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Academics: School of Arts & Sciences
“The Language and Literature Department is awesome! You not only get a greater appreciation for the written word, but the faculty makes it come alive!”
– Brittany Bennett, Language and Literature graduate
If you are able to read and understand this sentence, then you are already familiar with English as both a language and a field of study. English, in a nutshell, deals with how human beings communicate with each other through writing. Chowan University’s Language and Literature Department offers a variety of English classes focusing on:
- Composition
- Literature
- Creative writing
All Chowan students take English 101: College Composition and English 102: Composition and Introduction to Literature. These classes are designed to build upon what you have learned previously about reading and writing and to empower you to join a discourse community of scholarly writers. Composition is not focused on reviewing fundamental rules of grammar; rather, it is designed to help you write with sophistication about the material you study as a college student.
Literature classes focus on the scholarly analysis of literary texts—that is to say:
- Works of fiction
- Poetry
- Drama
- Creative nonfiction
Literature classes require us to pay careful attention to details found within those texts and help us hone our observational and analytical skills. These are skills that have broad application beyond just the English classroom (in fact, many medical schools now require their students to take advanced literature classes in the belief that the powers of observation developed in those classes will result in more observant and insightful doctors coming out of their programs).
Creative writing classes, of course, deal with the imagination, but they also build upon the work done in the composition and literature classes by continuing to emphasize paying attention to detail and expressing oneself with clarity and precision. In these classes, we focus not just on what we’re trying to say, but exactly how best to say it.
Additionally, Chowan students learn to express themselves during the following classes offered by the Department of Language and Literature:
In our global culture, these skills are essential for an educated person.
As technology has advanced, people rely on the written word more and more—think of how often you read the online version of a newspaper, or send an email or a text message to a friend or loved one. We seem to be entering a new golden age of textual communication; a strong background in English will help you to navigate this Brave New World.
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G. Kenneth Wolfskill, PhD Distinguished Professor of English Chair, Language and Literature |
"I enjoy my teaching because it is, first, about language, and it is only through language that ideas and the mind can develop, and, second, it is about ideas and the thinking that occur to human beings in a conversation."
Education:
BA - English, English Certification, Samford University, Birmingham, Al, 1967
MA - English, University of Kentucky, Lexington, 1968
PhD - English, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1980
Dissertation: The Modern Temper: The Problem of Rationalism in the
Works of Ernest Hemingway, Archibald MacLeish, and Robinson Jeffers.
Courses Taught:
Freshman Composition
Introduction to Literature Studies
Young Adult Literature
British Romantic Poetry
Modern American Poetry
Awards
- Certificate of Merit, Academic Advising, Chowan College, 1991
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Excellence in Teaching Award, Chowan College, 1992
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Order of Lux et Veritas, Chowan College, 1998
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Promotion to Distinguished Professor, Chowan College, 2004
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NEH Summer Seminar: America in the 1930s, UNC-Chapel Hill, 1993
Work for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS):
Since 1993, served as member of 16 Visiting or Off-site Committees to evaluate sister institutions in the South, 3 times coordinating the evaluation of academic programs.
Textbook Development in Literature, Composition, and Grammar:
Have served as consultant to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and McGraw-Hill in the revision of texts: Lawrence Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, Anna Katsavos and Elizabeth Wheeler’s Complements, Robert DiYanni’s Perspectives, John Hodges’s The Harbrace College Handbook, and John Frederick Nims’s Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry.
Presentations:
“Ernest Hemingway and the Problem of Rationalism,” Forum/Lyceum, Chowan College, 1983.
“The Eyes of Ligeia,” Keynote address to Teachers of English, NC Baptist Colleges and Universities, Mars Hill, NC 1984.
“Pastoral Virtues: The Small Farm in American Literature,” NC Farm Symposium, Elizabeth City, NC, 1984.
“Read Everything Else First,” a review of Guy Davenport’s Every Force Evolves a Form, the Greensboro News and Record, 1987.
“A Tan and Randy Assignment: John D. MacDonald on the Syllabus,” English Teachers, NC Bapt Colleges and Universities, Meredith, Raleigh, 1988.
“A Dreadful Yellow Eye: Why Travis McGee Never Got to TV,” Popular Culture Association, Norfolk, VA, 1991.
“The Poetry (and Art) of the 1930s,” NEH Summer Seminar: America in the 1930s, UNC-Chapel Hill, 1993.
