Faculty in Spanish Language and Culture
Literacy Studies, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; PhD, University of Cincinnati. Andrea Beaudoin Valenzuela is a language, culture and literature teacher originally from Bogotá, Colombia. She holds an MFA in creative writing in Spanish and a PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures. Her scholar interests include contemporary Latin American literature, creative writing, gender studies and disability studies. She loves animals, cooking and reading.
Faculty in American Literature
BA, The College of William and Mary; PhD, University of Maryland, College Park
Dr. Butler received her Ph.D. in English Literature with a specialization in 19th Century British studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. Before joining Bard DC, she taught courses at both The University of Maryland, where she was awarded the James A. Robinson Award for Teaching Excellence, and Loyola University. Her research interests include narrative closure, postcolonial studies, and gender studies. She is the 2019 winner of the Bruce Harkness Award for scholarship on Joseph Conrad and was a 2021 finalist for the J.H. Stape Prize for best article published for the year in the peer-reviewed journal “Conradiana.”
Faculty in American Literature
BA English, BA Journalism and Media – Doane College, MA English – University of Connecticut, PhD English – University of Connecticut Dr. Dawson received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Connecticut (UConn). Prior to joining Bard DC, he taught literature and writing courses at UConn. His teaching and research interests include African literature, migration narratives, disability studies, and human rights. He grew up in New Zealand and moved to the U.S. for college in 2011.
Faculty in Chinese Language and Culture
BS, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University; MEd, Shenzen University.
I have been active in international education in China and the US for over six years, working in both teaching and counseling roles. What motivates me is seeing my students become self-confident learners, seeing them achieve their goals, and watching them develop new language and cross-cultural skills. I hold a master’s degree in Education with a focus on student mental health and a Bachelors in Computer Science. My teaching style draws on this background by bringing technology to the classroom and emphasizing interpersonal student engagement. I’m very excited to be part of Bard DC’s community.
Faculty in Chinese Language and Culture
After earning an M.D. in Education, Ms. Gao spent three years at DC International School teaching the Chinese language and creating a full curriculum for the introductory Chinese classes. Before DCI, she enjoyed teaching Chinese worldwide. She has taught in China, Thailand, and Australia. She has been involved in language learning, teaching, and IB curriculum development in the classroom.
Faculty in American Literature
BA, University of Chicago; MA, Georgetown University; MA, St. John’s College; PhD, The Catholic University of America
Before earning her doctorate Dr. Lambert spent many years teaching literature and performing arts to students enrolled in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New York City public schools. She then taught college literature and writing courses as a graduate fellow at Georgetown and Catholic Universities and later as Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Trinity Washington University. Dr. Lambert taught literature and philosophy at Bard Early College Baltimore for four years before joining the Bard DC faculty in her home city. In both her teaching interests and her publications, Dr. Lambert returns often to comparative poetics, modernist American writers, and Shakespeare. Her research has been supported by grants and fellowships from the Lannan Foundation, the Folger Shakespeare Library, Saint John’s College, the American Association of University Women, and the Library of Congress.
Faculty in American Literature BA, SUNY Fredonia; PhD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Hello! I’m Dr. Marcille, and I love working for Bard High School Early Colleges. I have wanted to be a teacher my whole life, and being able to give free college education to my students is the most rewarding daily work I can possibly imagine. My academic work has to do with science fiction in South Asia, and the study of how the science fiction literature of colonized places is necessarily different than the West.
Faculty in Literature
Faculty in Spanish Language and Culture
Literacy Studies, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; MFA, Universidad Nacional de Colombia; PhD, University of Cincinnati
PhD in Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures (Spanish), with a Graduate Certificate in Film Studies from the University of Cincinnati. M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the National University of Colombia, and B.A in Literary Studies from this same university. Previously worked in the fields of academic publishing, translation and second language acquisition. His research interests include contemporary Latin American literature, contemporary Colombian narrative, creative writing, digital humanities, and film studies. Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia.
Faculty in Chinese Language and Literature Dr. Lijuan Shi has been a teacher of Chinese language, culture, and philosophy since 2005. Besides Chinese language and culture Dr. Shi specializes in bilingual education with a particular focus on translanguaging pedagogy. Her PhD thesis, in Applied Linguistics and Language Education, examined the implementation of translanguaging pedagogy in a dual language program in China. Outside the classroom Dr. Shi enjoys gardening, cooking, and walking her beagle Laika.
Faculty in Comparative Literature and Spanish Language