YEREVAN, Armenia — The American University of Armenia (AUA) is pleased to welcome Dr. Timothy DeMay as an assistant professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Dr. DeMay brings with him international academic and creative experience. Most recently a postdoctoral fellow at the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh, he teaches courses in theory, film, literature, and creative writing. He earned his Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Chicago, building on earlier graduate studies that included an M.A. in French from Middlebury College and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland. His academic journey has taken him across the globe — from Cairo and Paris to Amman and Fez — experiences that have deeply enriched both his scholarship and his teaching.
For Dr. DeMay, joining AUA represents not only an exciting professional step but also a chance to settle into a community after years of a more itinerant life. “Being able to commit to a place, an institution, a community, and to grow with it feels really meaningful,” he reflected, adding that the University’s vibrant academic environment has already impressed him, particularly after attending screenings hosted by the AUA Film Society.At the heart of Dr. DeMay’s teaching philosophy is a commitment to nurturing a genuine love of reading and writing. “It sounds banal, I guess, but it’s so easy to not read and to not write these days, and I honestly do not believe there are more important acts for mental and social development,” he explained. For him, reading enables “dramatic interactions of difference” that expand perspectives beyond the familiar, while writing offers a mirror that allows writers to see themselves anew.
Dr. DeMay’s research closely informs his teaching. He studies the intersections between experimental art and political resistance, exploring practices that emerge as alternatives to increasingly homogenized and surveilled cultural environments. His recent work examines postal networks in relation to a post-WWII art movement known as “Mail Art,” which he frames alongside questions of privacy and what he terms “parasitic sabotage.”
In the classroom, Dr. DeMay favors a return to the basics — “Analog! Return to paper, pen, speech,” as he puts it — while encouraging students to experiment with form and risk-taking in their work. He emphasizes the importance of open discussions and creative assignments, such as writing in another author’s style or composing a blank verse poem as an essay.
Outside of academia, Dr. DeMay has started collecting antique watches and is already keeping an eye out for unique finds in Yerevan’s Vernissage market. He is also eager to explore Armenia through its culinary traditions, noting his desire to “know everything about every food and drink in this country.”
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.