Dr. Ina Seethaler
Dr. Ina Seethaler is the Director of Women’s and Gender Studies here at Coastal Carolina. Although she has earned the title ‘Dr.’ she prefers to be called Ina and relates well with the student body, as most students feel exceptionally comfortable talking with her.
Ina completed her Ph.D. in English with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies from Saint Louis University. Her research includes: Gender, Migration, and Life Writing; Feminist Pedagogy; Gender and Popular Culture. Ina’s classes mostly revolve around feminist activism, gender and popular culture, and life writing.
Ina is popular among the student body for being very active in social justice and working with student organizations regularly. We often see her as a real go getter who will push for our rights and be there for us consistently. Ina takes on many roles as director, professor, advisor, and mentor—Coastal Carolina would not be the same without her presence.
Dr. Emma Howes
Dr. Emma Howes is an English professor at Coastal Carolina University. Dr. Howes earned a Ph.D. from University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has also been awarded a Fulbright Scholar Fellowship in Kazakhstan for the 2019-2020 academic year. Dr. Howes teaches composition and rhetoric, archival methods, and literacy studies. Her research areas are as follows: Southern Appalachia, Literacy Studies, Archival Methodology, Feminist Theory, Contemplative Practices, Antiracist Pedagogies, Composition and Embodiment. As seen in her research, Dr. Howes does work around antiracism, literacy, and feminism. These values come forward not only in her research but also in her teaching and teaching methods.
Dr. Howes’s courses are often fueled on discussion and she values working with students to understand their processes and passions. In a class with Dr. Howes, you will most likely learn that her teaching philosophy values student labor rather than adherence to a certain literacy standard—this ideology is largely based on ideals rooted in feminism and antiracism.
Dr. Howes is another professor who is always willing to go above and beyond to help student research, activism, and student organizations. Dropping into her office hours will often end in an hour(s) long discussion as she truly engages with every student’s passion and works tirelessly to help student success.
Dr. Kaitlin Sidorsky
Dr. Kaitlin Sidorsky is a professor of politics at Coastal Carolina University. Dr. Sidorsky earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from Brown University in 2015, and has been researching and teaching at the university level ever since. Her research is focused on gender disparities in government as well as how gender plays a role for women in positions in power. She is published in Political Research Quarterly as well as with her own book: All Roads Lead to Power: Appointed and Elected Paths to Public Office for US Women (University Press of Kansas, May 2019). One of Dr. Sidorsky’s main areas of focus within her new research is on domestic violence policy at the state level.
Dr. Sidorsky teaches a multitude of courses in the political science department, but through them all, one aspect remains the same: her passion. Her lectures are chock-full of relevant and interesting information. She is very intelligent and explains complex material, but she does it so eloquently that students are able to grasp difficult concepts quickly. A student once said of her that ‘she could talk about paint drying or grass growing and it would still be interesting to listen to her’.
Because of Dr. Sidorsky’s advocacy for equality for women in public policy and governmental positions as well as her research on domestic violence, it is easy to see why she is someone to look up to. As a professor, she is understanding and helpful – if you’re at Coastal, take one of her classes, you won’t regret it.
Dr. Aneilya Barnes
Dr. Aneilya Barnes is the current chair for the history department at Coastal Carolina University. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas in 2007, and has since taught at Coastal. Among her vast knowledge of history — specifically in the period of Late Antiquity and the Roman Empire — she is intelligent beyond belief. She knows something about everything. She teaches upper level history courses as well as seminars for the Edwards College Research Fellows program, for which she is a coordinator. This program offers ten students each year an opportunity to research a topic within the humanities field – from history, to political science, to anthropology, to acting and the fine arts. She helps the students within this program grow, and truly puts her heart into each and every one of their research projects.
Dr. Barnes cares so genuinely for each of her students, and this care is shown in her effort and interaction. She goes to the ends of the earth to help students understand topics and develop their thought processes. Dr. Barnes will also talk with students and listen to them about a multitude of topics – social justice, feminism, current issues on college campuses, just to name a few. She is also a founder of the Edwards First Student Advisory Council, which is a council of faculty and students that helps first-generation students with anything college related. Her advocacy for students is admirable, and her wealth of knowledge is commendable. Dr. Barnes is a professor that is so incredible – we have seen her change the college experience completely for students. If you’re at Coastal, even if you’re not in the history or humanities department, stop by her office hours and get to know her – knowing her is a privilege.