee, Jr.
Ph.D. Student

I recently accepted the position of Communications Manager of Historical Services for a Global Defense Contractor headquartered in Chicago, IL. In my new role, I am responsible for the overall strategic direction of the company’s Historical Services Division, focusing on the development of strategies to effectively utilize Historical Services resources to support business needs. In addition, I am the spokesperson for the Company regarding military aerospace history, which includes writing articles, working with media, museums, academia, and community, conducting tours and developing historical displays. I respond to requests for detailed information from internal and external customers concerning military aerospace and weapon history. Finally, I will manage an educational program designed to instruct students on the scientific principles of flight.

I have over twenty years of experience in several functions including Production Operations, Quality Assurance, Human Resources, and Operations Support. I have worked in the biomedical electronics field, served as a military aircraft and weapons inspector, worked in the field of Employee Involvement and Engagement, work as an EEO Investigator and Affirmative Action Programmer, and Site Diversity Manager. Ultimately, I spent most of my past 10 years in various areas of strategic planning and leadership development.

Educationally, I hold a M.A. in American Studies from Saint Louis University, a B.A. in Management and Communication from Concordia University, and an A.A. in Liberal Arts from Columbia College. I focused my M.A. studies on African American religious thought, the Great Migration, and urbanization. I focused my Ph.D. studies on race theory, cultural philosophy/criticism, visual culture theory, and American intellectual history.

I am currently writing my dissertation on a local African American church in St. Louis, Missouri and its growth and development from 1866 through 1950. I am particularly concerned with how encounters with the urban environment facilitated the change of religious practices among African American churches, the organization and use of social clubs within churches, and how intra-city African American church movement in St. Louis during the first half of the 20 th Century challenged the legality of segregation as a precursor to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Interestingly, over the past several years in the American Studies curriculum here at Saint Louis University, my scholarly interests have broadened to include a very strong affinity for visual culture and cultural philosophy. I am fascinated with the use of images and film, specifically the neo-vampire horror film genre, in the maintaining and deconstructing of existing racial, sexual, and cultural stereotypes. 

Michelle L. Cordone
Ph.D. Student

I received a BA in Professional Writing from Wheeling Jesuit University. Upon graduation, I worked for a number of years in college admissions prior to returning to school for a Master's degree. I have an MA in Popular Culture from Bowling Green State University. I am in my final year of PhD coursework in American Studies at Saint Louis University. Most of my research interests lie within popular culture. I am intrigued by the role that popular culture plays in creating both a normalized representation of the female body, as well as subcultures that do not adhere to this normalized view of femininity and beauty. I am also interested in issues of community and participatory culture, particularly within television fandom. I am also interested in kitsch and the built environment. 

Brian W. Greening
Ph.D. Student

I received my B.A. in Journalism from the University of Minnesota and my M.A. in English from the University of Saint Thomas. I'm beginning my third year of PhD work in SLU's American Studies program, where my interests have ranged from hip hop to southern history to race relations and resistance movements. My dissertation research focuses on New Orleans, the Louisiana Superdome, and the 40-year span between two of the most disastrous hurricanes--Betsy and Katrina--to hit the area. I look to locate the shifting, reforming meaning and symbolism of New Orleans primarily through the Superdome--a landmark infused with and redefined by spectacle. I'm joined in Saint Louis by my wife, Laura, and our traveling horde of cats and dogs.

Robert Hawkins
Ph.D. Student

Guangzhi Huang
Ph.D. Student

My name is Guangzhi Huang or you can call me Sam. It's my first year in the American Studies program. I don't have a specialized direction yet, but my interests include literature, especially poems, and American pop culture. I also find myself more and more interested in American material culture which opens whole new perspectives for me to look at things as well as their impact on people who in turn shape materials. Besides studying, I like progressive metal music and I play drums. Dream Theater is my all time fave band. Also I love soccer, and of course I love the Billikens as well!

Jackie Jones
Ph.D. Student

After seven years of work in the non-profit sector, I came to SLU in the fall of 2006. Having worked for several years raising funds for programs that serve low-income families, my interests in the American Studies program are greatly informed by what I saw as the practical daily challenges faced by poor and working class individuals. My current work focuses on both organized and unsanctioned working class resistance, and the impact that race and class have on the construction of social policy. I am a huge, lovestruck fan of George Lipsitz, Robin D. G. Kelley, and Stuart Hall - which means I am either an incredible dork or a Marxist cultural historian. If you have any questions about the program, feel free to email me: jjones85@slu.edu .

