Curriculum Vitae

I. Education:

• Ph.D. in English: Northwestern University, 1998.
• Examination Fields: Late Classical, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, Middle English, and medieval continental literatures.
• Dissertation: "The Cult of Saint Michael the Archangel in Anglo-Saxon England" (Director: Catharine A. Regan)
• M.A. in English, Concentration in Poetics and Theory: New York University, 1989.
• Thesis: "It was from old men I heard it: A Comparative Study of African and Anglo-Saxon Literatures" (Director: Jess B. Bessinger, Jr.)
• B.S.: School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, 1984.
• Specialization: The Humanities in International Affairs

II. Publications:

A. Print:

• Saint Michael the Archangel in Medieval English Legend. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell Press, 2005.
• "Jalons bibliographiques pour l'étude du culte de saint Michel en Angleterre." Bulletin de liaison du Comité scientifique de l’association "Les Chemins de Saint-Michel" 1 (March, 2010): 14-15.
• Review of Key Concepts in Medieval Literature. Elizabeth Solopova and Stuart D. Lee. Series: Palgrave Key Concepts. (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007). TBP The Medieval Review (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan University Library, Scholarly Publishing Office, March, 2010).
• Review of Global Perspectives on Medieval English Literature, Language, and Culture..Edited by Noel Harold Kaylor and Richard Scott Nokes. (Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2007). The Medieval Review (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan University Library, Scholarly Publishing Office, 2009). Follow this link to read the review.
• Review of The Place of the Cross in Anglo-Saxon England. Edited by Catherine E. Karkov, Sarah Larratt Keefer, Karen Louise Jolly. (Woodbridge, Suffolk and Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 2006). Journal of English and Germanic Philology (January 2009): 98-102.
• Review of Angels in the Early Modern World. Edited by Peter Marshall and Alexandra Walsham. (New York and Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006). Catholic Historical Review 93.4 (October 2007): 937-38.
• "General and Miscellaneous Subjects." Year’s Work in Old English Studies: 2002-2006. Eds. Daniel Donoghue and Roy Liuzza. Old English Newsletter.
• "General and Miscellaneous Subjects" and "Memorials, Tributes, History of the Discipline." Year’s Work in Old English Studies: 2001-2002. Eds. Daniel Donoghue and Roy Liuzza. Old English Newsletter.
• "General and Miscellaneous Subjects." Year’s Work in Old English Studies: 1998-2000. Eds. Peter Baker and Robert Fulk. Old English Newsletter.
• "Phillip John Pulsiano: 1955-2000." Medieval English Studies Newsletter NS 3 (2001): 5-7.
• "Feasts of Saint Michael the Archangel in the Liturgy of the Early Anglo-Saxon Church: Evidence from the Eighth and Ninth Centuries," Leeds Studies in English New Series 31 (2000): 55-79.
• "Archangel in the Margins: St. Michael in the Homilies of Cambridge, Corpus Christi College 41," Traditio 53 (1998): 63-91.

B. Electronic:

• Rievaulx Abbey: A Virtual Tour of the Cistercian Abbey, 2001 (with Prof. Kurt Neumann, Department of English, Harper College). This site is under construction and is unavailable at the moment. You may view a preview of one panorama at the following URL: http://www.harpercollege.edu/libarts/hum/dept/rievaulx/icmov.htm
• The Grendel Project: A Web-Based Humanities Unit on Beowulf, 1999 (with Prof. Kurt Neumann, Department of English, Harper College) URL: http://www.harpercollege.edu/libarts/hum/dept/grendel

II. Works in Progress:

• It Was From Old Men I Heard It: Myth and Epic in a World Context. Textbook on world mythology in draft.
• "Hagiographic Sources of Anglo-Saxon Saints' Lives: Latin and Vernacular Versions of BHL 5948."
• "The Myth of the Lion King: The Clash of Islamic Culture and Traditional Belief-Systems in The Epic of Son-Jara."
• "The Poetry of Kofi Awoonor and Ewe Oral-Traditional Verse."

