Department of Economics

Matthew Butler, University of California, Berkley

 

 

Department of History

Liu Yang, University of California, Los Angeles

Liu Yang is a visiting faculty in the History Department in the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences at Brigham Young University. She was born, grew up, and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in China (BA from Nanjing University, 1995: MA from Beijing University, 2000). In 2000 she came to University of California, Los Angeles, studying for her PhD in Chinese History. She is currently working on her dissertation, which investigates legal practice, discourse and epistemology during the Yenan period of Chinese communist revolution. Her research interests include law and society in modern China, History of Chinese women, and Chinese communist Revolution.

In addition to her research, Ms. Yang has a strong commitment to teaching and academic service. For the last five years she has taught a variety of history courses regarding China and East Asia, at both university and liberal college levels. A cornerstone of her teaching philosophy is to engage students in active learning and help them develop critical thinking skills. She also held an editorial position with Modern China, a leading journal in the field of Asian studies.

Timothy Davis

Timothy Davis is a visiting instructor teaching the history of early and medieval China at BYU. He is currently a Ph. D. candidate at Columbia, University in New York City. His research explores the cultural history of commemoration with special emphasis on the relationship between text, ritual. His dissertation entitled “Potent Stone: The Role of Entombed Epigraphy in Early Medieval Chinese Death Commemoration” examines the religious, social, and political significance of stone inscribed biographies that were both displayed before members of the local community as evidence of superior moral cultivation, and buried within tombs to communicate with the spirits. He lives in Provo with his wife Fumi, and their two children.

Samuel M. Pierce

Samuel Pierce is a new Visiting Professor in the History Department of the College of Family, Home and Social Science. Professor Pierce received his BA in History at BYU in 2000. In 2002, he earned his MA in History from the University of Florida, where he also completed his PhD in Modern European History in 2007. He was a recipient of a Fulbright fellowship to Spain in 2004 to 2005.

Professor Pierce was awarded a teaching development grant from the University of Florida Center for European Studies to create a course on Nationalism and Violence in Twentieth-century Europe. Currently he is revising his dissertation, “Political Catholicism in Spain’s Second Republic (1931-1936): The Confederacion Espanola de Derechas Autonomas in Madrid, Seville, and Toledo,” for publication.

Professor Pierce and his wife Laura have a three-year-old daughter named Abigail Jane.

R. Todd Welker PhD candidate, University of California, San Diego

R. Todd Welker has joined the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences as a Visiting Professor in the History Department this upcoming school year. Professor Welker is not new to Provo as he received his BA in American Studies from BYU before completing his MA in History at Utah State University. Professor Welker is currently in the process of finishing his PhD in History from the University of California, San Diego.

For the past few summers, Professor Welker has worked as a part-time Professor here at BYU. His specialty is 19th Century American West and also has a special emphasis in the Agriculture of California. Growing up in the small town of Safford, Arizona had a big influence on his research of choice.

Professor Welker has had several undergraduate publications but is currently focusing on his dissertation. The working title of his dissertation is, “The Roots of Modern Agro-Business: Competency and the Family Farm in Early American California”. Welker will be teaching U.S. History courses as well as the History capstone seminar class and Utah History. Welker has been married to his wife Amber for over eight years, together they have a seven-year-old daughter named Ashton, and a four-year-old boy named Kye.

Department of Political Science

Owen Yeates, Duke University

Owen Yeates is a visiting assistant professor in Political Science beginning this year at Brigham Young University. Dr. Yeates was born in Logan, Utah, and has lived in Utah, New York, Colombia, and North Carolina. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Physics from BYU in 2000, and his doctorate in Political Science from Duke University in 2007. He was a visiting instructor at Wake Forest University from 2006 to 2007. His professional interests include political theory and his research interests range from early modern political theory to American political thought. Dr. Yaetes will be teaching courses on ancient political thought, religion and government, and freedom. He and his wife have two children and currently live in Spanish Fork. They enjoy camping, hiking, going on walks, and otherwise spending time together.

 

Department of Psychology

Witold Simon, Polish Psychiatric Association

Witold Simon, Polish native, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, graduated
from Medical Academy of Wroclaw (1995), obtained his PhD in 2004 at
Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw, certified
psychotherapist of European Association of Psychotherapy since 2006,
certified psychotherapist of American Group Psychotherapy Association
since 2007, was working as a visiting scholar at University of Victoria
in Canada in 1997, has been working at Clinic of Neurotic Disorders and
Psychotherapy in Warsaw since 1998, was a Fulbright visiting scholar at
BYU since January till June 2007, currently works as a visiting
assisting professor at Clinical Psychology Department at BYU, member of
Psychotherapy Research Section of Polish Psychiatric Association, New
Experience for Survivors of Trauma, Society of Psychotherapy Research.
Research interest: Psychotherapy process and outcome, abuse and neglect,
pregnancy loss, existential psychotherapy.

Department of Sociology

Bruce Lott, Brigham Young University

 

Charlie Morgan, University of California, Irvine

Charlie Morgan joined the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences this summer as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Sociology. Professor Morgan is excited to be back to BYU where he received his BA and MS. After finishing at BYU, Professor Morgan went on to the University of California, Irvine where he earned his PhD in Sociology.

Professor Morgan’s specialty is in Race, Ethnicity and Immigration. He is also very interested in Intermarriage and Family. He has had several works published over the past few years including his dissertation entitled “Mixed Unions: Interethnic and Interracial Relationships in an Era of Immigration.” Another of his important published works was “Intermarriage Theory: A Case Study of Buraku and Non-Buraku Couples in Japan.” This year he will be teaching Multicultural America as well as Qualitative Methods.

Professor Morgan was born and raised in Helena, Montana. He is married and has two children.

Erin Whiting, University of Missouri-Columbia

Erin Feinauer Whiting joined the Department of Sociology in the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences this past January as a visiting professor. While she grew up in a few different places, Professor Whiting calls Beaverton, Oregon home. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sociology from BYU. Following her work at BYU she completed her PhD at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Professor Whiting specializes her research on different aspects of food systems. She focuses mainly on inequality and food insecurity, otherwise known as hunger. Her examination of food insecurity is on first-world countries, especially the United States. She has seen how people manage to find food in many rural places with high unemployment rates.

She has had several works published on the subject and two of her most recognizable are: “How Does the New TANF Work Requirement ‘Work’ in Rural Minority Communities? A Case Study of the Northern Cheyenne Nation” and “Food Insecurity and Diabetes Risk among the Northern Cheyenne.”

Professor Whiting is married to her husband Scott and together they have three children.