Washington DC

Fall 2021

Dr. Lincoln Hanks 

Associate Professor of Music, Fine Arts Division, Seaver College

Office Location: MB 245

Office Hours: by virtual appointment only (will be teaching online during Fall 2020) 

Composing music for the concert stage has been a primary interest for N. Lincoln Hanks as a professional musician, and his compositions have been performed throughout the world by many distinguished performing artists and groups, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Cyprus String Quartet, The Dale Warland Singers, and the California Bach Society. His epic solo piano work, Monstre sacré was recently featured on New Generations, a solo CD recording with Paul Barnes, pianist, under Philip Glass' Orange Mountain Music label. For over twenty-two years, Lincoln has directed the music composition program at Pepperdine University in Malibu, where he conducts Pepperdine's The Pickford Ensemble, a premiere new music group that specializes in performing new works scored for film and other visual media.

Spring 2022

Dr. April Marshall

Professor of Hispanic Studies, International Studies and Languages Division, Seaver College

Office Location:PLC 195

Office Hours: TBA

April D. Marshall has explored El Yunque in Puerto Rico, snorkeled with sharks in the Galápagos, walked the city walls of Dubrovnik, and boated across Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. She is originally from Louisville, Kentucky and a double alumna of the University of Louisville. Her doctorate is from New York University in Latin American literatures and cultures. She studied abroad in Spain and Venezuela. She arrived at Pepperdine in 2003. April is a professor of Hispanic Studies in the International Studies and Languages division at Seaver College. She has traveled with Pepperdine students to Buenos Aires and Madrid. She loves museums and busy city streets. She is excited to return to DC, a city she has visited several times. There is nothing quite like the combination of politics, history, and culture found in DC!

Fall 2022

Dr.  J. Christopher "Chris" Soper

Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Social Science Division, Seaver College

Office: APC 247

Chris Soper is a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Seaver College and teaches a variety of classes in American and Comparative Politics. He completed his PhD at Yale University and has been teaching at Pepperdine for more than 25 years.  Chris and his wife Jane (an elementary school teacher and administrator) have served previously in the Heidelberg and London campuses.  Chris and Jane are excited to explore the extraordinary cultural opportunities in DC and Chris (not surprisingly given his background) looks forward to spirited and respectful discussions about politics as we live in our nation’s capital.   

Spring 2023

Dr. Michael Ditmore

Professor, English, Humanities/Teacher Education Division, Seaver College

Office: CAC 106

Michael Ditmore is a Professor of English at Seaver College and teaches classes in early American literature, American Studies, Humanities, and Great Books. He is a graduate of Austin College and the University of Texas-Austin, and is presently in his 28th year at Pepperdine. Michael and his wife Tammy (a freelance editor) have served previously in the Florence and London campuses, and they are especially energized by the prospect of a semester in the nation’s capital with its virtually endless and extraordinary cultural resources and opportunities (and maybe government, too). Michael heartily subscribes to something Founder Thomas Jefferson once wrote: “I cannot live without books.” (He’s also a fan of “all men are created equal,” which we’ll see at the National Archives.)

Dr. Brian Newman 

Professor of Political Science, Social Science Division

Office: AC 252

Brian Newman has taught political science at Pepperdine for 18 years, focusing on US politics. He grew up in Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University for undergrad and Duke for grad school.  He loves the beach, books of all stripes, the Michigan State Spartans, the Detroit Tigers (somewhat unfortunately), roller coasters, and tacos.  His wife, Dina, and their four kids have loved their time as faculty in residence family in London, Buenos Aires, and Washington, DC. He’s thrilled to be going back to DC and its mix of politics, history, culture, and ice cream.