Biography:
Ռոզեթ Սիմիթյան
Pronouns she/her
I study contemporary and 20th-century American literature through the lens of film, photography, and other visual media. My research explores how displaced communities use intermedial memory-work to act as sites of social and environmental empowerment. My current project explores the intersections between migrant narratives, haunting, film/photography, and mobility studies. I am a first-generation college student from an immigrant family.
Research Interests
Environmental Humanities, Eco-Media, Film and Media Studies, Cultural Geography, 20th-Century American Literature, Critical Refugee Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Armenian Diaspora Studies
Education
PhD English. University of California, Davis. 2021 - present. (In progress)
MA English Literature. San Francisco State University. 2020. (Master’s thesis: “Storied City: Disenchanting and Re-Enchanting the Myths of Los Angeles”)
BA Literatures in English and BA History, summa cum laude. University of California, San Diego. 2015.
Teaching Experience
Associate Instructor
UWP 001Y (hybrid): Introduction to Academic Literacies, Fall 2023 - Summer 2024
UWP 001: Introduction to Academic Literacies, Fall 2022 - Spring 2023
Teaching Assistant
ENL 182: Literature of California, Fall 2021
ENL 10B: Literatures in English II: 1700-1900, Winter 2022
ENL 155B: 19th Century British Novel, Spring 2022
ECS 188: Ethics in an Age of Technology, Summer 2022
Awards
English Department Professor Jack Hicks Award, Rated Podcast, Spring 2023 (with Stacey Baran and Jeremy Freeman)
Publications
“Didion’s Los Angeles: Dis-Enchanting the California Dream,” Interpretations: Journal of the SFSU Graduate Literature Association, May 2020.
“From Idol to God: Feminine Apotheosis in Mina Loy's ‘Parturition’,” Interpretations: Journal of the SFSU Graduate Literature Association, November 2019
Presentations
“Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire: the (Eco-)Horror of California Carceral Geographies.” ASLE 2023 Biennial Conference, Portland, OR, July 2023
“Selves, Shelves, and Shells: The Supermarket as an Echo-Chamber of Postmodern Anxieties,” Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA) Conference, November 2019.
“From Idol to God: Feminine Apotheosis in Mina Loy's ‘Parturition’,” SFSU English Department Conference, May 2019.
Websites