Cultural theorist and literary scholar Andrew Barnes has been named dean of Pratt Institute’s School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Barnes, who had been serving as the interim associate dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at William Paterson University of New Jersey, began his appointment July 1, 2011. His research areas include early modern English literature, science studies, economic theory, religious studies, cultural theory, and gender theory. He replaces Dr. Toni Oliviero, who will take a year’s sabbatical, and then return to teaching after more than a decade as the school’s dean.
“Both in his administrative and scholarly work, Dr. Barnes demonstrates a passion for collaboration and interdisciplinary work,” said Pratt Provost Peter Barna. “I am confident that under his guidance, SLAS will go even further toward enriching the educational experience for those studying art and design, while helping our liberal arts students draw on the richness offered by the art and design disciplines.”
Before arriving at Pratt, Barnes was the interim associate dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at William Paterson University of New Jersey since 2009. Prior to that, he taught in the English Department and served as its graduate director. As interim associate dean, Barnes was especially instrumental in curriculum development, helping re-shape the university’s core curriculum, and developing a new M.F.A. in Creative and Professional Writing, the school’s first terminal degree.
His latest book, Post-Closet Masculinities in Early Modern England (Bucknell University Press, 2009) has earned significant praise from scholarly journals in the field.
As Dean, Barnes is responsible for leading Pratt’s School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (SLAS), which is one of four schools at the Institute. Pratt’s SLAS trains students to conduct research, substantiate arguments, and communicate in the broadest possible socio-historical, literary, and scientific contexts and offers two degree programs for students whose interests impel them to pursue their education as thinkers and writers in a community oriented toward art and design: the bachelor of arts degree in Critical and Visual Studies and the Writing Program. The school also provides curriculum in Humanities and Media Studies, Mathematics and Science, and Social Science and Cultural Studies.
Barnes received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Indianapolis; a master’s degree in humanities and social thought from New York University; and a doctorate from SUNY Stony Brook. He is currently a resident of New York City.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Weitz