Bowdoin College, the highly rated liberal arts educational institution in Brunswick, Maine, has announced the promotion of seven scholars to the rank of associate professor. The seven faculty members were also granted tenure. The appointments are effective on July 1.
Four of the new tenured associate professors are women.
Ireri Elizabeth Chávez–Bárcenas was promoted to associate professor of music. She is a musicologist specializing in the cultural and sonic landscapes of early modern New Spain, with a particular focus on vernacular song traditions across Spanish-speaking territories in the Americas throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Dr. Chávez-Bárcenas is the author of the forthcoming book Sounding Race, Identity, and Devotion in Puebla de los Ángeles (Oxford University Press). A graduate of Universidad de las Américas Puebla in Mexico, Dr. Chávez-Bárcenas earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. at Princeton University and a second master’s degree at Yale University.
Samia Shabnam Rahimtoola was named an associate professor of English. She is a scholar of modern American literature and culture with a focus on literary engagements with environmentalism, imperialism, and gender and sexuality. She is the author of the forthcoming book Poetry from Spaceship Earth: Empire and Ecology in Post-1945 American Poetry (University of Iowa Press). Dr. Rahimtoola is a graduate of Reed College in Portland, Oregon. She earned a Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley.
Mary Rogalski was promoted to associate professor of biology and environmental studies. Her research focuses on how environmental impacts – including pollution and climate change – impact freshwater ecosystems. She joined the Bowdoin College faculty in 2018. Dr. Rogalski is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where she majored in biology and environmental studies. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University.
Maron Wein Sorenson will be an associate professor of government and legal studies. Her research focuses on American politics and institutions more generally. Specifically, she examines multiple areas of judicial politics, including strategic behavior, the separation of powers, and decision-making at the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Sorenson joined the faculty in 2016. She earned a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota.