Bio
Some courses I regularly teach
ENGL 2270: Survey of American Literature to 1865
ENGL 2600: Introduction to Literary Studies
ENGL 3620: Studies in 19th-Century American Literature
ENGL 5320: American Literature to 1865
ENGL 5430: The Study of Environmental Literature
Research areas
Early American Literature, American Gothic, Environmental Studies
About my teaching
I am particularly invested in teaching students how an appreciation of environmental literature translates into a greater understanding of how we should value and care for the natural world during this time of growing environmental crisis. The Environmental philosopher David Orr puts it this way: “The truth is that without significant precautions, education can equip people merely to be more effective vandals of the Earth. If one listens carefully, it may even be possible to hear the creation grown every year in late May when another batch of smart, degree-holding, but ecologically illiterate, Homo sapiens who are eager to succeed are launched into the biosphere” (Earth in Mind, 5).
One of my goals as a professor is to help remedy this problem. I do so by acquainting students with the idea that through great works of literature and art we can learn to better value the land upon which we all depend. Appreciating the environmental lessons found within various works of literature allows us to realize that the natural world possesses an inherent, noneconomic value. These same works help us remember that we, too, are an inextricable part of the natural community. As such, we have a responsibility to preserve our land and our fellow creatures. In his classic work of nature writing, A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold—the visionary conservationist, wildlife biologist, and Iowan—called this idea the “land ethic,” and it is the key to the survival of our species and of our world. Great works of environmental literature abound in such wisdom, and it is with pleasure, and urgency, that I introduce my students to these masterpieces. These texts are beautiful and thought-provoking, and they are also vital to the education of my students, whom I hope will go forth and succeed, both on a personal and on a planetary level.
Recent publications
RECENT BOOKS
Recent fellowships and awards
Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Professor, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 2019.
Exemplary Faculty Mentor Award, Iowa State University, Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, 2017 (and also in 2015).
Distinguished Alumni Award, Oklahoma State University College of Arts & Sciences, 2016.
Award for Mid-Career Achievement in Research, Iowa State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 2016.
CEAH Fellow in the Arts and Humanities, Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, Iowa State University, 2015.
Award for Early Achievement in Research, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University, 2013.
Current research
I am presently working on various projects related to nineteenth-century American Gothic fiction.