Undergraduate Studies Community

Senior Instructor II
PhD – English, University of Nevada, 2002; MA – English, University of Northern Colorado, 1992; BA – English, Southern Oregon University, 1989

Deb is an energetic instructor who loves helping students achieve their best work. She has taught a wide array of composition courses and is inspired by good literature and storytelling. Her University Seminar theme centers on the literature of war and follows up on ideas first explored in her PhD dissertation, A Strange New Consciousness: The War Writings of Mrs. Humphry Ward. Deb’s service to SOU includes being Program Chair, Faculty Senate Secretary (and member), Senate Advisory Council member, and a member of committees and/or task-force groups linked to financial aid, academic standards and excellence, textbooks, technology, First-Year Experience, veterans, and mentoring/tutoring in a campus environment. Deb knows SOU! She has given her time and leadership to Future Farmers of America, Jackson County 4-H Organizations, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, Habitat for Humanity, Toys for Tots, Northwest Seasonal Workers, and the Jackson County Fair as well as volunteering her can-do attitude for innumerable sports teams, fundraisers, and community events.

Office: Computing Services 214
Phone: 541.552.6267
E-Mail: dbrown@sou.edu

Instructor, Student Success Coordinator

Office: Central Hall 259
Phone: 541.552.6624
E-Mail: derre@sou.edu

Instructor
PhD, English, Duke University, 1993; MA, English, Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, Duke University, 1988; BA, Creative Writing, College of Wooster, 1986

Warren Hedges has served as a tenured professor in SOU’s English department, and later helped create the Emerging Media and Digital Arts (EMDA) major. He has wide-ranging interests, and has taught courses for the English, Art, EMDA, and Communication departments as well as University Seminar and the Honors College. Before coming to SOU in 1996, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Duke University. His current research focuses on video games, and on how speculative genres such as science fiction and fantasy help us to imagine more inclusive cultures, societies, and worlds.

Office: Computing Services 215
Phone: 541.552.6926
E-Mail: hedges@sou.edu

Instructor
PhD – Theatre (History and Criticism), The City University of New York, 1991; MA – Theatre (Acting and Directing), Portland State University, 1976; BA – Speech and Theatre, Portland State University, 1973

For the past 20 years or so, Alan has been enjoying teaching courses in Speech, Communications, and Theatre at several colleges and universities including New York City College of Technology, Westchester Community College, and Yeshiva University. However, before moving into the academic world, he was the Program Director at the American Theatre Wing in NYC where he was responsible for running the Wing’s Educational and Community outreach programs as well as assisting the Executive Director with the planning and execution of events related to the Tony Awards. Prior to working at the American Theatre Wing, Alan worked professionally in the theatre as an actor and stage manager. He has worked under numerous Equity contracts (Off-Broadway, LORT, CORST, TYA, SPT). As a performer, he has worked Off-Broadway in the original production of The Fantasticks, and regionally at the Barter Theatre and Meadowbrook Theatre, among others. As a stage manager, he has worked at New York City Ballet, Forbidden Broadway, TheatreWorks USA, and The Mountain Playhouse. In his free time, Alan is a wood carver, creating art pieces out of wine barrel staves and other reclaimed wood.

Office: Central Hall 029
Phone: 541.552.6260
E-Mail: hemingwaa@sou.edu

Instructor
MA – English (Rhetoric & Composition), Portland State University, 1993; BA – English, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1991

Laura is an experienced and dedicated teacher who has worked with university students since 1992. Her strong, gentle leadership guides students to pursue their passions with confidence and perseverance. Her interests have led her to publish works of nature writing, travel journalism, and educational medical writing. In graduate school, she specialized in Literature of the English Romantic poets, Early 20th Century American novelists, and Rhetoric and Composition. As a lifelong learner, Laura has been able to connect her talents as a writer, grant writer, organizer and compassionate teacher to help those who are differently abled and those who are seeking medical and/or caregiving information. Laura’s current research interests and skills have led her to volunteer in the community as an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and La Leche League Leader, collaborating with healthcare professionals in Southern Oregon Lactation Association (SOLA). Laura serves on SOU’s Planning Board, the Strategic Planning Committee and the University Curriculum Committee. She is active in the piloting course designs for non-traditional learners and contributes her expertise to peer mentoring, and support programs and initiatives (Bridge Program, First-Year Mentors, resource centers on campus, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) training.

Office: Computing Services 231
Phone: 541.552.8411
E-Mail: jessupla@sou.edu

Instructor
Juris Doctor (JD) – Law and Government Certificate, Willamette University College of Law, 2013; BA – Politics, History and Legal Studies, University of San Francisco, 2005

Matt works to equip students with the skills needed to clearly articulate their own ideas and to express them to a variety of audiences and in any situation. Though once pursuing his own law practice, Matt is inspired by teaching and has taught at Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University, focusing on leadership skills, expository writing, research writing, and interpersonal communication courses. Because of his background and training as a lawyer, Matt draws on the rhetorical and logical foundations of legal analysis and encourages his students to apply these concepts to their own disciplines. Matt continues his scholarship on topics and inquiry related to freedom of speech, mass hysteria, and family law. He is currently an inactive member of the Oregon State Bar.

Office: Computing Services 210
Phone: 541.552.6142
E-Mail: morealim@sou.edu

Senior Instructor II
PhD – History, University of Notre Dame, 1992; BA – Biology, BS – Chemistry, University of Oregon, 1982

Craig began his academic career in the chemical and biological sciences, but his fascination with the humanistic side of scientific inquiry led him to pursue a master’s in the history and philosophy of science and a doctorate in European History with an emphasis in the history of science and medicine. His PhD dissertation examined the ideas and science of Ilya Metchnikoff, the eccentric Russian pathologist who became one of the first immunologists and who popularized yogurt as a health food in the early 1900s. After a postdoctoral position at Stanford University studying the history of recent immunology, Craig taught for ten years at the Lyman Briggs School of Science at Michigan State University, where he embraced “The Best of Both Worlds” by teaching the history and philosophy of science and medicine to pre-science and pre-med majors. Moving back to the Rogue Valley in 2001, he soon found himself teaching at SOU, where he developed a University Seminar course that focuses on the art, science, and ethics of medicine. His hobbies include bodybuilding and aquaria keeping.

Office: Computing Services 212
Phone: 541.552.8438
E-Mail: stillwec@sou.edu