“The Worker’s Voice in Odets’s Waiting for Lefty, Conference on Literature of Leadership, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC, 1996.
“Synecdoche! I’ve been there!: Disunderstood Metaphors,” Rotary Club of Murfreesboro, April 1999.
“A Word for the Practice of Stereotyping,” Keynote Address at Exchange Club of Murfreesboro, annual Book of Golden Deeds Supper, 2000.
“Kenny’s Excellent Adventure: Snorkeling in South Florida,” Rotary Club of Murfreesboro, September 2003.
“Dimensions,” Poem for Faculty Exhibit, Chowan Art Department, April 2004.
“Reader-Response: Bringing Students into the Discussion,” Comer/Literacy Conference, Hertford County Public Schools, March 2005.
“Tell All the Truth, but Tell It Slant: Poetry in Mark Twain’s Era,” Chowan College Interdisciplinary Symposium on Mark Twain, April 2005.
“The Undone Archetype: War Stories and Reality,” Chowan College Interdisciplinary Symposium on War, April 2006.
“The Grotesque South: Flannery O’Conner’s Fiction,” Chowan College Interdisciplinary Symposium on War, April 2007.
“Story Telling: A Layman’s Message,” Murfreesboro United Methodist Church, October 2007.
“The La-de-da Factor and the Appreciation of Literature,” Rotary Club of Murfreesboro, October 2007.
“’O Taste and See’: Attitudes toward the Environment in Literature,” Chowan College Interdisciplinary Symposium on Ecology, April 2008.
“Through a Glass Darkly: A Layman’s Message,” Murfreesboro United Methodist Church, July 2008.
“Slouching Towards Bethlehem: A Layman’s Message,” Murfreesboro United Methodist Church, November 2009.
“The Spirit of the Place: Georgia O’Keeffe’s New Mexico,” Chowan College Interdisciplinary Symposium on Ecology, April 2010.
“Mighty Pretty Collards: A Layman’s Message,” Murfreesboro United Methodist Church, July 2010.
“We Have Heard Angels: A Layman’s Message,” Murfreesboro United Methodist Church, November 2010.
“Buffalo Bill: A Layman’s Message,” Murfreesboro United Methodist Men’s Breakfast, January 2011.
“The Magic Hand of Chance,” Chowan University Salon, April 2011.
Professional Organizations:
- President, North Carolina-Virginia College English Association, 2001-2002
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National Council of Teachers of English
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Modern Language Association
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Association of Departments of English, MLA
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South Atlantic Modern Language Association
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Conference on Christianity and Literature
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American Literature Society
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Popular Culture Association of the South
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John H. Davis Professor of English Faculty Marshall Sponsor, Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society Co-Sponsor, Alpha Chi International Academic Honor Society |
"I like literature because it offers insights into humanity by heightening and focusing the human condition within artistic structures inviting investigation and discussion that challenge both mind and emotion."
Education:
John Davis received his B.A. degree with Honors in English from the University of Montevallo. He received his Masters in Literature and his Ph.D. degree in American Literature from Auburn University. He did his dissertation on Mark Twain and the Dream, the uses of the dream in his fiction. John Davis came to work at Chowan University in 1981.
Courses Taught:
Composition
Survey of American Literature
Appreciation of Film
Southern Literature
American Realism
Mark Twain
Awards of Honor:
- Order of Lux et Veritas 2006
- Keynote Speaker, The World of Mark Twain: A Faculty Interdisciplinary Symposium
- (Sponsor: Dept. of History), Chowan College, Apr. 22-25, 2005.
- Commencement Speaker (chosen by Chowan seniors) 1996
- Carnegie-Mellon Fellow (Chaucer Workshop, Vanderbilt U.) Spring 1981
- NDEA Graduate Fellowship 1967-1970
- Senior Elite in English (chosen by English faculty, Alabama College) 1966-1967
Publications:
"Bridging the Gap: The Twin Kingdoms of The Prince and the Pauper." Mark Twain's
Geographical Imagination [Tentative Title]. Ed. Joseph Alvarez. Columbia: U. of Missouri Press, Forthcoming.
Critical Companion to Mark Twain: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work.
R. Kent Rasmussen, With Critical Commentary by
John H. Davis and Alex Feerst. 2 Vols. New York: Facts on File
The Mark Twain Encyclopedia. Ed. J.R. LeMaster and James D. Wilson. New York: Garland Publishing, 1993. 13 Articles.