III. Conference Papers and Presentations:

• "'And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche': A Transformational Pedagogy for Introducing Non-Majors to Medieval Studies." Paper to be read at the 45th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May, 2010.
• "'I don't look like my subject": Instructor Identity in Multicultural Teaching." Panel presentation at the annual meeting of the Community College Humanities Association, Chicago, IL, November, 2009.
• “The Diffusion of the Cult of Saint Michael in the British Isles: The Irish Evidence Reconsidered.” Paper read at the Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy, Chicago, IL, March, 2009.
• "Holy Healer or Soldier Saint: Hagiography of St Michael in the East and West". Paper read at the 40th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2005.
• "Rievaulx Abbey and the 21st Century Classrom: A Digital Humanities Project". Presentation at the Teaching and Learning Excellence Conference of the Illinois Community College Faculty Association, Springfield, Illinois, November, 2004.
• “Sacred Landscapes, Digital Landscapes: Technological Topography of Devotional Landscapes”. Multi-media presentation and paper with Prof. Kurt Neumann (Harper College) at the annual meeting of the Community College Humanities Association, Santa Fé, New Mexico, November, 2003.
• "Gutenberg's Legacy: Digital Dragons and Technologic Texts". Presentation with Prof. Kurt Neumann (Harper College) at the Computers and Writing 2002 conference, Illinois State University, Bloomington, IL, May, 2002.
• "Aelfric and the Blickling Homilist, Reconsidered." Paper read at the 37th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2002.
• "The Grendel Project: Technologizing Beowulf and the Beowulf Manuscript." Presentation and paper with Prof. Kurt Neumann (Harper College) at the International Medieval Conference, Leeds University, Leeds, United Kingdom, July, 2001.
• "The Monsters and the Techies: 'Interactivity' and Beowulf on the Web." Presentation with Prof. Kurt Neumann (Harper College) at the 36th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2001.
• "The Hottest Fires of Hell-Torment: Scenes of Judgment and Intercession in Old English Literature." Paper read at the 35th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2000.
• "Latin and Vernacular Accounts of BHL 5948: Aelfric and the Blickling Homilies." Paper read at the 34th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 1999.
• "Beyond Extremities: Teaching Grammar in the Composition Classroom." Paper read at the annual convention of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Chicago, Illinois, April, 1998.
• "Ðis is se halga heahengel sanctus michael: Coptic and Irish influences in a unique homily in praise of St. Michael." Paper read at the 32nd International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 8-11, 1997.
• "Archangel in the Margins: St. Michael in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 41." Paper read at the 31st International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 9-12, 1996
• "St. Michael in the anonymous homilies in Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 41." Paper read in the Medieval Studies section of the 1995 Annual Meeting of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, & Letters at Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan, March 10-12, 1995.
• "The Cult of St. Michael the Archangel in Anglo-Norman England." Paper read at the 29th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 5-8, 1994.
• "The Immaterial Body in medieval English iconographic representations of St. Michael." Paper read at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Medieval Association, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois, February 18-19, 1994.
• "Irish influences in the early cult of St. Michael in Anglo-Saxon England." Paper read at the Medieval Association of the Midwest Conference, University of Illinois, Urbana, September, 1993.
• "Scop, Shaman, and Poetic Madness: A Study of the Shamanistic Origins of Anglo-Saxon Verse." Paper read at the 9th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Medieval Association, Monmouth College, Monmouth, Illinois, February, 1992.

IV. Invited Lectures/Presentations:

• The Cathars and the Albigenisan Crusade (1209-1244)
. Lecture for the Lifelong Learning Institute, Harper College, September 29, 2009.
• "The Knights Templars: Warrior Monks or Errant Heretics?" Lecture for the Lifelong Learning Institute, Harper College, April 23, 2009.
• "The Diversity of Early Christianities": I. The Landscape and Diversity of Early Christianities II. Early Gnostic Christianities & their Writings III. The Rise of Christian Orthodoxy & the Formation of the New Testament Canon. Three-class series for Life-long Learning Institute, Harper College, October 2007.
• "Descensus ad inferos: The Writer’s Journey to Hell and Back." Guest Speaker at the Harper College Annual High School Writing Competition Luncheon, May 15, 2006.
• "WAR IN HEAVEN: Saint Michael the Archangel and Apocalyptic Spirituality." Liberal Arts Faculty Lecture Series, Harper College, November, 2005.
• "The Unexamined Life Examined." Featured Speaker at the Induction Ceremony of Harper College’s Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, October 20, 2005.
• "Saint Michael the Archangel: Angelic Transformer and Commander-in-Chief. A Historical Overview of the Archangel's Interventions in the West". Open lecture through Continuing Education, Harper College, November, 2004.
• "The Poetry of Kofi Awoonor and Ewe Oral-Traditional Verse." Lecture for International Education Week, November 21, 2003.
• "Contemporary Critical Approaches to Medieval Studies" and "Hammer Thy Thoughts into a Unity: The Poetry of W.B. Yeats". Open Lectures for faculty and students, Department of English, Peking University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, May, 2002.
• "Methods in Medieval Hagiographic Research". Old English Graduate Seminar, University of Illinois-Chicago, April, 2000.
• "Revolution and Devolution in West Africa: The Political Legacy of Thomas Sankara". African Lecture Series, Harper College, March, 1999.
• "The Muse Learns to Read and Write: The Manuscript Culture of Anglo-Saxon England". Liberal Arts Faculty Lecture Series, Harper College, March 16, 1998.
• "To Speak Like Rain: The Production and Performance of Verbal Art in West Africa". African Lecture Series, Harper College, February 11, 1998.

