Brigid Doherty, who has served on the faculty since 2003, focuses on the interdisciplinary study of 20th-century art and literature, with special emphasis on relationships among the visual arts, literature, and aesthetic and psychoanalytic theories of German modernism.

She is an associated faculty member in the School of Architecture and is a member of the executive committee of the Program in Media and Modernity.

Doherty’s colleagues highlight her dedication to graduate students, who enroll in her courses from across the humanities. “What is extraordinary about her graduate teaching and advising is the blend of rigor and sensitivity in her relationships with her students,” noted a faculty member, adding that she “demands the highest quality of work — in seminar papers and dissertations alike — but she also demonstrates, over many hours of meetings and conferences, how that work is to be done.”

A colleague who has co-taught courses with Doherty noted: “Brigid distinguishes herself in the classroom through the intensity and engagement of her teaching. … She is an unusually focused listener, and is able to draw from every comment just the element most likely to further the general discussion. This same care is equally evident in her comments on student work — her comments are extensive, critical in an enormously constructive way, and always encouraging.”

Doherty’s course “Art Against Culture? that centered on the work of the German artist Hanne Darboven and included graduate and undergraduate students. One graduate student said: “This class — entirely unique in its scope and organization in my academic experience — was particularly important for me as a graduate student because Professor Doherty created an environment for open inquiry in which I felt comfortable to act both as student and as a mentor of sorts for the younger members of the seminar. Working through difficult texts and concepts, I felt Professor Doherty guiding me both as a thinker and as a future teacher.”

A former undergraduate student commended Doherty’s close critical attention to academic work — and her broader influence. “Professor Doherty encouraged me to engage in the academic life of the University beyond the classroom,” she said, such as inspiring her to organize a film series and helping her build connections at Princeton and in Germany.