2025-2026 University Catalog
Feinstein School of Humanities, Arts, and Education
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Mission Statement Overview Programs of Study Facilities
Administration Faculty Special Events
Degrees, Majors, Minors and Certificates
At the heart of each strong, established university is a commitment to the Liberal Arts. At RWU, the Feinstein School of Humanities, Arts, and Education (SHAE) ensures the vitality of that tradition. The Liberal Arts are at center of the University and of undergraduate studies. Here we pursue knowledge. We develop our passions. We master skills. We become informed. We discover how the Liberal Arts impact contemporary interdisciplinary and professional studies, aiding students’ development of transferrable skills. We achieve in the fullest sense of the term a well-rounded education.
The following pages describe SHAE’s wealth of knowledge and diversity of programs in the humanities, the fine and performing arts, and education. Here converge all paths toward graduation, rewarding work, and enriched lives. As each RWU student pursues their own path through professional studies majors or through the sciences, all students meet in SHAE to explore the traditional disciplines, to complete the University General Education curriculum, and, in growing numbers, to complete dual majors.
SHAE’s programs and its faculty are dedicated not only to preserving and transmitting the tradition, but to developing habits of mind that appreciate and are applicable to the increasing complexities of contemporary, global life and work. Teaching and learning in SHAE are characterized by exploration, diversity, inquiry, interaction, tolerance, confidence, competence, community, and service.
Education is relevant and interpersonal. It is the means by which students prepare for the challenging roles they will play and for the civic responsibilities they will fulfill in this rapidly changing world. As students complete their studies in SHAE, they carry forward a sense of the joy involved in the process of discovery and an understanding of why that fundamental process must be an integral component of their daily lives.
The Feinstein School of Humanities, Arts, and Education provides undergraduates small classes (none taught by teaching assistants) committed to student-centered learning, achievement, and quality. Academic programs emphasize analytical thinking, problem-solving, and research, all of which prepare SHAE graduates to compete effectively in a world that increasingly requires flexible habits of mind, clear communication, and teamwork. Professors and students work together in an academic community that values the hallmarks of a liberal education: intellectual inquiry, the lively exchange of ideas, an appreciation of diverse perspectives, scholarship, and development of the skills sought by 21st-century employers. SHAE also promotes interdisciplinary studies that include experiential education-the signature of Roger Williams University.
SHAE students learn to think critically about the works, ideas, and events that have shaped knowledge. They learn to explore how these relate not only to the past, but also to the present and future. They engage in the creative process and come to appreciate how the arts are produced and why they are integral to humanity. As they study and learn in multiple areas of the humanities, SHAE students develop intelligence, talent, competence and confidence.
Choosing from divese majors, and minors, SHAE students are able to combine and tailor their academic programs to meet their goals and interests. They can exercise the option to complete two majors by applying work in the minor toward a second academic discipline. In addition to traditional areas of study, students in good standing may undertake interdisciplinary individualized majors and directed independent studies. Interdisciplinary programs further promote the flow of knowledge and skill among traditional academic fields, and students develop competence in multiple areas. SHAE students may also expand their portfolios by enrolling in courses in the Feinstein School of Social and Natural Sciences, the Cummings School of Architecture, the Mario J. Gabelli School of Business, the School of Engineering Computing and Construction Management, or the School of Justice Studies.
SHAE graduates are well prepared and highly competitive as they enter either the workforce or graduate programs. All majors offered through SHAE lead to the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees.
The academic departments of Feinstein School of Humanities, Arts, and Education are housed in several campus buildings, conveniently grouped according to their shared needs for studios, stages, lecture halls, applied learning labs, seminar rooms, computer and audio-visual equipped classrooms, and other facilities. Administrative offices are located in Global Heritage Hall; faculty offices are located throughout the campus.
The Performing Arts Center (PAC), affectionately called The Barn, is a lively venue of cultural activity on campus. The Performing Arts Annex (formerly the North Campus Classroom Building) is another hub of creative activity for the Theatre, Dance, and Music programs, specifically rehearsals and classes. It includes two rehearsal/dance studio spaces, a chorus room, music practice rooms, a classroom, and faculty offices. The PAC contains professionally lighted stage and performance areas, as well as costume, makeup, and scenery rooms. More than 30 events are staged here each year. The Fine Art Center (FAC), sometimes called “The Muffin” for its unique shape, is home to the Visual Arts disciplines of drawing, painting, printmaking, jewelry design, and sculpture. Courses in photography and digital media take place in New Res. Additional studio space is located in nearby downtown Bristol. There, a new ceramics studio is in close proximity to working arts professionals, cultural centers, Bristol businesses, and restaurants.
