First In Class
It’s no secret why first generation college students thrive at UMBC. Our network of first generation staff and faculty make it the center of their work as educators and researchers. Continue Reading First In Class
professorsnottomiss
How To Spot Maryland’s State Bird
A life-long ornithophile walks readers through spotting the Baltimore Oriole in its natural habitat. Continue Reading How To Spot Maryland’s State Bird
Rewriting the Rules of Academia in the Age of COVID-19
Will this unusual semester yield lasting, innovative teaching practices? These UMBC instructors are working to make that happen. Continue Reading Rewriting the Rules of Academia in the Age of COVID-19
Keeping Pace with Theatrical Intimacy
Staging intimacy—which includes everything from holding hands to simulated sex—can be one of the most challenging parts of producing a play. Continue Reading Keeping Pace with Theatrical Intimacy
Video Q&A with Playwright Professor Susan McCully
So much goes into the making of a play. From conception to production — and all the twists and turns in between — the willingness to bend and change with the living, breathing work makes all the difference. In her new show, “All She Must Possess,” UMBC assistant professor Susan McCully explores the lives of Baltimore’s Cone sisters, Etta and Claribel, who together built an impressive collection of more than 3,000 pieces of art, including 500 by Henri Matisse. The show, which recently closed out its world premiere at The Rep Stage in Columbia, MD, was part of the 2018 Women’s… Continue Reading Video Q&A with Playwright Professor Susan McCully
Career Q&A: George Derek Musgrove ’97, Historian, Author, and UMBC Professor
Every so often, we chat with an alum about what they do now and how they got there. Today’s guest, George Derek Musgrove ’97, history, is an alum-turned-faculty member whose latest book, Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital, explores Washington, D.C.’s relationship to race over the last four centuries. We caught up with him ahead of the book’s November public launch. NAME: George Derek Musgrove MAJOR: History GRAD YEAR: 1997 CURRENT JOB TITLE: Associate Professor of History, UMBC What made you decide to study post-WWII U.S. history, and what specifically led you to the… Continue Reading Career Q&A: George Derek Musgrove ’97, Historian, Author, and UMBC Professor
How To be a Critical Consumer of Media
With Jason Loviglio, Founding Chair and Associate Professor, Media and Communication Studies The phrase “ fake news” may sound current, but as long as there have been written and visual media, readers and audiences have puzzled and debated over how to interpret what is true. With The War of the Worlds, Orson Welles created one of the best-known early examples of broadcast audiences mistaking fiction for fact, when a small fraction of listeners tuning in to the 1938 radio broadcast reacted with panic, certain that aliens, or Germans, were invading. Today’s media consumers must filter input from various sources quickly… Continue Reading How To be a Critical Consumer of Media
How to Appreciate Jazz
With Matt Belzer, Director of Jazz Studies UMBC’s music department is known for pushing boundaries in new music – including its jazz studies program, headed up by director Matt Belzer – who’s excelled as a teacher, composer and performer. UMBC’s jazz studies program is four years old now, and it boasts three official ensembles (including a “large” ensemble) and many unofficial student groups. Jazz is woven into America’s cultural fabric, but many people are still unfamiliar with or intimidated by jazz music. “Folks sometimes feel on the outside looking in…. But that’s also part of the appeal of jazz,” Belzer… Continue Reading How to Appreciate Jazz
How to be a Pottery Detective
With Esther Read, Field Archaeologist So you’re digging a garden in your backyard, and all of a sudden the point of your trowel hits something hard. You poke around a little more, brush the soil away – probably just a rock, right? But on further inspection, the “thing” you have discovered is rather glossy, with faint drawings and a whiff of history about it. When you wash it off in the sink… Voila! You have a ceramics mystery in your hands. Since Antiques Road Show only comes around town once in a blue moon, you might be scratching your head… Continue Reading How to be a Pottery Detective