American Democracy Project Faculty Fellow 2007-2008
Marcus Paroske
Marcus Paroske is the UM-Flint Faculty Fellow for the ADP for 2007-2008 and serves as the faculty advisor for the ADP student scholars. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Visual Art, where he teaches classes and conducts research in argumentation, rhetoric and public speaking. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Pittsburgh, where he also received an M.A. in Philosophy to go along with his M.A. in Speech Communication from Colorado State University. He lives in Freeland, MI.
Past Faculty Fellows
Jason Kosnoski
Assistant Professor of Political Science (Ph.D. New School for Social Research 2003) joined the UM-Flint faculty in 2005 and teaches courses in political theory. Before joining the faculty at UM-Flint, he was Junior Fellow at the Institut fur die Wissenschaften vom Menschen in Vienna, Austria, and taught at the City University of New York and the University of California at San Diego. His research specializes in contemporary political theory, with a special emphasis on democratic theory, and the work of John Dewey and Jurgen Habermas.
"The American Democracy Project encourages campuses to engage in the civic life of their communities. By civic life, the program refers to any social endeavor where citizens collectively engage in deliberation and decision making to address public problems. That’s what true citizenship in a democracy is all about."
Heather Laube
Heather Laube is an assistant professor of Sociology and Women’s & Gender Studies and was the first American Democracy Faculty Fellow at the University of Michigan – Flint.
She earned her PhD from The University at Albany, State University of New York, but grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from UW – Madison (Yes, she’s a Badger and it’s a bit painful to be in Wolverine country). Heather studies gender and social movements and tries to practice her politics in her everyday life. She views her teaching as a form of activism and urges students to embrace alternative interpretations of the social world and to act when they witness injustice. She’s hoping to change the world.
Chairs
Christine Waters (Co-Chair)
Chris Waters is an Associate Professor in Art and is currently serving as Acting Associate Provost at the University of Michigan-Flint. She has been at the university for 21 years and remains a huge supported of the university, its students and the city of Flint.
Renee Zientek (Co-Chair)
Renee Zientek has served as the Co-Chair of the American Democracy Project at UM-Flint since 2005. She is the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement and is responsible for University Outreach, Corporate and Foundation Relations, Special Events, and the unit's overall administration. Renee has a BA in English from UM-Flint and is currently completing her MLS in American Culture. She was instrumental in founding the Center for Civic Engagement (previously known as the Center for Service Learning and School Partnerships) and served as the center's first director.