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Steven Harders
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"To me, Chowan University is an ideal place to learn because you can kick back with friends and a burger in the Hawks Nest, shoot some hoops in the Jenkins Center, delve into a good book in the library, or take a casual stroll across squirrel park. Our cozy campus is a great place to find friends, discover your potential, and define your future."
Education:
Steve Harders received his B.A. degree in Theatre Arts from Marycrest International University in Iowa. He received his Masters of Fine Art degree in Directing from Virginia Commonwealth University. Steve Harders came to work at Chowan University in 2003.
Courses Taught:
Public Speaking
Drama Appreciation
Voice and Articulation
Theatre Production
Performance I
Wendy S. Dower
Associate Professor of English
"There is no other occupation that is as satisfying when students make the connections and the lights go on. The only more satisfying moment comes when a student makes a connection across disciplines. Then a different light goes on as a student realizes there is a reason for the diversity of classes Chowan requires besides the study of the major: it adds up to an education, not a job."
Education:
Wendy Dower received her Associate's Degree in English from St. Petersburg Junior College. She received her B.A. and her Masters degrees in English from the University of South Florida. She received her Ph.D. degree in Medieval English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Wendy Dower came to work at Chowan University in 1994.
Courses Taught:
Ancient World Literature
Medieval Literature
British Literature
History of the English Language
Advanced Grammar
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Emily Isaacson, PhD. Assistant Professor of English |
“Early in my education, one of my mentors insisted that success came when you loved what you did. He was right – the opportunity to read and discuss literature and writing with students is the greatest joy that I have found. Literature encompasses all of human emotion and thought, and teaching it is an opportunity to re-experience my first encounters with those texts.”
Education:
Emily Isaacson earned a BA in English from Augustana College (Rock Island, IL). She completed work on an MA and a Ph.D. at the University of Missouri, where she wrote a dissertation about early modern comedy and London families. Emily Isaacson began teaching at Chowan in 2008.
Courses Taught:
Shakespeare
Composition
Introduction to Literature
Restoration and Eighteenth Century Literature
British Literature
Introduction to Literary Studies
Awards and Honors:
Newberry Library Consortium Grant, for participation in the seminar “Accessorizing the Renaissance” and research at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 2006.
Publications:
“Relocating Devices: The Masque in Middleton’s Your Five Gallants.” Discoveries: South Central Renaissance Conference News and Notes. (21: 1). Spring 2004. 1-2, 10-11.
and various book reviews for The Sixteenth Century Journal.
Selected Presentations:
‘Step-Dame Study’s Purpose: Critical Thinking and Early Modern Poetry.” South Atlantic Modern Language Association. November 2011.
“Letter Writing in Public: The Politics of Female Alliance and Whitney’s A Sweet Nosegay.” Shakespeare Association of America, Bellevue, WA. April 2011.
“Did Puritans Have Daughters?: The Gendered Childhood of the Conduct Books.” Shakespeare Association of America, Chicago, IL. April 2010.
“Electronic Self-Fashioning: Scholarly Bloggers in the Real World.” with Jessica C. Murphy (University of Texas-Dallas). Attending to Early Modern Women Conference: Conflict and Concord. College Park, MD. November 2009.
“Reimagining City Comedy (Again): The Material Circumstances of the Early Modern London Family.” Shakespeare Association of America, Washington, DC. April 2009.
“Flora’s New Weed: Accessorizing Tobacco.” Shakespeare Association of America, Dallas. March 2008.
“The Citizen upon the Stage: (Beaumont and) Fletcher’s Generic Contributions to City Comedy.” Shakespeare Association of America. San Diego, CA. April 2007.
“City Comedy as an Accessorized Genre.” The Fifty-Third Annual Meeting of the Renaissance Society of America. Miami, FL. March 2007.
“What a Difference a Husband Makes: Marriage in Michaelmas Term.” Shakespeare Association of America. Philadelphia, PA. April 2006.
“Containing Amoret: Finding a Happy Marriage in The Faerie Queene.” Exploring the Renaissance 2005. South Central Renaissance Conference. Pepperdine University, March 2005.
“ ‘A Paper of Verses’: Pamela’s Fashioning of Authority through Journalling.” New Worlds, New Frontiers, 34th Annual Meeting of the Midwest American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. University of Missouri – Saint Louis and Saint Louis University. October 2004.
