Among them are three new Royden B. Davis, S.J. visiting professors: in the Department of History, Danielle Purifoy in the and Mary Roberts in the and the Department of Art and Art History. The positions are funded through an endowment named for Davis, a former dean of the 海角论坛, and focus on enhancing undergraduate and graduate instruction and mentoring in the 海角论坛.

Gustafson鈥檚 expertise is in Persian and Iranian history, Purifoy is teaching a course on Black geographies and Roberts, an art historian, is teaching a class on the exchange and cultural contact between Europe and the Ottoman world during the 19th century.

鈥淲e are thrilled to bring these distinguished visiting scholars to campus,鈥� said , the 海角论坛鈥檚 vice dean for faculty affairs. 鈥淭his will enrich offerings for our students and the intellectual life of campus, more generally. These are the kinds of interdisciplinary connections and opportunities we hope to encourage.鈥�

Learn more about what inspired the professors to enter the world of academia and share their passion for the humanities.

James Gustafson, History 

Gustafson is teaching two courses this semester: History of Iran and Environmental History of Iran.

The first course covers Iran鈥檚 social and cultural history from the Persian Empires of antiquity to the modern Islamic Republic. The second is a seminar that explores how climate change and environmental hazards have shaped modern Iran鈥檚 history. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to have the opportunity to come in and help build some momentum for developing a really strong program in Iranian studies,鈥� Gustafson said.

He hopes his courses will reveal to students the 鈥渞emarkable similarities鈥� between Americans and Iranians.

鈥淚 think the United States and Iran have had a very difficult relationship for a long time,鈥� Gustafson said. 鈥淎nd I think the only way that you start to build bridges is through understanding. Having a depth of understanding of the rich history of Iran is a great starting point for building a little bit of empathy, a little bit of cross-cultural dialogue.鈥�

Gustafson is visiting from , where he is a professor of history. He started learning Persian on his own as an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts. At the time, he was working at an evening pharmacy job, and his coworker, a woman who had fled Iran after the Iranian Revolution, taught him Persian.

鈥淚 just got hooked on it,鈥� Gustafson said. 鈥淎nd then ended up getting deep into Persian language and literature and never really looked back.鈥�

He would go to earn an M.A. in Middle Eastern studies at the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in history at the University of Washington. Within six weeks of finishing his Ph.D. program, Gustafson received a visiting professorship position teaching Islamic studies at Western Washington University. He has been a professor of Middle East history at Indiana State University since 2012 and has served on the executive committee of the Association for Iranian Studies since 2019.

鈥淚 love when you can really see that you鈥檝e introduced someone to a new idea that they hadn鈥檛 considered before,鈥� Gustafson said of why he enjoys teaching. 鈥淥r a new perspective that they hadn鈥檛 taken in before.鈥�

Danielle Purifoy, Black Studies

For Purifoy, who is teaching the seminar Black Geographies, the field of geography covers much more than maps.

鈥淢aps are a very fascinating, very interesting element to the discipline, but the real scope of geography is pretty boundless,鈥� they said. 鈥淵ou are always situated in a place, and there are so many different ways to think about how your life is shaped by place.鈥�

Purifoy鈥檚 course examines how peoples of the African diaspora have shaped spaces in and around the West. 

鈥淭he course is intended to give folks a very different perspective on how they might think about geography traditionally,鈥� they said.

Purifoy鈥檚 origin story in academia began her senior year of college during Hurricane Katrina. She was a budding journalist interested in writing about race and politics but didn鈥檛 have a specific topic to think through that lens. 

But working on hurricane recovery in Baton Rouge and New Orleans for three years inspired her interest in environmental justice. Purifoy eventually earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. in environmental policy from Duke University.

While at Duke, she collaborated with students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who encouraged Purifoy to explore geography as a discipline. She has been an assistant professor of geography and environment at UNC-Chapel Hill since 2020.

Human society and geography help explain the world around us and highlight the importance of learning the humanities, Purifoy said.

鈥淲e absolutely need all of the ways to understand ourselves and our place in this world if we鈥檙e going to do anything to change it for the better,鈥� they said.

