Dr. Dana A. Heller

Dr. Dana A. Heller directs the Humanities Program, and teaches the required core courses (HUM 601, 602, 694). Dr. Heller holds a Ph.D. in English (Graduate Center, City University of New York, ‘89) and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Columbia University, ‘80) and has been teaching at Old Dominion University since 1990. She is the author of numerous articles on topics related to contemporary literature, film, popular culture, gender studies, and American studies, as well as the author/editor of three books: The Feminization of Quest-Romance: Radical Departures (University of Texas, 1990), Family Plots: The De-Oedipalization of Popular Culture (University of Pennsylvania, 1995), and Cross Purposes: Lesbians, Feminists, and the Limits of Alliance (Indiana University, 1997). Dr. Heller has been twice selected as a Fulbright Senior Lecturer at Moscow State University in Russia and is a recipient of the State Counsel of Higher Education in Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award (1997).

Dr. Jeffrey P. Jones

Dr. Jeffrey P. Jones (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, Radio-TV-Film, 1999; M.A. and B.A., Auburn University, Political Science, 1993 and 1985) joined the Humanities Institute and the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts as an Assistant Professor in the Fall of 2003. At the graduate level, Professor Jones teaches courses in media studies and the introductory Humanities methods courses. Professor Jones' teaching and research focuses on political communication, television and cultural studies, documentary film, and new media technologies. Dr. Jones just completed his book on humorous political talk shows such as Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and Dennis Miller Live. The book is entitled Entertaining Politics: New Political Television and Civic Culture and will be issued by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers later this year.