Experts Directory: Religion, Spirituality and Philosophy

Xochitl Alvizo

Department of Religious Studies
work: (818) 677-2742
email: xochitl.alvizo@csun.edu
Also speaks: Spanish

Feminism and religion
Congregational studies
Religion and social justice
Emerging church
Co-author: “Women Religion Revolution”

Ahmed Bouguarche

Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures
work: (818) 677-3586
email: ahmed.bouguarche@csun.edu
Also speaks: Arabic, French, Spanish

French and Francophone studies
North African literature in French
North African literature, specifically women and alienation
Maghrebian literature in French politics
Sociology and Islam

Marie Cartier

Department of Gender and Women’s Studies
work: (818) 677-3110
email: marie.cartier@csun.edu

Art
Gender and women’s studies
Queer theory
Religion
Performance
Author: “Baby You Are My Religion–1950’s Butch Femme Bar Culture in the U.S. as Possibly Sacred Community” and “I’m Your Daughter, Not Your Lover”

Learn more about Marie Cartier work:

CSUN Library’s Special Collections Offers Students a Chance to Connect with LGBTQ History

Susan Fitzpatrick-Behrens

Department of History
work: (818) 677-3566
email: susan.fitzpatrick@csun.edu
Also speaks: Spanish

History of Peru
History of Guatemala
U.S. relations in Central America
Religion (Catholicism) in Latin America
Indigenous communities

Abel B. Franco

Department of Philosophy
work: (818) 677-7501
email: abel.franco@csun.edu
Also speaks: French, Spanish

History of philosophy
History of science
Emotions in the 17th century (and comparatively, today)
Emotions in art
Views of the soul/mind throughout history
Theories of perception

Elaine Goodfriend

Department of Religious Studies
work: (818) 677-3392
email: elaine.goodfriend@csun.edu
Also speaks: Hebrew

Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Jewish History
Jewish law
Ancient Mesopotamia

Marc R. Hamer

Department of Psychology
work: (818) 677-2827
email: marc.hamer@csun.edu

Psychopathology
Psychoanalytical psychology
Object relations
Personality disorders
Attachment theory
Jungian psychology
Romantic love
Spirituality and human behavior
The influence of media on human behavior
The psychology of politics and political campaigns
Personality characteristics and sales performance
Author: “Personality Characteristics and Superior Sales Performance” and “Marketing Yourself as a Psychotherapist”

Kenneth Lee

Department of Religious Studies
Jewish Studies Program
work: (818) 677-2357
email: klee@csun.edu

Eastern Asian Religious
Buddhism with a concentration on Japanese Buddhism
Korean Christianity

Lara Medina

Department of Chicana/o Studies
work: (818) 677-3392
email:
Also speaks: Spanish

U.S. Latinos and religion
Chicano/a religious history
Religion and ethnicity
Women and religion
Liberation theology
Popular religious traditions and transformations
Dia de los Muertos
Chicano/a Catholic healing traditions

Learn more about Lara Medina work:

CSUN Chicana/o Professor Explores the Spiritual Healing of Ancestral Traditions and Knowledge in her New Book

Kristina Meshelski

Department of Philosophy
work: (818) 677-2752
email: kristina.meshelski@csun.edu

Political philosophy
Liberalism
Affirmative action
Fairness
Justice

Robin Muller

Department of Philosophy
work: (818) 677-3579
email: robin.muller@csun.edu

History of philosophy
20th century European philosophy
Phenomenology
History and philosophy of linguistics

Jody Myers

Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program
Department of Religious Studies
work: (818) 677-3007 / 3392 / 6762
email: jody.myers@csun.edu
Also speaks: Hebrew

Jewish studies
Jewish history
Judaism

Clementine Oliver

Department of History
work: (818) 677-7199
email: coliver@csun.edu
Also speaks: French, Latin

Medieval Europe
Renaissance Europe
England in the Middle Ages
Political history of Medieval Europe
Cultural history of Medieval Europe
Religious history of Medieval Europe

Learn more about Clementine Oliver work:

CSUN History Professor Explores Similarities Between COVID-19 and Bubonic Plague

Weimin Sun

Department of Philosophy
work: (818) 677-6461
email: weimin.sun@csun.edu
Also speaks: Chinese

Chinese philosophy
Chan (Zen) Buddhism
Philosophy of science
Philosophy of mind

Adam R. Swenson

Department of Philosophy
work: (818) 677-2750
email: adam.swenson@csun.edu

Ethics
Social/political philosophy
Pain medicine
Understanding of what pain is and why patients’ judgments about pain are always right in regards to working with medical students
Palliative care
Drug policy
Drug policy
Philosophy of criminal law
Torture

Rick Talbott

Department of Religious Studies
work: (818) 677-2741
email: rick.talbott@csun.edu

Bible
Early Christianity
Gnosticism
Jesus of Nazareth
Paul of Tarsus
History of religious
Intersection of ancient Christian texts with contemporary Christianity
Author: “Sacred Sacrifice: Ritual Paradigms in Vedic Religion and Early Christianity”

Nayereh Tohidi

Department of Gender and Women’s Studies
work: (818) 677-7218
email: nayereh.tohidi@csun.edu
Also speaks: Farsi, Persian, Tajik, Turkic

Middle Eastern culture
Middle Eastern politics
Gender and women’s issues in the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucus and Caspian regions, Iran and Azerbaijan Republic
Human rights and democracy
Islam and Islamist extremism
Women, religion and politics
Islam and ethnic issues in Iran
U.S. policy in Iran and the greater Middle East
Co-author: “Globalization, Gender and Religion: The Politics of Women’s Rights in Catholic and Muslim Contexts”
Co-editor: “Women in Muslim Societies: Diversity within Unity”
Author: “Feminism, Demokrasy ve Islamgarayi dar Iran” (in Persian)

Learn more about Nayereh Tohidi's work:

Jason Wang

Physical Plant Management
work: (818) 677-2325
email: Jason.wang@csun.edu

Organizational management and theory
High stress service fields
Anger management
Cults and cult behavior
Risk management
High risk recreational activities

Veda E. Ward

Department of Recreation and Tourism Management
work: (818) 677-3202
email: vedan.ward@csun.edu
Also speaks: Spanish

Parks, recreation and tourism curriculum development, assessment and national accreditation
Women, leisure and family—work life balance
Community development—new urbanism, facilities, open space, human potential
Leisure and spirituality
Leisure and aging—nutrition, exercise and personal development
Parks and recreation—statewide master plans
Recruiting minorities into the parks and recreation profession

Takashi Yagisawa

Department of Philosophy
work: (818) 677-2756 / 2757
email: takashi.yagisawa@csun.edu
Also speaks: Japanese

Logic
Analytical metaphysics
Philosophy of language
Metaphysics of fiction
Existence
Necessity and possibility