Faculty Focus-March 11, 2025
Faculty members put their knowledge into action so students and others are able to benefit from it. Recently, faculty published articles in prominent publications, had new nonfiction work published, and were honored with prestigious scholarly positions.
Brook Henkel
Associate Professor of German Studies and Digital Media & Film, Brook Henkel, recently published new research on West German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder in the journal German Studies Review. His article, Fassbinder’s Simulations: Fascist Futures, Retro Entertainment, and Remediation in Welt am Draht (1973), closely rereads Fassbinder’s lone science fiction film World on a Wire alongside Jean Baudrillard’s early writings on simulation.
One of the earliest cinematic depictions of virtual reality technology, Fassbinder’s film, the article argues, is also an incisive critique of retro culture and the attenuation of historical memory in the postwar media age.
Mert Kartal
Associate Professor of Political Science Mert Kartal has been selected as a fellow at Good Authority, a prominent political science platform that translates academic research into accessible content for a broader audience. In this role, Kartal will draw on his expertise in European Union politics, good governance, and corruption control to offer in-depth analyses of current events and pressing political issues for the general public.
Cynthia Bansak
Charles A. Dana Professor of Economics Cynthia Bansak recently published two papers on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.
The first, The impact of the U.S. Covid-19 response on remittance flows to emerging markets and developing economies, takes a global view and looks at the impact of COVID-19 on remittances.
The second looks at COVID-19 and family structure and is titled Child custody laws and partners' cooperation: An analysis of married and unmarried mothers during the time of COVID‐19.
Alessandro Giardino
Associate Professor of World Languages, Cultures & Media Alessandro Giardino's "The Caravaggio Syndrome. A Novel," was reviewed in The Observer, a recognition that speaks to the novel’s literary and scholarly depth.
According to the review by Dian Parker, Giardino brings a deep intellectual engagement to his novel, which centers on Caravaggio’s The Seven Acts of Mercy and the philosophical legacy of Tommaso Campanella. Through the intertwined narratives of an art historian, a student, and a 17th-century thinker, the novel explores themes of mysticism, history, and artistic vision. The review's introduction, invoking Stendhal Syndrome and the overwhelming effect of great art, offers an apt parallel to the novel’s themes.
Following the review, an interview with Giardino offers further insight into his creative process and scholarly influences, as well as exciting details about his upcoming literary projects.
Michael Osinski
Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre and Performance Michael Osinski recently attended the Mid-America Theatre Conference in Atlanta, where he demonstrated a pedagogical approach he’s developed for his acting classes at St. Lawrence - The Verb Gauntlet - as part of the conference's Pedagogy Symposium.
The approach gives students a tangible physical way to play clear actions and switch their tactics within a monologue or scene. He also directed a staged reading of a 10-minute excerpt from a new play for the conference's new play showcase, "Library Branch Breaks Off a Sasquatch-Sized Hole" by University of Houston faculty member Greg Romero.
The play is inspired by the documentary "Hunting Bigfoot," and is being developed in collaboration with American electronic music composer Mike Vernusky.
Pedro Ponce
Associate Professor of English and William L. Fox Associate Professor of Public Health, Pedro Ponce, recently published a portfolio of new fiction work titled “A Map of the Underground.”
Ponce is the author of The Devil and the Dairy Princess, as well as of Stories After Goya, Alien Autopsy, and Superstitions of Apartment Life. His short stories and flash fiction have appeared in Ploughshares, Copper Nickel, Witness, and other journals.
Howard Eissenstat
Laurentian Associate Professor and Chair of History Howard Eissenstat was recently interviewed for an article on Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's relationship with Europe in the wake of Trump's shifts on Ukraine.
Jeff Frank
Professor and Chair of Education Jeff Frank’s recent presentation at Harvard University about his ongoing work with the Commission on Laurentian Values and Resilient Community was featured in the Harvard Gazette.
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St. Lawrence’s Faculty Focus is a regular roundup of noteworthy faculty news.
