"We tend to view globalization as a late-20th century development, but I'm fascinated to see how people were interacting, how ideas were moving, how languages were changing, and how cultures were impacting each other throughout all historical periods," says Sharyl Corrado, who joins the faculty at Seaver College from a position at the University of Illinois.
Corrado is looking forward to applying her interest in pre-20th century cultural progress with a course in western heritage that will span two centuries in depth. A specialist in Russian history, she has translated works by Russian scholars Natalia Potapova and Mikhail Loukianov; presented papers at Slavic and Eastern Europe studies conferences; authored books, articles, and book reviews about imperial Russia and Eastern European religious practices; and traveled to Russia, Japan, and Germany as a visiting scholar at various educational institutions.
We ask: Which historical character do you best identify with?
"She was not a famous historical character, but Jenny de Mayer was a Russian noblewoman in the early 20th century—late imperial Russia and early Soviet period—who was a medical assistant, translator, and distributor of Christian literature in Central Asia until she was imprisoned under Stalin. I really admire her for the way she used her education and noble upbringing to serve others and share her faith and I've learned a lot from studying her life. I am hoping to write a book or articles about her life."