Christian
Gullette, cmgullette@berkeley.edu
Monica
Hidalgo, mhidalgo@berkeley.edu
Verena
Hoefig, verena@berkeley.edu
Verena came to Berkeley in 2008 with a Magister Degree
from Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich,
Germany. She holds a major degree in Old Norse / Icelandic
and minor degrees in History and Political Science.
Verena spent two terms at the University of Iceland
studying Archaeology, Icelandic, and Swedish. From 2004-2007,
she taught Icelandic at a Munich evening school, as
well as tutorials in Old Norse and German History at
LMU. Since fall 2010 she teaches Swedish at UC Berkeley.
Her main research interests comprise Norse mythology,
law and history as represented in poetry and sagas,
runic inscriptions and iconography. She is also interested
in the representation and utilization of Old Norse textual
and material culture in modern times.
In 2007 and while still at LMU, Verena assisted in preparing
Jón Ólafssons "Runologia" for
publication in the Bibliotheca Arnamagnaeana series.
She has published articles about the Icelandic goðar
and theories of their origin and about ravens and crows
in Old Norse art and literature.
Molly
Jacobs, mollyjacobs@berkeley.edu
Molly
Jacobs entered the Department of Scandinavian in the
fall of 2007. After receiving her B.A. in French and
History from Xavier University in 2005, she spent a
year teaching English in Chalon-sur-Saône, France.
She received her M.A. in Medieval Studies from the University
of Toronto in 2007, where her focus of interest shifted
from continental to Scandinavian literature. She explores
the links and influences between continental and Old
Norse literature, with additional interests in Old French
literature, manuscript studies, and historical linguistics.
Molly has jointly published a codicological article
on Toronto Fisher MS 1269 and is currently working on
another joint project, an edition of the life of St.
Petronilla from the South English Legendary.
Benjamin
Mier Cruz, bmier@berkeley.edu
Benjamin Mier-Cruz entered the Department
of Scandinavian in 2004. He completed his B.A. in German
Language and Literature at Arizona State University
in 2004 and received his M.A. in 2006 with a focus on
Swedish and Finland-Swedish literature. He has presented
lectures on Edith Södergran at Arizona State University
as well as papers on Södergran, Friedrich Nietzsche,
and Pär Lagerkvist at SASS conferences. Benjamin
studies 19th- and early 20th-century Swedish literature
with a particular interest in Carl Jonas Love Almqvist,
August Strindberg, Finland-Swedish modernism, and German
and Swedish poetry. Other interests include German expressionism
and modernism, Ingmar Bergman, narrative theory, and
gender theory. Benjamin has taught several Reading and
Composition courses for the department. He also teaches
Swedish language courses, holds Swedish film screenings
and Swedish reading and discussion groups. Benjamin’s
dissertation concerns androgyny and deifying the body
in the works of Södergran, Nietzsche, and Almqvist.
