Teaching
I teach in a variety of settings, from first-year to graduate seminars, from introductory courses to advanced research groups, and to various groups outside the university. I also try to write about teaching, when time permits.
Courses
Introduction to Shakespeare. One of my main courses is an introductory Shakespeare course. Until a few years ago, this course was required of English majors, but that's no longer the case. Initially, I resisted the change--I still don't love it--but one of its virtues is that a much higher proportion of students take the class because they want to. This class is so much fun.
Archives and the History of the Book. I am fortunate to work in close proximity to KU's Kenneth Spencer Research Library, which boasts an impressive collection of books and other archival materials. Starting in 2013 and into the present, I have taught several archive-focused courses at the Spencer, including two spectacularly pleasurable sections of History of the Book in 2017. The success of these sections had little to do with me and much more to do with the highly engaged students who enrolled. It was amazing!
Early Modern English Literature. I have taught plenty of other courses, including Milton, honors and graduate seminars on Shakespeare and early modern drama, and eclectic courses on early modern English writings. One of my favorites (though perhaps not a student favorite) was called "Renaissance Con Artists and Mad Scientists."
The Future? In the next few years, I hope to continue offering the courses above, but I also want to add new offerings to the mix: Computational Text Analysis (or Humanities Data Science), What Was the Premodern?, Early Modern Rhetoric and Poetics, and Shakespeare Scholarship for the Twenty-first Century.
- From 2014-16, I submitted my ENGL 332 course to a series of revisions aimed at enhancing student learning. These revisions, made in cahoots with KU's Center for Teaching Excellence, resulted in a teaching portfolio, which you can find here.
- One of the most pleasurable and productive aspects of my Shakespeare course is the creative assignment students can complete. Based on this assignment and on the huge array of students' response to it, I recently published an essay in a collection titled Creating the Premodern in the Postmodern Classroom.
Archives and the History of the Book. I am fortunate to work in close proximity to KU's Kenneth Spencer Research Library, which boasts an impressive collection of books and other archival materials. Starting in 2013 and into the present, I have taught several archive-focused courses at the Spencer, including two spectacularly pleasurable sections of History of the Book in 2017. The success of these sections had little to do with me and much more to do with the highly engaged students who enrolled. It was amazing!
Early Modern English Literature. I have taught plenty of other courses, including Milton, honors and graduate seminars on Shakespeare and early modern drama, and eclectic courses on early modern English writings. One of my favorites (though perhaps not a student favorite) was called "Renaissance Con Artists and Mad Scientists."
The Future? In the next few years, I hope to continue offering the courses above, but I also want to add new offerings to the mix: Computational Text Analysis (or Humanities Data Science), What Was the Premodern?, Early Modern Rhetoric and Poetics, and Shakespeare Scholarship for the Twenty-first Century.
Directed Student Research
One of the great honors of my job is to direct student research projects. I have been involved with dozens of undergraduate projects, honors theses, MA theses, and Ph.D. dissertations. The topics have ranged from my own areas of specialization to creative writing and beyond. I'm especially interested in directing student projects that extend humanities inquiry in new directions while maintaining the rigor of the discipline.
If you are working on a project (or planning to!) and think I could help in any way, please don't hesitate to contact me.
If you are working on a project (or planning to!) and think I could help in any way, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Outside the University
It's been my great pleasure, in the last few years, to teach in various settings outside the university. From these communities, I have learned to think about what people who are not literary scholars value about reading texts from the past.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The KU Osher folks have asked me to teach two courses and other one-day events. These are SO MUCH FUN. The participants are genuinely excited to get in the weeds of Shakespeare's language.
Shepherd's Center of Topeka. This interfaith group has asked me to come and talk about Shakespeare.
The New Generation Society of Lawrence. With the NGSL, I've talked about what makes Shakespeare so special, after all.
Lawrence High School. With Humanities students at the local high school, I talked about Shakespeare's language.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. The KU Osher folks have asked me to teach two courses and other one-day events. These are SO MUCH FUN. The participants are genuinely excited to get in the weeds of Shakespeare's language.
Shepherd's Center of Topeka. This interfaith group has asked me to come and talk about Shakespeare.
The New Generation Society of Lawrence. With the NGSL, I've talked about what makes Shakespeare so special, after all.
Lawrence High School. With Humanities students at the local high school, I talked about Shakespeare's language.
