Jeffrey Romero Middents studies and teaches film and world literature, specifically focusing on Latin American narratives from the 1960s to the 1980s. His film-oriented courses cover a wide range of concepts, including national cinemas, genre, the auteur, stardom, film criticism, and short film. His book, Writing National Cinema: Film Journals and Film Culture in Peru (UPNE, 2009), investigates the historical place of cultural writing within a national discourse by tracing how Peruvian cinema was shaped by local film criticism. Professor Middents has also published essays on a variety of other topics, including documentary aesthetics in the work of Chilean filmmaker Particio Guzmán, Peruvian director Luis Llosa’s films made under producer Roger Corman, the theoretical perspective espoused by Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days, and the racial complexities of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His current project examines transnational cinema and the work of Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón.  

Professor Middents previously served as Interim Honors Faculty Director for the 2023-2024 academic year, and has taught in the program for several years.

Jamie Wyatt is the Senior Director of University Honors and Scholars Programs. She received her Master of Arts in Teaching and has served in a variety of roles at AU since receiving her graduate degree. She worked extensively with AU’s General Education Program (now AU Core) before focusing her efforts on building and managing the University College Program, AU’s oldest and largest living-learning community. Jamie began working with Honors and Scholars Programs in 2016 and has been committed to expanding educational opportunities for all AU students by consolidating the administration of Undergraduate Research, the Summer Scholars and Artists Fellowship grant, and Phi Beta Kappa under the Honors and Scholars umbrella. She is also a passionate advocate for experiential learning and strives to build hands-on learning opportunities into the curriculum. Her office door is always open, and she encourages students to visit any time.

Amanda Harrison has been a member of the AU community since 2005, when she began her graduate studies in European history. From 2010-2017, she worked at the Academic Support and Access Center, supporting students with disabilities and is a passionate supporter of Universal Design. Amanda continues to work with AU students as the Manager of Undergraduate Scholars programs, fostering intellectual curiosity and the development of research skills in undergraduate students.

Elise has worked with the AU Honors program since 2017. Previously, Elise worked at an educational non-profit in DC for four years and before that attended university and worked in Rome, Italy for seven years. She is always happy to meet about Honors courses, research projects, connecting students across cohorts, or just to hear about your most recent trip. Elise is also very passionate about food and happy to suggest where to eat for any occasion. Anytime you Zoom with her, you’ll likely see a different pup in the background since she moonlights as a dog sitter around the city.