Mary Roberts, Georgetown Humanities Initiative and Art and Art History

At Georgetown, Roberts is teaching Ottomans and Orientalists, a course that explores the role of visual culture in forms of exchange and cultural contact between Europe and the Ottoman world between 1798 and 1910.

The class, which includes master鈥檚 and undergraduate students, encompasses the study of diverse forms of visual culture 鈥� from architecture and city planning to illustrated news images, panoramas, caricature and high art, Roberts said. 

鈥淥ne of the many topics we are addressing is the history of exhibitions and the kinds of stories that can be told about cultural relations between Europe and the Islamic world through museum displays,鈥� she said.

Roberts is a specialist in 19th-century modernism, orientalism and Ottoman art and has written several books examining those topics. Her appointment at Georgetown is between the Department of Art and Art History and the Georgetown Humanities Initiative.

鈥淭he research strengths in art history and in Ottoman and Turkish studies at the 海角论坛 of Arts & Sciences appealed to me,鈥� said Roberts, who is a professor of art history and 19th-century studies at . 鈥淲hat also appeals to me is the rich culture of free inquiry and open debate that is encouraged at Georgetown.鈥�

Roberts grew up in Brisbane, Australia, and was always passionate about making art. In high school, her art history teacher opened up a new world to her, and she discovered that writing about art felt just as creative as making it. 

鈥淎t the same time I was making art, I was actually seeing that one could be completely inspired by artworks from another time,鈥� Roberts said.

When her parents took her to a local art museum, a curator there encouraged Roberts to study art history in Sydney or Melbourne. Roberts moved from Brisbane to Sydney and graduated with a double major in art history and political economy at the University of Sydney. She completed her Ph.D. in art history at the University of Melbourne.

鈥淚 was really interested in that crossover between the social and economic function of art within and between cultures,鈥� Roberts said.

Currently the Washington correspondent for NBC News, Alcindor has a broad range of media experience, having worked as the White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour, a national political reporter for The New York Times and a breaking news reporter for USA Today. She moderated the PBS show Washington Week, co-moderated a 2019 Democratic presidential debate and has appeared on numerous other programs, including Morning Joe, Meet the Press and NBC Nightly News.  

Alcindor鈥檚 reporting has been recognized by a bevy of organizations. She received the Radio Television Digital News Association鈥檚 John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award, the International Women鈥檚 Media Foundation鈥檚 Gwen Ifill Award and the White House Correspondents鈥� Association鈥檚 Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage. Alcindor received a Peabody for her work as part of a team covering the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and was named the organization鈥檚 2020 Journalist of the Year. 

In May, Alcindor delivered the commencement address for Georgetown University鈥檚 海角论坛 of Arts & Sciences. In anticipation of the presidential election, we sat down with Alcindor to pick her brain on all things politics, media and her memories from the Hilltop.

鈥痀ou have been working in the news since high school and throughout your career the media landscape has changed drastically. Can you share some reflections and lessons learned on how the news is curated, written and delivered?鈥�

It鈥檚 been remarkable to see the shift in how news is gathered from when I became a reporter at 16 years old to now, more than 20 years later. I started my career at The Westside Gazette, an African-American newspaper in South Florida, and learned the basics of journalism from its caring and intelligent staff. I then went on to become an intern at The Miami Herald typing on the earliest iterations of computers in newsrooms, and I started writing stories on my iPhone at鈥�The Washington Post 鈥�as an intern.

The technology has grown leaps and bounds over the last two decades that I’ve been a journalist. It has been exciting to feel like a native of the technologies that are now so central to our work 鈥� especially because we have to get information to people where they are, and in this era, that gathering place is often social media and digital platforms.

Still, through all of this evolution, the core of journalism has not changed. Journalism is about holding powerful people accountable, being fast but accurate and getting to the heart of what the American people want to know about their lives, about their government, about how we are all surviving and thriving in this country. And everyday, as I report, I think about this question: What do everyday Americans want to know about the world? I really try to explain to people what the government’s role is in their everyday lives and how policies and plans are going to impact them. 

You were a double major in English and government with a minor in African-American studies. Those academic interests seem incredibly well-aligned with your professional pursuits. Can you speak to how your classes influenced your career?

