Sunday 15 June 2025
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
A faculty member in the Merritt Writing Program since 2013, Rebeca Antoine's teaching interests include Creative Writing, First-Year Composition, arts writing, and the use of narrative to explore the intersections of race, class, and gender.
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
Daniel Ayala is a highly experienced composition instructor who has had the pleasure of living and teaching throughout the United States. Drawing upon an extensive multidisciplinary academic and professional background, Daniel encourages students to develop new connections and expand ideas through an iterative, recursive writing process. In his teaching, Daniel aims to provide an engaging introduction to the world of ideas that students will encounter during their undergraduate education. His selection of readings introduces students to the diverse intellectual traditions of the humanities, including imaginative, expository, and argumentative texts. Daniel is passionate about guiding students through this transformative stage of their academic journey, striving to cultivate a spirit of curiosity and love of learning that students will carry into the future.
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
Alex Block joined UC Merced's Merritt Writing Program in 2013. She holds a doctorate in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a focus on non-dramatic early modern English literature, and previously taught literature and scholarly writing at Bucknell University, Duke University, and her graduate institution. She is a past director of UW-Madison's Online Writing Center and a past assistant director of the Duke Writing Studio.
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
John Bultena grew up and was raised in Merced. His teaching focuses on writing in the field of Engineering. In addition, his SPARK seminar, “Dungeons & Dragons Skills IRL?” has allowed students to delve into inquiry regarding tabletop roleplaying games, including their therapeutic applications, marketing, critiques of statistical models, question of AI, play in adults, and many more while bringing in speakers from the professional world of tabletop games. John is also a part-time academic librarian. He is also an avid streamer of his actual play series, Abraxas’ Precipice.
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
I have been a lecturer in the Merritt Writing Program since 2009. My research and teaching interests include writing studies, rhetoric, peer tutoring, science writing, first-year composition, grammar and style, games and culture, and information literacy. I have an English M.A. with a double-concentration in Literature and in Rhetoric and the Teaching of Writing and enjoy assisting students in developing their writing skills. I also have a Masters of Information and Library Science degree and love helping students engage with the research process.
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
Christa Fraser is a Continuing Lecturer in the Merritt Writing Program. She specializes in teaching writing for historic and emergent contexts and creative, professional, and hybrid writing. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has been a fiction fellow at both MacDowell and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. She has been a fiction and creative nonfiction instructor for the International Writing Program's and has also taught six-week young writers' Fiction and Creative Nonfiction courses for several U.S. Embassies. She was born and raised in the Central Valley of California, where she has deep roots.
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
I am a published author in Writing Studies with several publications and experience as the initiator of the online version of the UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal.
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
Dr. Matt Snyder’s research focuses on writing, representation, and the Holocaust.
Merritt Writing Program
School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts
I am a proud UCM faculty member who strives to help students meet learning outcomes and larger life goals through engaging in research, writing and critical thinking.