“Hal’s Paschal Victory in Henry V.” Exploring the Renaissance 2004. South Central Renaissance Conference. University of Texas at Austin and St. Edward’s University. April 2004.
“Envisioning Community: Lydgate’s Mummings and the Idealization of Community.” Mid-America Medieval Association XXVIIIth Annual Meeting. University of Missouri – Columbia. February 2004.
Workshop and Seminar Participation:
31st International Conference on Critical Thinking. The Foundation for Critical Thinking. Berkeley, California. July 25-28, 2011.
30th International Conference on Critical Thinking. The Foundation for Critical Thinking. Berkeley, California. July 19-22, 2010.
“Accessorizing the Renaissance.” Led by Dr. Joseph Lowenstein. The Folger Shakespeare Institute, Washington, D.C. January 26-April 6, 2006.
“Courtesy and Cookery: Courtesy Books and the Household Schools in Late Medieval and Early Modern England.” Led by Dr. Sharon Michalove. “The History of the Book Seminar.”Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois. October 17, 2003
“Re-reading Early Modern Conduct Literature.” Led by Dr. Frances E. Dolan. “The History of the Book Seminar.” Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois. October 17, 2003
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William Bradley, PhD. Assistant Professor of English |
"My reasons for teaching, reading, and writing all boil down to an intense curiosity about the world; people fascinate me, and I love to talk to them about their thoughts, read about their ideas, and write about the experiences I share with them. I’m in total agreement with E.B. White, who wrote, “As a writing man, or secretary, I have always felt charged with the safekeeping of all unexpected items of worldly and unworldly enchantment, as though I might be held personally responsible if even a small one were to be lost.”
Education:
William Bradley received his B.A. in English Writing from St. Lawrence University in 1999; he received his M.A. in English from Northern Michigan University; he received his Ph.D. in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2005.
Courses Taught:
Freshman Composition
Creative Writing
American Literature
Advanced Composition
Selected Creative and Scholarly Publications:
Memoir: “Chrononaut.” The Jabberwock Review, Volume 31, Number 2 (Winter, 2011)
Memoir: “Scene from the Arterial Lanes Bowling Alley: Gloversville, NY, 1994.” Why We’re Here: New York Essayists on Living Upstate, The Colgate University Press, 2010
Personal Essay: “Hand in Glove.” Center, Volume 9 (Spring 2010)
Personal Essay: “What the Survey Doesn’t Say.” Antique Children (December 15, 2009)
Personal Essay: “Dislocated.” The Normal School, Volume 1, Number 1 (Fall 2008)
Personal Essay: “The Bald and the Beautiful.” The Best of the Bellevue Literary Review, Bellevue Literary Press, 2008 (reprinted from The Bellevue Literary Review 5.1)
Personal Essay: “Force.” Passages North, Volume 29, Number 1 (Winter 2008)
Scholarship/Opinion: “The Ethical Exhibitionist’s Agenda: Honesty and Fairness in
Creative Nonfiction.” College English, Volume 70, Number 2 (November 2007)
Personal Essay: “Like Predicting the Weather.” The Chronicle of Higher Education
Personal Essay: “As One Might Expect.” Ars Medica, Volume 2, Number 2 (Spring 2006)
Book Reviews and Interviews:
Book Review: Quotidiana by Patrick Madden. Fourth Genre, Volume 13, Number 1 (Winter 2011)
Book Review: Reading Essays: An Invitation by G. Douglas Atkins. Fourth Genre, Volume 12, Number 1 (Winter 2010)
Interview: “An Interview with Tobias Wolff.” The Missouri Review, Volume 26, Number 3 (Fall 2003)
Invited Commentary:
Letter to the Editor: “In Response to Lauren Slater.” Creative Nonfiction, Issue 41 (Spring, 2011) (letter solicited by the editors)
Blog Post: “Of Gender and Genre: The Nonfiction Count.” Brevity’s Nonfiction Blog.
Blog Post: “An Entire Universe of Ideas: More Reality Hunger.” Brevity’s Nonfiction Blog.
Blog Post: “Feel-Good Nonfiction.” Brevity’s Nonfiction Blog.
Web Editorial: “On Personal Essays and Political Discourse.” The Missouri Review.
