Alena is a scholar of Polish literature, cultural history, and contemporary popular music. She is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University.
She holds a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of Michigan and was the 2019-2020 University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Her RESEARCH explores the relationship between Polish hip-hop, the nation’s poetic tradition, and the performance of genre and national authenticity. As a TEACHER at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, she has taught General Education courses, first-year writing seminars, and upper-level writing courses in topics including Eastern European cinema, travel literature, Eastern European hip-hop, and narrative and genre. She is trained in curriculum design, writing pedagogy, and inclusive teaching techniques. She is also a WRITER and TRANSLATOR with over ten years’ experience in culture writing and Polish to English translation for publications in the United States and Poland. Her writing on Polish culture has appeared in the Journal of Popular Music Studies, Culture.pl, Cosmopolitan Review, and Mercurian: A Theatrical Translation Review. |