Suzanne R. Lee
Ph.D. Student

My research interests, though varied, meet at the intersection of Women's/Gender studies, religious studies, Southern studies, and racial identity formation. My work focuses on American sacred music, through which I explore issues of gender/race/class and identity. My background as a professional singer informs my understanding of identity-formation through performance of cultural "scripts." I am particularly interested in uncovering transmissions of Whiteness, Blackness, and Patriarchy, as well as resistance to these constructs through the medium of religious music, and especially gospel music. I am currently an instructor in Women's Studies at Saint Louis University and in Humanities at Lindenwood University's Belleville, Illinois campus. I was recently named the 2007 Runner-Up for the Critoph Prize for best graduate student paper in Southern Studies by the Southern American Studies Association for my presentation of "Music and Message on the Margins: Locating White Southern Gospel Music" at the Association's bi-annual conference in February of 2007, held at the University of Mississippi.  

Eva Navarijo
Ph.D. Student

My road to graduate school started at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. While at WSU, I earned a double-major in English Literature and Comparative Ethnic Studies and received my BA in English with distinction from the Honors College. More significantly, I had the opportunity to serve as a participant in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. As a McNair Scholar, I received valuable guidance, support and encouragement towards pursuing a PhD. Also, with the assistance of faculty mentors, I performed an independent research project culminating in the publication of my first piece of scholarly work. Currently, I am beginning my doctoral study at Saint Louis University, and am a proud recipient of a Diversity Fellowship. I am excited to begin this next chapter in my life and look forward to further exploring my interests and developing new ones. At the moment, however, I am specifically interested in examining Latina representations in contemporary literature, and looking at the relationship between the novel and identity empowerment.

Josh Roiland
Ph.D. Student

I have a B.A. in English from the University of North Dakota and an M.A. in English from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.   I am in my third year of doctoral work where my research focuses on the democratic function of print journalism in America.   My dissertation will examine how literary journalism (i.e., journalism that combines the truth telling elements of conventional journalism and the storytelling elements of fiction; writers from Lincoln Steffans to James Agee to Joan Didion embody this style of reporting and writing) provides a better forum for democratic education and participation than traditional reporting and writing.   I also have a tangential interest in the relationship between the philosophy of American pragmatism and social justice.

Jamie Schmidt
Ph.D. Student

I am a first-year PhD student with research interests in how body image conceptions differ based on race, class and gender. I am also interested in debates over prostitution and public/moral hygiene in the 1920s and 1930s. I have a bachelor's degree in print journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master's degree in creative nonfiction writing from The Johns Hopkins University. I have experience in daily newspaper reporting and teaching writing.

Laura Shields
Ph.D. Student

I earned a B.A. in American History and Spanish from Willamette University in 2004. Since joining the department in 2006, I've focused primarily on human-animal studies within American Studies. I'm interested in exploring the complex relationships between humans and non-humans in culture. I recently presented a paper at the conference "Society, Animals and Gender," which sparked my interest in examining the role of gender in human-animal cultural interactions.

Nicholas Smith
Ph.D. Candidate

Ordained as a priest in 1994 for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, I have been a faculty member at SLU since 1986 and teach Theological Foundations and American Christianity in the day school and School for Professional Studies. In the past, I have been a campus minister in Notre Dame and DeMattias Halls and this year will be coordinating the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). I am also the Eucharistic Adoration Coordinator for the University.

In addition to my teaching and campus ministry responsibilities, I am the faculty moderator for the Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Delta Sigma Phi, and Phi Kappa Theta fraternities, and the SLU Lacrosse Team. I am also the part-time associate pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish in south St. Louis City.

I received a bachelor of arts degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, a master of arts degree from Saint Louis University, and both a master of arts and master of divinity degree from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. I am in the process of completing a Ph.D. in American Studies with an emphasis on Roman Catholicism in the U.S.

Alicja Sowinska
Ph.D. Candidate

I am an international student whom you won't see much around as I live in England now. While I'm writing my dissertation here, I would like to share my SLU experience with those of you who take time to read it.

I spent five beautiful years in America, three of which as a doctoral student at the American Studies Department of Saint Louis University. These were very difficult and challenging three years. I learned so much here--and I do not mean theories, frameworks, and ideas (although I cannot complain--there were enough). As grandiloquent as it may sound, I feel I learned life here. Throughout the years, I received generous support from everyone in the department. The program provided me with a strong intellectual foundation and the people I met here enriched my life. I had the opportunity not only to study but also to teach. Serving as an intern at the Sheldon Art Galleries opened for me the doors to new practical possibilities and professional prospects, such as delivering a public talk at the gallery. Participating in various scholarly conferences allowed me to travel from coast to coast and experience a sliver of intellectual life in America. My interests shifted every semester, as new facts and ideas about American culture inspired me to new pursuits.