I use my Georgetown degree almost every single day. I am constantly thinking about the way that people, especially in this election year, are voting and viewing politics, which goes hand in hand with Government major. I am constantly writing鈥攚hether it’s television scripts or digital articles for NBCNews.com鈥攕o my English major skills are critical to doing that well. I also cover a lot of issues related to race and culture so I often think about the books that I read by authors like Toni Morrison and W. E. B. Du Bois. Thus, as an African American studies minor at Georgetown, I use what I learned about how we think and talk about race to really understand the stories I am telling.

What are some of your favorite memories from your time on the Hilltop?

My favorite memory from Georgetown is meeting my best friend, Lena Tillett (C鈥�09). I remember one of my first nights living in Harbin Hall and staying up late into the night, laughing with Lena and falling in love with the idea that I had met my college best friend. 

For me, Georgetown is a home where I met so many of the people who have supported me and who I’ve been able to support throughout my life.  

When I delivered the commencement address in 2023, five or six of my best girlfriends came to support me, including Lena. She also went into journalism and is an evening news anchor at WRAL, the NBC News affiliate in Raleigh, North Carolina. So Georgetown gave me this group of women who have powered me through life. Our group chat still sustains me.

You have covered several presidential campaigns and are currently knee-deep in the current race. What feels new or different about 2024?

When President Biden withdrew from the presidential race in July, he turned what was already feeling like an unprecedented race into a race unlike anything we’ve seen before. Covering Vice President Harris and watching her put together a campaign in a matter of weeks, something that often takes years to do, has been a remarkable reporting opportunity. It鈥檚 also particularly meaningful to me because I鈥檝e covered her for nearly a decade and I think I probably understand her and her story better than any candidate I鈥檝e covered. And that’s been a real testament to what it means to stay on a story, to get to know sources and to do the job without knowing where it’s leading you. And NBC News encourages that and gives me the resources to keep reporting so that when something like this happens, we鈥檙e always ready.  

The other thing that鈥檚 really different is how many platforms we鈥檙e able to report on. We truly have more ways to reach audiences than ever before. Being a television correspondent at NBC News means packaging stories for Nightly News and Today Show that reach millions of people as well as breaking news in places like our streaming network, NBC News NOW, or in written pieces for NBCNews.com. It鈥檚 incredible and I feel honored and blessed to have such reach.

Watching Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign begin鈥攁nd unfold鈥攊n an atypical manner, can you tell us about what you’re seeing on the ground with her campaign and messaging?

The striking thing about reporting on Harris鈥檚 rise to the top of the ticket is how quickly she has managed to unify the various power centers within the Democratic Party behind a single objective and message. She really worked hard to build on the moment and harness the enthusiasm and joy many in the party have been feeling.

That said, it鈥檚 a very close race, and when we talk to voters there are a number of reasons people may still have questions about her. So, her challenge is translating the very real enthusiasm into votes. 

The Harris campaign is one that has continued to call itself the underdog, and when you look at the polls, you realize why that is. This is a Democratic Party that really wants to make sure that they’re doing every single thing they can to win and to avoid what happened in 2016 when Hillary Clinton was the nominee.  

I also covered Donald Trump for a long time, and over the last two months I have seen him try to get a sense of how to pivot his own campaign. The Trump campaign has been going after Harris鈥檚 identity and her stances. The former president is also trying to tie Vice President Harris to President Biden. But, he’s still trying to get his sea legs on how to talk about his new opponent. And, like Harris, his campaign understands that this is going to be a close race. So it鈥檚 a fascinating dynamic to cover from all sides. 

We saw 鈥痶hat the first draft of your memoir is complete鈥攃ongratulations! Is there anything from the reflecting and drafting process that you’d like to share with us?

Writing a book has been one of the most beautiful things that I’ve ever done, because I’m dedicating it to my family and to my ancestors. I’m the child of Haitian immigrants. I grew up with my grandmother and my mother so I met the people who made the decision to leave Haiti to come to the United States so that someone like me could be whatever I wanted to be. 

