New Faculty: Welcome to Oberlin

Oberlin OnCampus is featuring brief bios of faculty and staff members new to the campus community. New employees who have not completed the New Employee Information form that was included in their human resources packet can still submit information by sending an email to communications@oberlin.edu. Others who want to supplement the information they have already provided may do so by e-mail.

Chris Callahan

Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies Chris Callahan comes to Oberlin from University of Southern California, where he was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow of the Center for Japanese Religion and Culture. He will be teaching classes on religion, Japan, and East Asia. He completed his PhD at Harvard University.

Donna Coleman

Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Donna Coleman will be filling in for Sarah Schuster in her "What's Natural Isn't Real?" landscape painting class.

Gabriel Cooper

Assistant Professor of German Gabriel Cooper '04 returns to Oberlin this year. A specialist in German Jewish literature and history, he received his PhD from University of Virginia, where he spent the last year as a lecturer in German and history. In his spare time, he plays klezmer and Roma folk music on the fiddle.

Robin Ellis

Visiting Instructor of German Robin Ellis '04 returns to Oberlin to teach language and literature classes. Ellis is currently finishing her PhD in German studies at University of California, Berkley.

Darrick Trent Evensen

Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Darrick Evensen makes his Oberlin debut this fall.

Adrian Florea

Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics Adrian Florea will be teaching two sections of Introduction to International Relations. Originally from Romania, Florea received his PhD in international relations and comparative politics from Indiana University. "Oberlin is an ideal place for growing as a scholar and a teacher," he says.

Freida Fuchs

Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics Freida Fuchs will be teaching Democracy in Comparative Perspective: Issues, Problems, and Prospects first semester. She specializes in global politics from a broad comparative and historical perspective and democratic transitions.

Heather Galloway

Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Heather Galloway, also a painting conservator, will be teaching a module class on the conservation of the King Sculpture Court at the Allen Memorial Art Museum.

Benjamin Geyer

Visiting Instructor of Music Theory and Aural Skills Benjamin Geyer joins the Conservatory this fall. He is an active jazz pianist, and he comes to Oberlin with his partner, Samantha, and their cat, Jingles.

Bridget Guarasci

Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology Bridget Guarasci will teach Anthropology of the Middle East and a seminar called Frontier: Anthropology and Innovation this fall. In the spring, she will teach Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Guarasci primarily studies the United States's influence in Iraq and Jordan, and has an upcoming book on the subject. "I'm thrilled to be joining the faculty at Oberlin this year where creativity and collaboration are encouraged."

John Christopher Kern

Visiting Assistant Professor of East Asian Studies and Japanese John Kern comes to Oberlin from the Ohio State University, from which he received his PhD this summer. He will be teaching fourth year Japanese and a classical literature in translation course in the fall, and a first year language course and a class of Tale of Genji in the spring

Owen Christopher King

Visiting Instructor of Philosophy Owen King will be teaching several sections of the department's introductory courses. He is currently finishing his PhD at the Ohio state University.

Sarah Elisabeth Knuth

Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Sarah Elisabeth Knuth will teach five classes and conduct research. Prior to coming to Oberlin, she taught geography at University of California, Berkley, where she also earned her PhD.

Angela LaGrotteria

Visiting Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies Angela LaGrotteria will be teaching Feminist Research Methodologies this fall.