Being a part of the American Studies community at SLU has been both an invaluable experience and an eye-opening proving ground, but also a wonderful adventure. I wish you all the same.

Josh Sopiarz
Ph.D. Student

I came to the American Studies department at SLU in 2004 after earning a bachelor's degree in History and a master's degree in English from Eastern Illinois University.   At EIU, I wrote my master's thesis on literary representations of slave insurrection in America and the West Indies during the first half of the nineteenth century.   Under the guidance of Dr. Jonathan Smith, my doctoral dissertation will expand on this earlier research and examine various texts to discover modes of cultural production during and since the Middle Passage.   I also research and write on American literature, hip-hop culture and music, and American-made fretted instruments--in particular Gibson guitars and banjos.   When I can, I write literary nonfiction and poetry as well as play guitar and banjo.   Happily, my wife and I recently became parents with the birth of our beautiful and gifted daughter, Ellison.

Corinne Wohlford Taff
Ph.D. Student

In 2000 I finished my MFA in poetry writing at Washington University and began teaching English at Fontbonne University. In 2003, I began part-time coursework toward a master's in American Studies at SLU; I finished that degree in 2006 and used it to create a minor program in American Culture Studies at Fontbonne. I now teach English, American Culture Studies, and an interdisciplinary capstone course and direct the other interdisciplinary programs on campus. My new daughter, Miriam, who joined our family in February, 2007, has now begun preschool, and I am now returning to SLU to continue part-time coursework toward the PhD. My interests include visual culture, memory studies, the role of place (broadly defined), critical race theory, and Asian American studies. I also continue to try to find time to write and publish my poetry.

Greg Taylor
Ph.D. Student

I was born in England and moved to the States in the middle of the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968. My father is an engineer and was part of the 'brain drain' from Northern Europe to the USA. That talent of his had already caused us to move a lot, including a four year stint in Belfast during my grade school career (where being an English Roman Catholic is a classic definition of 'two strikes').

After a decidedly forgettable high school period, marked only with developing a passable style on the blues guitar and several near misses with a career in juvenile delinquency, I found myself at Beloit College majoring in sociology. It was really a major in guitar at first, but I quickly realized Hendrix and Clapton already had it covered. These were the best of times for 'student involvement' with hours spent debating and protesting 'Nam and a memorable weekend during which the Black students captured the administration building and I found myself in the right place at the right time.

After Beloit, I spent a year at Garrett Theological Seminary on Northwestern's campus studying the sociology of religion and then on to Loyola University of Chicago for graduate work in sociology. I finished the course work and the comps, got a teaching offer, and decided I did not want academia so I took the master's degree and left. That was in 1975.

I worked for two years in a manufacturing company that made point of sale display signs (that is, all those beer signs you have in your dorm rooms and basements) and then entered the brokerage business. I spent twenty years in that business doing different things and got out in 1997. I spent three years reading and doing some consulting on strategic planning while teaching business classes part-time at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville. In 2001 I became the Dean of the Business School at Fontbonne University and in 2002 I became the executive vice-president for strategic planning and operations.

I entered the American Studies program in 2001 after kicking myself for about 12 of the last 22 years for not finishing the doctoral program. I chose American Studies because the older I get, the less the world seems to fit into one discipline and the people at SLU are very impressive teachers. I never stopped reading in the social sciences, although certainly not with the same scope and intensity as I had years ago, and American Studies allowed me to find a fit.

I'm interested in business and culture, social theory, and visual culture (I'm a black and white photographer of sorts and have enjoyed a couple of visual culture/history projects since I have been in the department). I have never ceased to enjoy travel and have been lucky enough to make several trips to Taiwan to recruit students since joining Fontbonne University. I have also made an annual trip to Mexico for the last few years with groups of students to build housing for the locals. I have also traveled over much of America in search of birds I have not yet seen, although I do not seem to find much time for that lately.

I have a son who is studying history in graduate school and a daughter who is a choreography and modern dance major. When I grow up I want to be....

Maurice Tracy
Ph.D. Student

‘ello there; as you can see my name is Maurice, last name of Tracy; I am from all over, which is just another way of saying I am a bonafide military brat. Currently, I live over in O’Fallon on the east side of the river, but hopefully soon I will be plopping down somewhere in St. Louis. I am coming to you straight from Eastern Illinois University, no gap year for me, and though I am new to the department and to being a Graduate Assistant, I already feel at home and am very excited about being here and narrowing down my focus of study in this very wide field. I am most interested in the categories and domains of race, gender, sexuality, and class, and their construct, playing out, and uses on the world stage of popular culture, especially in the film and television arenas. Well, I really don’t know what more I can write to convey to you who I am, other than to say, that I am, like my work, a body in progress. Cheerio.