I鈥檓 living my wildest dreams in being a journalist for NBC News, but I’m also living my grandmother and my ancestors鈥� wildest dreams too. It鈥檚 been a remarkable experience to be able to put down on paper why I am who I am鈥攁nd that includes understanding that I am the product of a village of people in my mother and my grandmother, my father, my brother, my husband and now my young son. 

All of those people have contributed to the way that I see the world and to the way that I report and how I report from the heart. I’m a reporter who is emotional, who feels the stories that I tell, who wants to go out and tell hard truths about America鈥攚ho wants to cover politics, but who also cares about civil rights. I wanted to be a journalist since the moment I learned the story of a young boy, Emmett Till, who was murdered in 1955 by a racist group of men in Mississippi while he was on a vacation from his home in Chicago. 

Writing the book has also allowed me to reflect on who the 16-year-old version of me wanted to become, and then to see the dreams that I’ve been able to realize. It鈥檚 also a very personal story. I’ve been open about the fact that I struggled with fertility and that I went through multiple rounds of IVF to conceive my son, so to be able to also tell people a little bit of the backstory of who I am as a person and the struggles that I’ve had is powerful.  

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The Institute for Responsible Citizenship recently announced that Cole had been accepted into the 2025 cohort of its Washington Program, which brings exceptional young men to the nation鈥檚 capital for two consecutive summers for an array of academic and professional opportunities. 

Cole, who is double majoring in government and economics with a minor in Black studies, has also been named a , which will allow him to pursue research related to capital investment in Black communities. 

鈥淐hoosing this program was a deliberate decision to prioritize my growth in settings that not only challenge but also expand my understanding of the world around me,鈥� said Cole. 鈥淭his opportunity allows me to engage with a talented group of thought leaders and change-makers, deepening my insights into how various fields intersect and influence societal progress. 

鈥淚t represents a pivotal step in my academic and professional journey, offering unparalleled opportunities to learn from and collaborate with like-minded peers. I鈥檓 hoping to develop a broader perspective and apply this expanded worldview in ways that drive meaningful change.鈥�

Professional Development in Washington

This year, Cole is one of just 12 students, out of more than 1,000 applicants, to be selected for the Washington Program. He is the first Georgetown student to receive the honor. 

In his first summer with the program, Cole will complete an internship with Brown Advisory, an investment management and strategic advisory firm, this summer. 

鈥淭his summer at Brown Advisory, I’m looking forward to deepening my understanding of thoughtful investment strategies under the guidance of an esteemed Institute alumnus,鈥� said Cole. 鈥淭he internship aligns perfectly with my academic goals and is a crucial opportunity for me to contribute towards thoughtful investing. Additionally, the mentorship and guidance I have received from my mentor, Damien Dwin (C鈥�97), a Georgetown alumni and the founder and CEO of Lafayette Square, have been instrumental in preparing me for this role.鈥�

Founded in 2003, the Institute for Responsible Citizenship is dedicated to mentoring and supporting 鈥溾�渢he nation鈥檚 best and brightest African American male college students.鈥� The program includes high-level internships, seminars on economic and constitutional principles and networking opportunities, both within the cohort and with program alumni and leaders. 

鈥淚 created the Institute to provide some of the most talented African American male students the kind of support that many others in our society take for granted,鈥� said William A. Keyes IV, the organization’s founder and president, in a press release. 鈥淲e provide exposure to opportunities, valuable internship experiences and introductions to people who can support them in a variety of ways. We help them achieve extraordinary success for reasons that are bigger than themselves.鈥�

Expanding the Classroom with Research

A Laidlaw Scholar, Cole will be conducting an independent research project alongside his internship responsibilities. 

Run by the in partnership with the Laidlaw Foundation, the program empowers undergraduates to complete original research in their area of study over the summer with a stipend of up to $3,900.

In his research, which will be mentored by , Cole will be able to expand on what he鈥檚 learned in the classroom, blending together insights from economics, public policy and Black studies. 

