Director, Women's & Gender Studies/Professor
Writing, Lang and Lit, School of
Hemphill Hall 4125
PO Box 6935
Howdy! My research and teaching interests tend to focus on the many dimensions of disability studies. For example, courses I offer often involve teaching students how to test websites for usability, mentoring students as they prototype accessible board games, writing about representations of disability in horror movies and video games or comparing theories of mental illness in Victorian and contemporary British literature and film. Although I love teaching, I encourage students to find their own passion in English Studies. As a result, many of them have gone on to careers outside of teaching, like marketing for Sesame Street and AT&T, proposal writing for nonprofit organizations, creative writing for game development companies and usability consulting for businesses.
Professional Writing Technologies (ENGL 308): In this course, we explore the dynamics of networked environments and digital spaces by examining their social, cultural, political, legal, ethical and rhetorical dimensions. Additionally, we focus on the analysis and design of professional documents, both printed and electronic. In this class, "document" takes on a comprehensive meaning to include print (posters and forms), audio (podcasts), audiovisual (videos) and digital (websites / content management systems). We study both the theory of and the practice of creating these documents.
Game Design (ENGL 315): This class surveys the fundamental and professional practices of game design, including the basic mechanics of video games and tabletop (board) games and the processes involved in game development and promotion. We investigate concept and design elements as you begin developing your own games, as well as approaches to rapid prototyping, models of project management, research techniques, the game revision process, pitching games for funding, crowdsourcing, usability testing and accessibility.
Victorian Literature (ENGL 438): This course introduces students to the development of "psychological realism"--the dominant genre of British fiction during the Victorian era--and its relationship to 19th-century (pre-Freudian) psychology. The focus of the course is predominantly historical; that is, rather than applying contemporary psychological models to 19th-century fiction, we study how Victorian novelists and poets understood the mind and how they were influenced by, and in turn helped to influence, contemporary debates in the field of psychology, including topics such as phrenology, attention, consciousness and even telepathy!
Contemporary Literature (ENGL 451): When I teach this course, I offer an introduction to contemporary British literature in an era of profound political and economic change and social upheaval. We explore novels, music and film profoundly influenced by the shadow of war, by immigration from the former colonies, by dramatic shifts in gender relations and sexuality, by class conflict and de-industrialization and by the "break up" of Britain.
Author in Context (ENGL 470): When I teach this course, we focus on how major writers and directors in the horror genre often have been considered as being among the lowest and most exploitive of creators. Despite such criticisms, the horror genre is more complex than it initially may seem to be; lurking beneath the bloody surface are unique insights and commentaries on various contexts in which such works of literature and film were produced. Critics from a variety of fields have recognized that horror literature and film provide a complicated but popular forum in which social tensions may be interrogated.
Special Topics in English (ENGL 680): I have taught this graduate-level course in multiple ways, such as a focus on literature and film by and about people with physical and mental health conditions, an exploration of theories of horror and a survey of how representations of sex and gender have changed in the history of the British novel.
Women's and Gender Studies Director: I provide academic leadership for the Women's and Gender Studies Program, overseeing curriculum development, faculty coordination and strategic planning. I also foster interdisciplinary collaboration, support student engagement and promote initiatives related to equity, inclusion and social justice.
Publication Seminar Leader: In this informal graduate-level seminar, we discuss and practice the major writing skills necessary to be successful in the publication of an academic article, including the ideas that you need to consider when revising a paper written for a course. Additionally, we address the ins and outs of academic publishing, including article selection, journal selection and the review process. Finally, we workshop your articles so that they are ready to send out by the end of the semester.
Cinema and Screen Studies Committee Member: This committee discusses and implements changes to the Cinema and Screen Studies Minor, housed in the School of Communication.
Safe Zone Level 2 Trainer: In this role, I help student, faculty and staff participants expand their knowledge about LGBTQ+ inclusion, advocacy and allyship.
I volunteer for The Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Virginia. I have six cats and three aquariums full of fish, and I love Taylor Swift (The Tortured Poets Department is my favorite album!).