I welcome graduate students interested in cultural studies, social justice politics, environmental ideas, Canadian literature, postcolonial literature, feminism, and/or social and cultural theory to get in touch. The English department offers a Master of Arts degree, including a Creative Writing option and a joint Women's Studies option. I can supervise Masters students on their research projects and creative projects. Supervised students may be based at either the Thunder Bay or Orillia campus. At this time, it is not possible to do the full MA English degree at the Orillia campus; however, several of our students have done their MA coursework at the Thunder Bay campus and then moved to the Orillia campus for the second year of their program while working on their major project.

I think entering a classroom, whether as a student or teacher, should be a moment of exhilaration. Each classroom—each gathering of people for the discussion of ideas—presents the possibility of something new. This is why one becomes a student; this is why one becomes a researcher; and this is why one becomes a teacher. I teach because I believe that scholarly thought and research matters in the world. I treasure the space of the university as a realm where ideas can be safely explored, debated, and experimented with. Critical reflection, thorough investigation, and collegial discussion make an invaluable contribution to ethical and political life. My goal as a teacher, like most in the liberal arts, is to cultivate critical thinking and skill in written and oral communication. But I also encourage and challenge students to be creative and ethical thinkers, asking themselves what their ideas and actions will mean for the world in which we live. Exploring ideas should be exciting and playful. It also carries responsibility: responsibility for what we say, what we do, and how we relate to one another as we engage in debate and collaboration.

Of course, the “exhilarating” or magical moments of learning do not simply happen by chance. I work at creating meaningful learning experiences by organizing my course development and teaching practices around five main principles:

1. Dialogical classroom
2. Collaborative learning community
3. Close reading of primary texts
4. Critique and implications
5. Challenge, support, and encouragement

Social Justice Studies 5011/Interdisciplinary Studies 4823 Environmental Justice (Capstone Research in Environment in Politics and Culture)

English 4017 Honours Seminar in Ecocriticism. Topic: Contemporary Ecopoetry

English 5215/Social Justice Studies 5215: Queer-Black-Planet-Canada-Feminism: The Writing of Dionne Brand

Social Justice Studies 5011/Interdisciplinary Studies 4823 Environmental Justice (Capstone Research in Environment in Politics and Culture)

English 3911 Sp. Topics: Contemporary Short Fiction in Canada

English 3954 Ecocriticism

English 5215/Social Justice Studies 5215 Global Environmental Justice Literature

Interdisciplinary Studies 4823 Capstone Research in Environment in Politics and Culture

Interdisciplinary Studies 4823 Capstone Research in Environment in Politics and Culture

English 4017 Honours Seminar in Ecocriticism. Topic: Canadian Environmental Literature

Interdisciplinary Studies 4823 Capstone Research in Environment in Politics and Culture

English 3713 Contemporary Canadian Literature

English 3810 / Women's Studies 3810 Special Topics in Women's Writing. Topic: Contemporary Canadian Women's Writing

English 4017 Honours Seminar in Ecocriticism. Topic: Globalization & Ecocriticism

While on research sabbatical from Lakehead, I taught a course in Canadian Literature in the English department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I held a Fulbright Canada Visiting Research Chair.

Interdisciplinary Studies 1013 Inquiry in Environment in Politics and Culture

English 2510 Global Literature in English

English 3713 Contemporary Canadian Literature

English 3954 Ecocriticism

English 4914 Honours Literary Theory Seminar. Topic: Ecocriticism and Environmental Theory

English 1117 Introduction to Popular Culture

English 2501 Postcolonial Literature

English 3911 Special Topic: Globalization and Literature

English 4010 Honours Seminar: Canadian Postmodernisms and After