Global Heritage Hall is home to the humanities, including the Departments of Media+Design+Communication, History, Literature, and Culture, Performing Arts, Modern Languages and Philosophy, and Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition. This four-story, technology-rich academic center features heritage-themed classrooms, design labs, a Public Relations engaged learning lab, newsroom, and a fully equipped broadcast production studio for hands-on learning experiences.
Click Learning Outcomes to view all learning outcomes for Academic Programs in SHAE.
Jeffrey Meriwether, Ph.D. FRHistS - Dean
Anne Proctor, PhD - Associate Dean
Anne-Marie Cerda - Manager of Operations
Professors:
Peter Alfieri - Modern Languages
Robert Blackburn - Philosophy
Jennifer Campbell - Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
Catherine Capineri -Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
Charlotte Carrington-Farmer - History
Robert A. Cole - Communication
Alan Cutting - Web Development
Laura D’Amore - Cultural Studies
Edward Delaney - Creative Writing
Sargon Donabed - History
Elizabeth Duffy - Visual Art
Kamille Gentles-Peart- Communication
Anthony Hollingsworth - Modern Languages
Jason Jacobs - English Literary Studies
Rachel McCormack - Education
Elliot McKinley - Music
Murray McMillan - Visual Art
Debra Mulligan - History
Cathy Nicoli - Dance/Performance
Susan Pasquarelli - Education
Paola Prado - Journalism
Autumn Quezada-Grant - History
Anjali Ram - Communication
Dahliani Reynolds Temte - Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
Michael Rich - Visual Art
Cynthia Scheinberg, English Literature
Amiee Shelton - Public Relations
Robin Stone - Theatre
Anne Tait - Visual Art
Mel A. Topf - Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
Evgenia Tsankova - Education
Kerri Ullucci - Education
Ann Winfield - Education
Michael B. Wright - Philosophy
Li-Ling Yang - Education
Min Zhou - Modern Languages
Associate Professors:
Denielle Emans- Graphic Design
Brian Hendrickson - Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
Dong-Hoon Lee-ESL
Hume Johnson - Public Relations
John Madritch - Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
Bernardo Motta - Journalism
Renee Soto - Creative Writing
Jennifer Stevens - Cultural Studies
Lori Lee Wallace - Theatre
Assistant Professors:
Ian Besler - Graphic Design
Lindsey Pike - Education
Lecturers:
Fernanda Righi - Modern Languages/Latino and Latin American Studies
Visiting Faculty:
Katherine Blagden - Education
Sarah Moon - Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition
The Professor John Howard Birss, Jr. Memorial Lectureship and Professor John Howard Birss, Jr. Endowed Library Fund, were established by Roger Williams University alumnus Robert Blais ‘70, to honor Professor John Howard Birss, Jr., mentor and life-long friend of Mr. Blais. Professor Birss studied in the New York public school system and completed his academic work at New York University, Harvard University, and Columbia University. An English instructor at Rutgers University and later a professor of English and American Literature, Birss was a noted Herman Melville scholar and one of the founders of the Melville Society. He was also a bibliographer and collector of letters as well as inscribed and rare first edition books. His extensive collection included a wide variety of material on Melville, Hart Crane, Edgar Allan Poe and Walt Whitman.
The library funds are allocated for the purchase of reference and research books for the library and expand holdings in the Humanities area. The Professor John Howard Birss, Jr. Memorial Lectureship is an annual event that features an important work of literature. Past works honored have included Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.
The Professor James Tackach Fund for the Humanities underwrites humanities programming and student engagement, as well as the Public Humanities Co-Curricular Lab.
Degrees, Majors, Minors and Certificates
ProgramsBachelor of Arts- All Grades Education/Foreign Languages, B.A.
- All Grades Education/Spanish Language, B.A.
- Chinese, B.A.
- Communication & Media Studies, B.A.
- Dance/Performance, B.A.
- Educational Studies, B.A.
- Elementary Education B.A.
- English Literary Studies, B.A.
- Foreign Languages, B.A.
- Graphic Design, B.A.
- History, B.A.
- Interdisciplinary Individualized Major B.A.
- Italian, B.A.
- Journalism, B.A.
- Music, B.A.
- PK-12 Dance/Education, B.A.
- Public Relations, B.A.
- Secondary Education/Biology, B.A.
- Secondary Education/Chemistry, B.A.
- Secondary Education/English Literary Studies, B.A.
- Secondary Education/Environmental Science, B.A.
- Secondary Education/Foreign Language, B.A.
- Secondary Education/History B.A.
- Secondary Education/Marine Biology, B.A.
- Spanish, B.A.
- Visual Arts, B.A.
Bachelor of Fine ArtsBachelor of ScienceMinorUndergraduate CertificateMaster of ArtsGraduate Certificate
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