The College of Humanities Announces New Chairs and Directors for 2024
The University of Utah's College of Humanities announces the appointment of new directors for the Asia Center, Second Language Teaching and Research Center, and Tanner Humanities Center, alongside new department chairs for Writing and Rhetoric Studies, English, and Philosophy.
Scott Black
Director of the Tanner Humanities Center
Scott Black, Professor of English and a noted scholar of eighteenth-century British literature has been appointed Director of the Tanner Humanities Center after serving as the English Department chair for seven years. Black has published extensively on the history of prose fiction and has received fellowships from the Huntington Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library. He was awarded the College of Humanities’ Ramona Cannon Award for Teaching Excellence.
Devin Jenkins
Director of L2TReC
Devin Jenkins, Associate Professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures has been appointed Director of the Second Language Teaching and Research Center (L2TReC). His research focuses on Spanish in the United States, particularly in the Southwest, exploring the relationship between Spanish language use and social variables such as education, income, and employment.
Cindi Textor
Interim Director of the Asia Center
Cindi Textor, Associate Professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures has been selected as Interim Director of the Asia Center. Textor earned her Ph.D. in Asian Languages and Literature from the University of Washington. Her research focuses on modern Japanese and Korean literature, examining literary and cultural production from Korea, Okinawa, and mainland Japan.
Jennifer Andrus
Writing & Rhetoric Departmental Chair
Jennifer Andrus, Professor of Writing and Rhetoric Studies, has been appointed Department Chair. She teaches courses on rhetorical theory, discourse analysis, legal rhetoric, and gender and rhetoric. Her current research is on domestic violence and relationships between domestic violence victim/survivors and law enforcement. Her work identifies and explains the ways identity is developed and performed in discursive interaction.
David S. Roh
English Departmental Chair
David S. Roh, Professor and an expert in transnational Asian American literature and Digital Humanities, will chair the English Department. He holds degrees from UCLA, Harvard University, and UC Santa Barbara, and his academic career includes teaching positions at Old Dominion University and UCLA. He is recipient of the 2023 Honorable Mention in Literary Studies from the Association for Asian American studies.
Cynthia Stark
Philosophy Departmental Chair
Cynthia Stark, specializing in feminist, political, and moral philosophy, will chair the Philosophy Department, bringing her significant contributions to contemporary philosophical discourse. In 2018 Stark was awarded the David Eccles School of Business Daniels Fund Leadership in Ethics Education Award for her course, “Propaganda in a Liberal Democracy.”
"The College is pleased to welcome such dedicated scholars into these pivotal roles," said Dean Hollis Robbins. "Their diverse expertise and innovative perspectives will greatly enrich our academic community. As the new school year quickly approaches, their leadership is essential to further the College's commitment to excellence."