The University of Florida’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education has hired 20 new faculty members, marking a significant milestone in the school’s rapid growth and evolution from an academic center into a full-fledged school. With these additions, the Hamilton School now has 53 faculty members with 1,500 students expected to be enrolled by the beginning of the fall semester.
“With these new hires, Hamilton cements its standing as one of the best places in the world to study the principles, ideals and institutions of Western and American civilization,” said Robert G. Ingram, the Hamilton School’s interim director.
Of the 20 new hires, five are women.
Madeleine Armstrong is a historian with a particular interest in Edmund Burke. She has published her work in leading journals, including History of European Ideas. Prior to her appointment at the Hamilton School, Dr. Armstrong was the Thomas W. Smith Postdoctoral Fellow with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University in New Jersey and a lecturer in the School of Government at the University of Oxford in England. Dr. Armstrong holds a master’s degree in English and early modern history from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She earned a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Cambridge.
Adela Halo is a legal and political theorist who focuses on the constitutional debates during the French Revolution. Her research explores the constitutional thought of Germaine de Staël, particularly her ideas on legislative and executive powers, public opinion, and the role of religion in buttressing republican institutions. She previously served as a lecturer at University College London. Dr. Halo is a graduate of the University of New York Tirana in Albania, where she majored in political science and international relations. She holds a master’s degree in the history of political thought and a Ph.D. in law from Queen Mary University of London.
Yujie Li is a historian of modern China. Her research explores labor, technology and political economy in China since the late nineteenth century, with a focus on Maoist China. Prior to joining the Hamilton faculty, she was an assistant professor of history at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Li is a graduate of Zhengzhou Textile Institute in China. She holds a master’s degree in fashion history from Tianjin Polytechnic University in China and a master’s degree in arts administration from Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Li earned her Ph.D. in Chinese history at the University of Chicago.
Katie Marshalek is a historian of early modern Britain and Europe. Her research is focused on the effects of religious pluralism both within and between states in Europe after the legal and doctrinal Reformation of the mid-sixteenth century. Her work has appeared in The English Historical Review, Historical Research, and Renaissance Quarterly. Dr. Marshalek is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in European history. She holds a master’s degree in British and European history from the University of Oxford in England and a Ph.D. in history from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Giulia Ricca is a literary scholar whose work focuses on European novels. She is the author of several articles and book chapters on twentieth-century Italian poetry, modern nonfiction, the essayistic tradition, and recent developments in literary criticism. She previously served as a preceptor in Columbia’s Great Books Core Curriculum. Dr. Ricca holds a bachelor’s degree in Classics, a master’s degree in Italian literature, philology, and linguistics, and a doctorate in humanities, all from the University of Turin in Italy. She recently earned a Ph.D. in Italian and comparative literature from Columbia University.