As an undergraduate at Wesleyan University, she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society and awarded the University’s highest academic honor at graduation. Her graduate training was funded by a prestigious National Science Foundation Fellowship, as well as a Berkeley Graduate Fellowship.
Dr. Van Gilder teaches courses in archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, and women’s studies, as well as “great books” style classes in history, philosophy and literature. She has worked as an archaeologist in Europe, the American Midwest, and Polynesia. Her current scholarly research is investigating the archaeology of the Hawaiian Islands.
PhD, Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley
MA, Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley
BA, English Literature, Archaeology, Wesleyan University
Dana R. Herrera, Ph.D is currently an Associate Professor at Saint Mary’s College of California. She received her Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of California at Davis.
Dr. Herrera teaches courses in cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, as well as St. Mary's College Collegiate Seminar "great books" courses. She has conducted research studies in the Philippines, United States, and Hungary. Her current scholarly interests include Filipino immigration, Game Studies, and the life histories of people who are the first in their family to attend college.
Her latest publication, "Fun is Learning: A Case Study of Gaming as Education in Virtual Worlds," will be featured in the international "Learning in Higher Education" anthology (Copenhagen Business School Press, 2008).
PhD, Anthropology, University of California, Davis
MA, Anthropology, University of California, Davis
BA, Anthropology and Sociology, St. Mary’s College of California
Cynthia Ganote, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga. She obtained her Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to working at Saint Mary’s, she taught at the University of Louisville, Vanderbilt University, and Belmont University, and she won teaching awards at both the University of Louisville and at Vanderbilt University.
At Vanderbilt University, she served as the Assistant Director for the Center for Teaching. In this role, she trained other teachers on methods for increasing student learning for all different types of learners. She also held workshops on creating inclusive classrooms for students of all abilities and backgrounds.
Dr. Ganote teaches courses in Race and Ethnicity, Gender and Inequality, Wealth and Poverty, Social Protest, Social Theory, Social Problems, and a “great books” style course in history, philosophy and literature. Her current scholarly research focuses on social capital, or ways in which communities have access to resources by virtue of their immersion in social networks. She has collected data in Nashville, Tennessee; Belize, Central America; and her upcoming data collection will be in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ph.D., Sociology, Vanderbilt University
M.A., Sociology, Vanderbilt University
M.S., Counseling Psychology and Higher Education Administration, Indiana University-Bloomington
B.A., Psychology, Transylvania University
Christine Dixon is currently a guest lecturer at Saint Mary’s College of California. Ms. Dixon received her Masters degree in Anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has taught classes in archaeology, cultural anthropology, and Mesoamerican cultures.
An experienced and popular teaching assistant at the University of Colorado, Ms. Dixon’s Masters work gained her the honor of graduating with Distinction. Additionally, she graduated from St. Mary’s College of California magna cum laude.
Ms. Dixon has conducted archaeological field research in Belize, Honduras, Hawai’i, and Mexico. Presently her Ph.D. research is focused on the Ceren archaeological site in El Salvador.
PhD Candidate, Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder
MA, Anthropology, Univeristy of Colorado, Boulder
BA, Anthropology and Sociology, St. Mary’s College of California