The faculty of the Department of English reflect interest in a
wide array of theoretical, methodological and substantive areas.
The areas of primary interest to the faculty are discussed in
the statements that follow, and are reflected in the courses taught
and research pursued. Every student who majors or minors in English
should select an advisor from these faculty.
David Foster
E-Mail: david.foster@drake.edu
On Leave 2002-2003
After earning a doctorate in English
and comparative literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
I have taught freshman composition, the personal essay, comic
and tragic drama courses, 19th- and 20th-century British literature,
and literary/discourse theory at Drake for a (very) long time.
I have been particularly interested in studying how students develop
as writers, and I am currently doing comparative research with
student writers in both American and German educational systems.
Some of my other research and writing has included studies of
postmodernist rhetoric and aesthetics, some critiques of pedagogical
theory and practice, studies of texts where rhetoric and religion
intersect.
Joe Lenz
E-Mail: joseph.lenz@drake.edu
Office: 324 Howard
Phone: 271-3778
I
started out in forestry, but, through some alchemical reaction
(trees > pulp >paper > books), ended up in English. After
a transfer or two and my BA, I
received an MA (Arizona State) and PhD (Illinois), and taught
at the University of Michigan until Drake kindly invited me here.
That was awhile ago. Since then I have been teaching and writing
about Shakespeare, early modern writers, the romance, law and
literature, and literary criticism. A relatively early convert
to computer technology, I have developed a Shakespeare course
to be taught entirely on the Web. A few years ago, an even stranger
turn transformed me into the department chair. But, to preserve
my dignity (and to atone for paper consumption), I still plant
a tree now and again.
Bruce Martin
E-Mail: bruce.martin@drake.edu
Office: 231 Howard
Phone: 271-3734
.
During most of my considerable time on the Drake faculty, my teaching
and scholarly work have been concerned mostly with British literature
of the 19th and 20th centuries, and with literary theory. More
recently, though, I have developed new interests--and new courses--in
Irish literature and in Australian literature. My PhD is from
the University of Cincinnati, and I have taught on Fulbright grants
to Singapore and South Korea. Publications include three books
and many articles, and current projects deal with the novelist
David Lodge and with the relationship between music and literature.
While reasonably certain that my office and desk are untidier
than Horner's, this causes me more alarm than pride.
Lisa West
Norwood
E-Mail lisa.norwood@drake.edu
Office: 303 Howard
Phone: 271-3708
I received my BA in English and Environmental Studies from Williams College and a PhD in American Literature from Stanford University. My primary interests are in early American literary culture, 18th and 19th century women writers, nature writing, and writings on "place." In my courses you can expect an interdisciplinary focus, exposure to popular writings of the past, and a dedication to the close reading of texts through a variety of methodologies.
Nancy Reincke
E-Mail nancy.reincke@drake.edu
Office: 224 Howard
Phone: 271-2161
I did my undergraduate study at a small liberal arts college in
Idaho (1977-81) and received my PhD from a medium-sized university,
University of Iowa (1982-1992). My areas of scholarly emphasis
are twentieth-century American literatures (including U.S.), postcolonial
literatures, and feminist studies. I'm also interested in gay
and lesbian studies. I advise students and direct independent
studies and internships in Cultural Studies, Multicultural Studies,
and Women's Studies as well as in English.
Elizabeth Robertson
E-Mail: elizabeth.robertson@drake.edu
Office: 225 Howard
Phone: 271-3806
I came to Drake in 1996, after
earning my PhD in English from the University of Iowa. During
my graduate career, I studied American ethnic literature, concentrating
on literature by Asian Americans and on the representation of
mixed race in American narratives. I continue to write and publish
poems, stories, and articles, many of which draw from my Korean
heritage and from my interests in Asian American studies. At
Drake, I teach beginning and advanced fiction-writing workshop
courses, in which I try to bridge some of the approaches of literary
theory with those of the creative writing classroom.
I received a doctorate
in rhetoric and composition studies (SUNY-Albany), and I did
graduate work in creative writing as well, receiving an MFA from
the University of Iowa. Since 1988, when I arrived at Drake,
I have been teaching courses in language theory, writing, and
cultural history and criticism; in many of those courses I offer
students the opportunity to write across the divisions in English
studies. Since 1990, I have been involved with the Cultural Studies
program, which I once directed, and the Honors program. My research
and publications are primarily in the fields of writing studies
and educational reform, and I continue to write and publish poetry.
Since coming to Drake University, I have received two awards
for outstanding teaching: the College of Arts & Sciences'
Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award (2000-01) and the Madelyn
M. Levitt Teacher of the Year Award (2002).
Visiting Faculty
My home? Where I'm "from?" For starters I switched off between New York and Boston, with a year in Baltimore for a Johns Hopkins MFA. I taught for a time at Harvard and published fiction and non-fiction, in places like Ploughshares. Then there was Oregon, where I taught at Lewis & Clark and published in places like Threepenny Review, and to Naples, Italy, where I never taught but rather learned, and about which I've often written, and to Chicago, where I taught at Northwestern and published in places like The New York Times. My latest collection of stories is Highway Trade, linked Oregon pieces, and I have a novel due out soon, Talking Heads: 77. Not surprisingly, my teaching tends to emphasize the vagaries of American identity, fixed in place by perhaps the only anchor available, namely, the stories we make out of that same uncertainty.
A native of Wisconsin, I've spent quality time in Santa Fe, Budapest, Washington, D.C., and Buffalo, where I recently completed a Ph.D. in English at the State University of New York. My areas of interest include modern and contemporary poetry, fiction, and visual art; critical and aesthetic theory; Henry James, Wallace Stevens, and Emily Dickinson; and the history and technology of writing (particularly the typewriter, the telegraph, and the phonograph). My first book of poems, "As in every deafness," will be published in 2003, and I maintain an ever-expanding record collection that ranges from AC/DC to Patsy Cline. I once sold Carol Burnett a pair of shoes.
I have been a documentary filmmaker and media producer for many years. I have worked mostly in New York City for a wide variety of clients on everything from commercials and amusement park attractions to feature films and network television news documentaries. My teachers were professionals working at the top of their field. I began as an assistant editor, then editor and writer. I then became a producer and director. For the past decade, I have focused on producing independent documentaries for public television on history, culture, public policy, and the environment. During this time, I also started teaching college film courses. I am a great believer in learning from mentors and hands-on situations, and films always fascinate me.