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Kevin Farrell

Professor

RUC-English, Dept of

Address:

9th Floor, Rm 926
Radford University Carilion

Hello and welcome to my page! I split time between Radford and Roanoke, teaching undergraduate writing and literature courses at both the Radford University main campus and the Radford University Carilion campus. I've been at Radford since 2019, having previously taught at Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Iowa Wesleyan College, Albright College, the Catholic University of America and the Cardinal Gibbons School. When I'm not in the classroom or commuting between campuses, I'm usually writing about Irish literature, popular music or both.

Relevant Courses

Principles of College Composition (ENGL 111): This class introduces you to fundamental concepts and skills necessary to write successfully in college.

Critical Reading and Writing in the Digital Age (ENGL 112): This class builds on material covered in ENGL 111, giving students the opportunity to explore a topic of their choice and write about it in a variety of genres.

British and Commonwealth Literature (ENGL 202): This class covers roughly 1,000 years of English literature, focusing on works from Great Britain, Ireland, Africa, India and the Caribbean.

Writing About Sciences (ENGL 313): This class is built around the broad theme of scientific progress and its effects on society. Within that framework, students explore a topic that interests them in order to both inform and persuade and audience.

The Author in Context (ENGL 470): A deep dive into the life and work of a single author, this class is an opportunity to see how an individual writer developed over time; recent offerings have focused on James Joyce and William Butler Yeats.

Service Roles

RUC Essay Contest Coordinator: This contest is open to all students taking classes at Radford University Carilion (RUC), with submissions evaluated holistically by RUC-based faculty members. Prizes are awarded to both the winner and the runner-up.

Faculty Senate Vice-President / Faculty Senate Executive Council: As a member of the FSEC, I assist the Radford University Faculty Senate President with the planning of senate business.

Faculty Senator (At-Large): I serve as a representative of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences (CHBS) faculty, responding to issues which affect both faculty and the wider university community.

Select Publications & Presentations

  • Pandemic Playlist: An Exploration of COVID-inspired Popular Music (Lexington Books, 2024).
  • "'But Not My Soul': Rhiannon Giddens on Resisting the Nightmare of American History." PopMeC Research Blog (2023).
  • "'If You Listen Carefully Now, You Will Hear': Spectral Music in A Brief History of Seven Killings." Journal of Historical Fictions (4:1, 2022).
  • "A Portrait of the Artist in a Pop Song: Images of James Joyce in Popular Music." In R. Hibbett (ed.), Lit-Rock, Bloomsbury Press (2022).
  • "'If I Should Fall from Grace with God': The Joycean Punk of The Pogues." New Hibernia Review (24:2, 2020).
  • "Nationalism and Post-nationalism in Rattle and Hum." New Hibernia Review (23:1, 2019).

Education Experience

  • Ph.D. in English Language and Literature, The Catholic University of America
  • M.A. in Irish Studies, The Catholic University of America
  • B.A. in Philosophy, University of Notre Dame

Other Interests

Music, record collecting, Notre Dame football, Liverpool Football Club.

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