Professor Gottlieb studied philosophy at Cambridge University, which at the time was the only place in Britain where one could do a three year undergraduate course devoted entirely to philosophy. Upon completing his time at Cambridge, Professor Gottlieb began graduate work at University College London, after which he became a journalist and editor at The Economist. Remaining on the staff for 23 years, until the summer of 2006, he ultimately decided to leave and focus more on his own writing and teaching. However, he did not sever all ties with The Economist, and he still continues to write and broadcast a weekly podcast on current affairs.

While at The Economist, Professor Gottlieb had a parallel freelance career writing history of philosophy, culminating in his book The Dream of Reason, published in 2000 by Norton and Company. The product of ten years of research, the book covers the history of philosophy from the Ancient Greeks through the Renaissance thinkers. Professor Gottlieb is also the author of many articles ranging from Descartes to general theories of consciousness, and his most resent article published in the New Yorker was on the subject of Atheism. Having held many previous teaching posts, Professor Gottlieb came to CUNY as a result of meeting some of the members of the philosophy department, one of whom joined an informal philosophy discussion group which he runs. In addition to philosophy, Professor Gottlieb also fosters a deep appreciation of classical music.

Through his various interests in philosophy, the history of ideas, and journalism, professor Gottlieb disciplines to reach a single goal, while at the same time is a specialist in multiple subjects. Currently, Professor Gottlieb is working on a book for the Yale University Press about the concept of nothingness.
 

Like most students within the MALS program, Sara Rutkowski is employed full time while taking courses at the Graduate Center.  As the spokesperson for the City's Department of Cultural Affairs, the agency responsible for supporting non-profit theater, museums, and performing and visual arts, she is immersed in the political and cultural aspects of the City.  “Having to constantly think about what our message is has helped make me more receptive to different, often competing ideas.”

This became especially important while studying abroad in Beijing last fall.  Taking a brief leave of absence from work, Sara began an independent study under CUNY Professor Donald Stone.  Writing about contemporary Chinese fiction and how it has been influenced by -- and has itself influenced -- cultural, political, and economic changes in China over the past few decades, she was especially interested in the 1980's period of the ‘avant garde’.  After studying both the literature and culture of China, Sara gained a deep appreciation of how Chinese works of this period tended to challenge and collapse boundaries between the past and the present, life and death, and the horrific and the absurd.  “I knew very little about Chinese literature before I started this project, so I felt a little intimidated and ill-equipped to act as an interpreter who could offer any informed critique or analysis. But as I delved further, I realized that the literature was both remote and immediate for me and this tension made it particularly interesting and exciting to write about. Maybe more so than anything familiar.”  Ultimately Sara hopes to expand upon what she’s done during her independent study, and plans on doing further research on the subject for her thesis. 

Alumni Profile: Melis Ece

Melis Ece came to the MALS program as a graduate of the Business Management Department of the Middle East Technical University.  With work experience in international policy, development, and environmental protection, Melis decided to pursue graduate studies in order to expand her knowledge and acquire necessary skills for future prospects of work.  The International Studies specialization of the MALS program offered her a unique opportunity to explore interests in international policy-making through a multidimensional and interdisciplinary perspective.

 “At the MALS program, the classes offered in international studies on topics such as international migration and cultural effects of colonialism allowed me to situate the international policy-making within larger historical, economic, and political processes of social change. I also had the opportunity to take classes from different disciplinary fields, among which anthropology became my main focus.”

For her Master’s thesis, Melis wrote about the history of social and economic differentiation between the Black Sea and South-Eastern Regions of Turkey.  “The MALS program was extremely helpful for me to acquire the necessary theoretical and methodological skills to pursue a Ph.D.”  Currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology at the Graduate Center, her dissertation focuses on changing state policies of nature conservation and the transformation of local authority and property relations through the example of villages evicted from the Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal.