Faculty Department: Liberal Arts
Faculty and Staff
John Brown
Professor, Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
John M. Brown is a poet, essayist, and freelance ghostwriter from Philadelphia by way of Southern Illinois. They hold a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Rutgers University–Camden and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Eastern Illinois University. Their work has appeared in publications such as Indiana Review, Barrelhouse, DIAGRAM, and Cosmonauts Avenue. John teaches classes in writing and literature at colleges in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and at DCAD they teach Creative Writing, Writing for the Arts, Reading & Composition, and Academic Writing Lab.
Faculty and Staff
Heather Castro
Professor, Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Heather L. Castro is a historian of European and American art and film of the 20th and 21st centuries, with a specialization in the history of the grotesque and cultural trauma. Her research and teaching cover a wide range of material to address issues of spectatorship, social history, and the intersection of elite and popular forms of expression. She is currently preparing a book-length study on the zombie in art and film, with a specific emphasis on the viewer’s psychological response to the monster during times of social crisis.
PhD, Art History, Temple University, 2021
MA, Art History, University of Louisville, 2009
Faculty and Staff
Jamila Davey
Professor, Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Jamila Davey is an adjunct professor in Liberal Arts and teaches courses such as Writing for the Arts, Academic Writing Lab, and Introduction to Non-Western Art. She also works with DCAD students as a tutor in the Writers Studio. Jamila holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a B.A. in philosophy from Northwestern University. Her areas of specialization include literary studies, Islamic studies, women’s and gender studies, and cultural production of the MENA region. Jamila is enthusiastic about the art school culture at DCAD and finds inspiration in the imaginative faculty, students, and staff with whom she works. She spends her free time gardening and exploring the Delaware Valley with her husband and dog. She is also active in her community, organizing for the preservation and use of public greenspace.
Faculty and Staff
Penni Gioffre
Professor, Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Penni Gioffre (Adjunct Prof. of Liberal Arts) is a teaching-artist with an extensive background in art history, interior design, mixed-media art, and multiple alternative health & wellness modalities. She holds an MA in Art History, an MED in Instruction: Teaching & Learning, a BS in Interior Design, Professional Certification in Aromatherapy, Practitioner Qualification in Color Therapy, and dozens of CE credits in trauma-informed and focusing-oriented expressive arts. A member of the DCAD community since 1999, Penni has taught courses in Continuing Ed, Interior Design, and Liberal Arts, and served as Chair of the LA department during the 2010’s. In addition to her work at DCAD, Penni has taught studio and lecture courses at the University of Delaware, completed numerous residencies in Delaware’s K-12 public schools, and facilitated the integration of arts and healing for a variety of healthcare facilities, wellness communities, and private practices across the state.
Faculty and Staff
Josh Kopin
Professor, Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Joshua Abraham Kopin received his PhD in American Studies from the University of Texas, Austin in 2020 for a dissertation that explores the cultural and technological contexts surrounding the rise of the comic strip in late 19th century America. He has published in American Literature, Inks, The Journal of Comics and Culture and Keywords for Comics Studies. He has served as the President of the Comics Studies Society’s Graduate Student Caucus and he is presently the Programming Director of the International Comics Art Forum. He teaches at Haverford College, Thomas Jefferson University, and the Delaware College of Art and Design, and sometimes he also works in an office.