Members of the PGIS

Melissa A. Alvare, Ph.D., is a sociology lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Sociology. Her research focuses on social inequalities, with a focus on race and initiatives for racial justice. Most recently, Alvaré conducted an ethnographic case study on a teacher preparation program intended to confront within-school inequalities through cultural proficiency training. Her work deriving from that project addresses cultural racism and anti-racism programs. Alvaré has also conducted research on urban inequalities in the contexts of gentrification and environmental justice.

PGIS-Related Courses:

• Introduction to Gender Studies (SO/GS 225)
• Race and Ethnicity (SO/GS 252)
• Introduction to Social Justice (SO/PS 107)

PGIS Contributions:

• Advisor to the Gender Studies and Intersectionality Club

Colleen Beach, MSW, LSW, is a specialist professor in, and an alum of, the School of Social Work at Monmouth University. In this role, she specializes in elder justice and is a passionate advocate for introducing students in the BSW and MSW programs to social justice and human rights and working with older adults. She is currently the co-chair for Growing Together as Allies and the faculty advisor for the Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society. Colleen is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the American Society on Aging. Her other professional experience includes over 15 years in healthcare settings serving primarily older adults in New Jersey.  She also previously held a faculty position at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, where she taught in the Health and Aging MSW Certificate program, managed multiple continuing education certificates, and was the principal investigator for the Adult Protective Services training grant for the state of New Jersey. 

PGIS Related Courses:

• Global Human Rights and Social Justice (SW 205)
• Family Violence (SW 278)
• Implications of Social Justice and Human Rights in Social Work (SW 627)
• Applications of Social Justice and Human Rights in Social Work (SW 669)

Melissa Brzycki, Ph.D., is assistant professor of history. Her research focuses children and childhood in the People’s Republic of China from 1949-1966. She is interested in how the state tried to create a certain type of socialist child and how families and children responded to those initiatives. She is currently working on research relating to the experiences and treatment of criminalized children. At Monmouth University, she teaches a range of undergraduate and graduate classes in Chinese history, East Asian history, and world history with an eye towards empire, imperialism, gender, sexuality, and race.

Brzycki also co-hosts and co-produces the public history podcast “East Asia for All” with Stephanie Montgomery, Ph.D., of St. Olaf College. “East Asia for All” discusses East Asian pop culture—including movies, TV series, documentaries, fiction, and memoirs—and their relevance to understanding different aspects of East Asian life and culture.

Manuel Chávez, Ph.D., is is an associate professor of philosophy in the History and Anthropology Department, and the director of the Philosophy and Religious Studies program. He also is affiliated with the African Diaspora Studies program. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy (philosophy, interpretation, and culture) from the State University of New York at Binghamton. His current research interests focus on the intersections of decolonial theory and the concepts of the self in Latine/x and Latin American philosophy. His recent publications include “Coloniality and COVID-19 in Mexico” and “Popular Education and Decolonial Praxis.”

PGIS-Related Courses:

• Gender and Global Cultures (PR 411)

PGIS Contributions:

• Former Member of the PGIS Executive Team

Anne Deepak is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at Monmouth University in New Jersey and coordinates the Global and Community Practice (GCP) Masters concentration. She represents the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) at the United Nations with the IFSW-UN NY team. Her scholarly work has been centered on developing and applying a postcolonial feminist social work perspective to food security, human trafficking, humanitarian initiatives for women’s economic empowerment, social work practice with refugees and immigrants, and sustainability and population growth. Her other interests are in globalization and international partnerships and diversity and anti-racism in social work education. She recently joined the board of Pacific Bamboo Resources, an organization that cultivates economic activities that restore the health of natural and built environments and create resilient, sustainable communities.

PGIS-Related Courses:

• Implications of Social Justice and Human Rights on Social Work Practice (SW627)
• Applications of Social Justice and Human Rights on Social Work Practice (SW669)

PGIS Contributions:

• Panelist for Reproductive Justice: Perils and Prospects, co-sponsored by PGIS (Oct. 29, 2019)
• Developing a new gender studies elective on gender and social development in a global context