Faculty
Faculty
Faculty Members
Dr. Ruth Ben-Artzi
Department Chair
Howley Hall 304
401-865-2840
rbenartz@providence.edu
Dr. Susan McCarthy
Assistant Department Chair
401-865-2626
SMCCARTH@providence.edu
Teaching in one of the PC’s largest departments, political science faculty members possess expertise in an array of topics, including campaigns and elections, civic engagement, communications and the media, constitutional law, democracy and development, Latino and black politics, globalization, race, gender and sexuality, social justice and equality. Our faculty study many aspects of American politics as well as numerous other countries, with particular strengths in East Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
For more information, we invite you to browse the profile links on this page.
Visiting Faculty!
Dr. Rana Hassan
Dr. Rana Hassan is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies. She teaches undergraduate courses, including Introduction to Mass Communication and Oral Communication.
Born in Pennsylvania, Dr. Hassan’s academic journey spans the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. She earned her Ph.D. in Media and Sociology from the University of Northampton (UK), where her dissertation explored new media and revolutions, with a focus on cyber-activism, citizen journalism, and women’s political empowerment. She developed strong teaching skills in multicultural settings and a proven ability to work with diverse student populations, where she worked in Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Her research and teaching are driven by a commitment to understanding how media, technology, and communication shape social movements and bridge cultural divides. Her scholarship focuses on interdisciplinary topics, particularly the influence of digital media on political and social topics through comparative perspectives between the U.S. and other countries. Her most recent project, “Multimodal Analysis of Mental Health Rhetoric on TikTok” examines narratives across the U.S., Brazil, and Egypt. She also specializes in strategic communication, with a focus on social marketing and nonprofit campaigns, where she supervised several capstone projects focusing on community development and raising awareness.
In her previous roles, Dr. Hassan has taught at University of Rhode Island and Roger Williams University, where she taught international communication, Digital Media in a Global Context, Communication Fundamentals, Social Marketing and strategic communication. Beyond academia, Dr. Hassan has trained media professionals and students in digital marketing and corporate social responsibility. She has collaborated with organizations such as the U.S. Embassy in Doha on cultural and educational initiatives and coordinated intercultural dialogue programs between Qatar University and Boston College.
Dr. Zachariah Wheeler
Visiting Assistant Professor in Political Science at Providence College.
Dr. Wheeler is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work examines the relationships between media, culture, and politics. He completed a PhD in Political and Cultural Thought in the ASPECT program at Virginia Tech, as well as a Master of Arts in Cinema Studies at New York University, NY and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Film Studies at Salisbury University, MD. His recent research is focused on how class divisions in the post-industrial era have reshaped American politics and culture. At PC, Dr. Wheeler has taught Electoral and Campaign Communication, and this semester, he is teaching Introduction to Communication, as well as Mass Media and Politics, which is cross-listed with American Studies. Next semester, he will be teaching Media and Society.
