Washington DC

Dr. Charles Hall

charles.hall@pepperdine.edu

Professor of Sociology
Social Science Division, Seaver College

Charles Hall served for 14 years as Dean of International Programs.  During his time as dean, he opened the Switzerland and China program and brought the Washington DC program under the responsibility of IP.   Dr. Hall also created the Global Fellows Program during his time as dean.  Presently, Dr. Hall is a full-time faculty member in the Social Science Division. He teaches courses in Sociology of Religion and the Sociology of Death and Dying.  His research is on Christian Nationalism and Race in the South in the 1960’s and 70’s.  He will be joined in DC by his wife Lori Hall.  They have 4 children and 8 grandchildren. 

Dr. Robert Williams

robert.williams@pepperdine.edu

Professor of Political Science
Social Science Division, Seaver College

Dr. Robert E. Williams, Jr. is professor of political science at Pepperdine University, where he has been teaching since 1992. Before joining the faculty of Seaver College, he taught at Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) in Springfield, Missouri and at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas.

At Pepperdine, Williams teaches International Relations, Ethics and International Politics, and International Organizations and Law.

Ame Cividanes

ame.cividanes@pepperdine.edu

Professor of Hispanic Studies
International Studies and Languages Division

Dr. Ame Cividanes, Professor of Teaching of Hispanic Studies, received her Ph.D. in Contemporary Spanish Literature from Florida State University, with a secondary specialization in Curriculum Development and Second Language Acquisition. She previously taught Spanish at Pepperdine from 1997 to 2000 and directed the Buenos Aires summer program in 1999.

Dr. Cividanes brings a wealth of experience in language education, having served as Director of the Spanish and Portuguese Language Program at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. She has taught all levels of Spanish language, literature, and culture, and held prior appointments at the University of Miami, where she was Intensive Language Program Coordinator, and at Florida Atlantic University.

Dr. Cividanes has over 20 years of experience leading intensive language and culture programs in Latin America and Spain. At Yale, she served as both faculty and director for the university’s programs in Bilbao, Spain, and Quito, Ecuador. In Spring 2025, Dr. Cividanes served as Faculty in Residence for Pepperdine’s International Programs in Switzerland, and this summer, she is directing Pepperdine’s Upper Division Program in Madrid. 

Her lifelong commitment to fostering intercultural understanding at the university level remains a personal and professional passion. She is also deeply committed to Pepperdine’s Christian mission, and views her work—both in and outside the classroom—as a way to serve and guide students in their academic, personal, and spiritual growth.