Andrew S
- Research Program Mentor

PhD at Cornell University

Expertise

Media, Culture, Technology, AI and Ethics, Politics, History, Music, Gender, Religion, Anthropology, International Relations, the Middle East

Bio

Hi! My name's Andrew and I'm a professor at Dartmouth College. Over the past eight years, I've had the privilege to teach a series of interdisciplinary courses on media, popular culture, contemporary politics, gender, technology, and the Middle East that have consistently received "excellent" reviews from students. These discussion-driven classes presume no background knowledge and invite students to think in a critical, creative, and comparative manner, providing them with invaluable, lifelong skills. Outside of these courses, I have had the honor to serve as a mentor for a diverse student body. I have advised several award-winning research projects, whose authors went on to attend graduate school at Oxford, Harvard, and Duke, often on full scholarships. I've also assisted students in publishing their original research in academic journals and on public platforms. Mentoring is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my job. Before I became a professor at Dartmouth, I grew up in Connecticut. My senior year in high school, I took an Arabic class that changed my life. As an undergraduate at Duke University, where I competed on a Division 1 fencing team, I continued to study Arabic and soon enrolled in courses on Middle East politics, culture, and history. After never having traveled outside of the U.S. before college, I studied abroad every summer at Duke. Upon graduating, I enrolled in an intensive Arabic fellowship in Cairo that coincided with the Arab Spring. In an effort to make sense of the revolution I witnessed, first-hand, in Egypt, I enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Cornell University, where I began to write what would become an award-winning book on the politics and power of media in the Middle East. When I'm not reading, writing, or teaching, I enjoy traveling, playing pickleball, finding new recipes, and going out on hikes with my dog Jack.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Critically Examining Social Media

Social media is often something we enjoy as a form of entertainment, but what if we treated it as a scholarly source? For this project, we will approach social media content in a critical and creative manner to shed new light on a broader idea. In doing so, we'll begin to view platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram in a new light and will gain a stronger grasp on the power of media to shape public perception.

Producing a Podcast

There is more than one way to share research. For this project, we will produce a podcast on a topic that piques your intellectual curiosity. We will learn how to craft a compelling story based on original research. The resulting production will reach a wider audience.

Languages I know

Arabic, Advanced

Teaching experience

As a professor at Dartmouth College, I have designed and taught several courses over the past 8 years. Whether exploring media, popular culture, gender, technology, contemporary politics, or the Middle East, these discussion-driven classes have consistently received "excellent" reviews from students and invite them to think in a critical, creative, and comparative manner. In addition to these interdisciplinary courses, I have mentored several award-winning undergraduate honors theses, whose authors have gone on to attend graduate school at leading institutions, including Harvard, Oxford, and Duke, often on full merit scholarships. Likewise, I have supported students in publishing their original scholarship in academic forums and public platforms. Mentoring is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my job as a professor and I'm eager to support students in pursuing topics that pique their intellectual curiosity.

Credentials

Work experience

Dartmouth College (2017 - Current)

Middle Eastern Studies Faculty Member

Education

Duke University

BA Bachelor of Arts (2010)

Arabic, Middle East, Islamic Studies

Cornell University

MA Master of Arts (2013)

Media, Popular Culture, Middle Eastern Studies