Selected Awards and Honors:
2009 Nominee: Pushcart Prize (for “Dislocated”)
2007 Special Mention: Pushcart Prize XXXI Best of the Small Press (for “The Bald and the Beautiful”)
Notable Essay of 2005: The Best American Essays (for “The Bald and the Beautiful”)
2005 Honorable Mention: New Letters Dorothy Churchill Capon Nonfiction Prize (for “Force”)
Selected Presentations and Readings:
Paper Presentation: “A Million Little Lies in an Age Like This: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Implications in Creative Nonfiction.” Chowan University’s Annual Faculty Interdisciplinary Symposium: Murfreesboro, NC. 2011.
Moderator/ Panel Discussion Participant: “A Sense of Where We Were: Nonfiction Writers on Setting.” Associated Writers and Writing Programs Conference: Washington, D.C. 2011.
Creative Nonfiction Reading: “Scene from the Arterial Lanes Bowling Alley, Gloversville, N.Y., 1994” from Why We’re Here: New York Essayists on Living Upstate. Mysteries on Main Street Bookstore: Johnstown, N.Y. 2010.
Panel Discussion: Humanities Colloquium: “Why We’re Here.” Colgate University: Hamilton, N.Y. 2010.
Paper Presentation: “Hand in Glove: Writing Upstate New York’s Leatherstocking Region.” Chowan University’s Annual Faculty Interdisciplinary Symposium: Murfreesboro, NC. 2010.
Panel Discussion: “Sick Humor: What’s Not Funny About Serious Disease?” Associated Writers and Writing Programs Conference: Denver, Colorado. 2010.
Creative Nonfiction Reading: “Force.” South Atlantic Modern Language Association Conference: Atlanta, Georgia. 2009.
Creative Nonfiction Reading: “Selections from Chrononaut: A Memoir of Love and Time Travel.” Chowan University’s Annual Faculty Interdisciplinary Symposium: Murfreesboro, NC. 2009
Creative Nonfiction Reading: “On Soap Operas, or The Bald and the Beautiful.” Chowan University’s Faculty Reading: Murfreesboro, NC. 2008.
Paper Presentation: “Truth and Truthiness: Creative Nonfiction’s Vital Role Against the Politics of Misdirection.” NonfictioNow: Iowa City, Iowa. 2007.
Creative Nonfiction Reading and Discussion: “On Soap Operas, or The Bald and the Beautiful.” South Atlantic Modern Language Association Conference: Charlotte, North Carolina. 2006Creative Nonfiction Reading: “Selections from Second Life.” The University of Missouri-Columbia’s Graduate Student Reading Series: Columbia, Missouri. 2006.
Paper Presentation: “Without Straining or Artifice: Some Truths About Teaching Creative Nonfiction.” The University of Missouri-Columbia’s English Graduate Student Association Conference: Columbia, Missouri. 2006.
Creative Nonfiction Reading: “Selections from Second Life.” Columbia Books Reading Series: Columbia, Missouri. 2005.
Creative Nonfiction Reading: “On Soap Operas, or The Bald and the Beautiful.” Center for Talented Youth (Johns Hopkins University) Faculty Reading; Skidmore College, Saratoga, New York. 2005.
Creative Nonfiction Reading: “Force.” The University of Missouri-Columbia’s English Graduate Student Association Conference: Columbia, Missouri. 2005.
Paper Presentation: “Philological Terrorism: The Personal Essayist’s Vital Role in the War Against Bumper-Sticker Discourse.” The University of Missouri-Columbia’s English Graduate Student Association Conference : Columbia, Missouri. 2004.
Paper Presentation: “Filming the Quest: Images of the Holy Grail in Late 20th Century Cinema.” Northern Michigan University Celebration of Student Research and Creative Works: Marquette, Michigan. 2002.
Paper Presentation: “’The Old Lad of the Castle’: Character Nomenclature, Censorship, and Contemporary Shakespeare Studies.” Michigan Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters: Grand Rapids, Michigan. 2002.
Panel Discussion: “Get a (Writing) Life: Undergraduate Perspectives on Opportunities for Writers on Campus.” Associated Writers Program Conference: Albany, New York. 1999.
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Kerri Lydieth Albertson
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“I am happy to be a more integrated part of the Chowan faculty, and look forward to learning from my colleagues and being able to offer more assistance to students who need it.”
Education:
Master of Arts, English, with concentration in Professional Writing, Old Dominion University
Bachelor of Science, Elementary Education, Old Dominion University
Courses Taught:
English 101
Critical Thinking 101