Laurie Ross comes to UC Berkeley after completing her B.A. (Magna cum laude) in Performance and Psychology from New York University in 2001, and her M.A. in Performance Studies from NYU in 2002. In addition, Ross has a substantial record of study in the art of Sundanese (West Java) masked performance, as well as extensive teaching experience in performing arts in the U.S. and Europe. At NYU, Ross’ research interests included the contextual distinctions among the many Ramayana traditions in Southeast Asia and their link to studies on orality and literacy, and notions of non-verbal communication in relation to Asian and Euroamerican performance. She now proposes to enhance her expertise in performance by delving more deeply into textual and oral traditions, and she is particularly interested in developing comparative studies between West Javanese and South Indian traditions. José Alaniz, a Townsend Dissertation Fellow in 2001- 02 and a Ph.D. student in the Department of Comparative Literature, will be her mentor.