鈥淚 want to uncover the systemic barriers that have historically limited investment in these communities and to highlight the substantial, often overlooked economic potential they hold,鈥� said Cole. 鈥淚’m trying to explore and demonstrate why Black communities are not only worth investing in but are also vital to broader economic growth and social equity.鈥�

When Cole arrived on the Hilltop, he had no idea that he鈥檇 pursue a minor in Black studies. All that changed when he took   and 鈥� course Critical Southern Studies. 

鈥淭hat was the one that changed it for me,鈥� remembered Cole. 鈥淚 sat in that class and had several moments of introspection. I realized that this is what I enjoy doing: I love writing, I love literature and I love reading.鈥�

As part of the course鈥檚 design, Robinson and Horton-Stallings arranged the semester so that it would serve both as an introduction to the interdisciplinary methods of Black studies and the most pressing questions of race and identity in the South. 

“That first year seminar was a real treat for us to lead and Evan was a significant part of that,鈥� said Robinson, an associate professor in the . 鈥淚n a room filled with sharp, curious thinkers, seeing the literal light bulbs go off over his head as he made connections across course texts was such a deep reminder of why we do what we do.鈥� 

鈥淗e brought a strong sense of place and community empowerment to the course, and his trajectory demonstrates how much the right combination of texts, with the right colleagues, at the right time, can unlock one’s purpose and open new pathways for impact.”

The interdisciplinary nature of the course, and of Black studies, lit a fire within Cole that he鈥檚 now pursuing, both in his minor and in his research as a Laidlaw Scholar.  

鈥淲e were reading Baldwin and we were watching Atlanta and it just showed me that there are so many different pathways in academia,鈥� said Cole. 

Studying Atlanta, the award-winning show from multi-hyphenate creator Donald Glover, helped things click for Cole.  

鈥淚 always tell my friends, and this is so corny, but cura personalis is so real,鈥� said Cole, connecting Glover鈥檚 disparate interests with Georgetown鈥檚 care for the whole person. 鈥淚 came here with a one-track mind but I started to develop all of these different parts of myself.鈥�

鈥淒onald Glover is so many different things 鈥� writer, producer, singer. And now I want a taste of everything and I鈥檓 just putting my foot in all these things and just trying to see what sticks. I think, eventually, what I鈥檓 doing now will lead to finding that passion.鈥�   

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Department of Black Studies Announces Name Change

The Department of African American Studies is now known as the Department of Black Studies.

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鈥淎s knowledge progresses so do our terminology and vocabulary,鈥� said Rosario Ceballo, dean of the 海角论坛 of Arts & Sciences. 鈥淚鈥檓 confident that this new name accurately reflects the field鈥檚 global and inclusive expansion to countries outside the United States as well as a greater emphasis on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods and approaches in their field.鈥� 

The name change reflects a broader shift in the vocabulary that scholars and academics in the field use, agrees , the chair of the Department of Black Studies. 

鈥淲e are seeing a return to Black studies for a very particular reason 鈥� the United States is no longer the center,鈥� Horton-Stallings said. 鈥淲e are seeing Black studies departments in Europe, Australia, Canada and the Caribbean. As the field continues to grow and expand we want to be in conversation and solidarity with our colleagues around the world instead of siloing ourselves in a United States-centric representation of Black studies.鈥� 

In 2020, the department shifted its curricular model to better reflect current academic discourse and student interest. Prior to the reorganization, students majoring or minoring in the department could pursue coursework in either a social science track or a humanities and arts track.  

Today, students can concentrate their studies in one of three areas: Global Race and Ethnicity; Race, Space and Public Policy; and Creativity, Design and Emerging Forms, which emphasizes unique strengths and a diversity of methodologies from a wide range of disciplines. 

鈥淭his reorganization signified what the field has always been about 鈥� providing a global, Black perspective on knowledge production that differs from the traditional white, eurocentric approach,鈥� said Horton-Stallings.   

Each concentration area allows students to dive deep into ongoing academic discourse, pursuing unique projects and seeking to answer wicked questions. 

鈥淭he commitment to a vision of being  an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary department centered on the critical and the creative led us to a curriculum that challenges the disciplinary boundaries between humanities, arts and social sciences,鈥� said Horton-Stallings. 

In the coming years, the department hopes to expand by recruiting more students and offering more community-based coursework and internship opportunities.