V. Symposia:

• Organizer and Opening Speaker, The Syrians: Who Are They and Are They Next?. Harper College International Affairs Symposia series, March, 2005.
• Organizer and Opening Speaker, "Peace, Patriotism, and Dissent: Democrcay in the Balance". Harper College International Affairs Symposia series, October, 2004.
• Organizer and Opening Speaker, "Immigration and Patriot Acts: Documenting the Undocumented". Harper College International Affairs Symposia series, April, 2004.
• Organizer and Moderator, "USA PATRIOT Act: Threat or Protection?" Harper College International Affairs Symposia series, October, 2003.
• Organizer and Opening Speaker, "The Middle East through Arab Eyes". Harper College International Affairs Symposia series, April, 2003.
• Opening Speaker and Moderator, "China in the New Millennium: Confucius vs. Bill Gates" Symposium on China in the 21st Century, Harper College, April, 2002.

VI. Academic Positions:

• Professor, English Department, Harper College, 2010.
• Co-Chair, Department of English, Harper College, 2005-2009.
• Associate Professor, English Department, Harper College, 2004-2010.
• Chair, Humanities Department, Harper College, 2000-2005.
• Assistant Professor, English Department, Harper College, 1997-2004.
• Adjunct Instructor, English Department, North Central College, Naperville, IL, 1989-1996
• Adjucnt Intructor, English Department, College of DuPage, Glen Elyn, IL, 1993-1995.
• Instructor, English, University College, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 1992-94.
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, English Department, Northwestern University, 1990-1992.
• Assistant Professor, English, DeVry Institute of Technology, Lombard, IL, 1989-1990.
• Instructor, TEFL, SCS Business and Technical Institute, New York City, 1987-1989.
• Teacher Trainer, U.S. Peace Corps, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Summer 1985.
• Teacher of English as a Foreign Language, U.S. Peace Corps, Lycée Provinciale de Léo, Burkina Faso, West Africa, 1984-1986.

VII. Administrative Service:

• Coordinator, International Studies and Programs, Harper College, 2010 - .
• Member, CORE Team, Achieve the Dream Initiative, Harper College, 2010-2011.
• Chair, Departmental Hiring Committee, English Department, Harper College, 2010.
• General Education Faculty Representative, Institutional Outcomes Assessment Committee, Harper College, 2009-Present.
• Chair, Departmental Hiring Committee, English Department, Harper College, 2008.
• Co-Coordinator, International Studies and Programs, Harper College, 2002-2007.
• Lead Author, English Department Program Review 2001-2006, Harper College, December, 2006.
• Member, General Education Outcomes Committee, Harper College, 2006-2010.
• Chair, National Peer Review Board, Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence Program, Washington, DC, 2006-2007.
• Member, National Peer Review Board, Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program, Washington, DC, 2004-2006.
• Co-chair, Board Liaison Committee, Faculty Senate, Harper College, 2006-2007.
• Representative At-Large, Faculty Senate, Harper College, 2004-2007.
• Author, Humanities Department Program Review: 1998-2003, Harper College, May, 2004.
• Chair, Departmental Hiring Committee, Humanities Department, Harper College, 2004.
• Member, Departmental Hiring Committee, English Department, Harper College, 2003.
• Coordinator, Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program, Harper College, 2002-Present.
• English 102 (2nd semester comp.) Outcomes Assessment Committee, Harper College, 2001.
• Chair, Departmental Hiring Committee, Humanities Department, Harper College, 2001.
• English 101 (1st semester comp.) Outcomes Assessment Committee, Harper College, 2000.
• Board of Directors, Mansio Mens Montessori School, Geneva, IL, 2000-2005.
• Referendum Leadership Team, Harper College, Fall, 1999.
• Co-Chair, Departmental Hiring Committee, English Department, Harper College, 1999.
• Editorial Advisory Board, Collegiate English Handbook, Collegiate Press, San Diego, CA: 1999-2001.
• Coordinator, African Lecture Series, Harper College, 1997-Present.
• Co-Founder, PINNATUS: Society for the Study of Angels & Angelology, 1996.

Back to Home Page | Back to Top