Information for Prospective Graduate Students
Meet Our PhD Students
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Alan Benson
I'm a PhD candidate in Rhetoric and Composition with a special focus on Critical Theory and online discourse. Hey, stop yawning! I'm back in school after 10 years in the tech industry writing manuals, GUI text, and FAQs. Yes, I'm the guy to blame when you don't understand what "PC LOAD LTR" means. I got my BA at Boston University's College of Communication and my MA at UNCG.
Robert Brandon
I am working on my Ph.D. after earning my M.A. from East Tennessee State University and my B.A. from Virginia Intermont College. My main areas of interest are Medieval and Renaissance literature, and I am also interested in composition study.
Mercer Bufter
I am pursuing a PhD in English Literature after earning a B.A. in Creative Writng from Carnegie Mellon and an M.F.A. in Poetry from New York University. My main areas of interest are Renaissance British poetry, 20th Century Anglophone poetry and, by extension, rhetorics old and new. In the past I have studied Spanish and some 20th Century Spanish literature and am currently learning Latin in order to keep up with Dr. Donne.
Nadine Cooper
I received my B.A. in Business Management (with a minor in English!) from University of Tampa and my M.A. in English Literature at Austin Peay State University, where I also taught courses in literature and composition for a few years. Currently I am working toward a Ph.D. in 18th Century British Literature, and am especially interested in the function of clothing in gender roles. I live with my husband and collection of two dogs, Cedric and Duncan, and two cats, who are all troublemakers when I’m in the thralldom of writing papers, but still provide great emotional support.
Rae Ann DeRosse
I came to UNCG in 2006 to pursue my Ph.D. in postcolonial literature and theory. I received my M.A. in English literature from Brooklyn College in New York, where I also taught introductory literature and writing courses for several years. My research interests vary greatly, but I am particularly interested in Caribbean literature and representations of community/belonging and how they intersect with human rights issues and discourse. My secondary area of specialization is composition theory and pedagogy, which is absolutely essential to my teaching and research.
Will Dodson
I am a PhD candidate studying Rhetoric, Literary Theory, and Film Theory. My interests include interactionism, neurology and discourse studies. I earned a double BA in English and Philosophy from Guilford College in 2000, and an MA in English with a focus on Feminist Theory and a minor concentration in Classics.
Will Duffy
I graduated magna cum laude from Elon University in 2003 and completed a Master's Degree in English from UNCG in 2006. I'm currently in the process of completing course work for the Ph.D with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition with minor fields in critical theory and pragmatic philosophy. I'm also interested in the intersections between rhetoric and theology, especially when addressing topics related to hermeneutics, semiotics, and questions about the relationship between language and belief.
Laura Field
Currently, I am a PhD student in the Rhetoric and Composition program. I am also finishing work on my Graduate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies. My other areas of academic interest include pedagogy and feminist theory. Prior to working on my PhD, I received my BA in English from Montclair State University (1999) and my MA from UNCG (2003). For me, the best part of this journey is working with the students in my ENG 101 and 102S classes. When I’m not at school, I love spending time with my husband and my stepdaughter. Feel free to email me.
Scott Gibson
I am a PhD candidate with interests in American literature, multicultural theory, and composition pedagogy. Specially, my interests revolve around theories, representations, and projections of amalgamation and hybridity in both fiction and non-fiction prose. I hold a BA from the Department of Languages and Literature at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, and an MA in English from Bucknell University. My essay on Calvin Kentfield appears in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, and another essay is forthcoming in a book on Charles W. Chesnutt from the University of Mississippi Press. I am also a Teaching Consultant with the National Writing Project. For more information, please visit my website at www.uncg.edu/~stgibson
Brandy Grabow
I am a PhD student in the Rhetoric and Composition program. My interests are too many to count. I have no idea how I will focus them all into a dissertation. I received my MA with a focus in Teaching Composition from UNCG in the Spring of 2005. My undergraduate work was in Theatre Arts. I received my BA from Minnesota State University Mankato in 2002. When I get a chance to look up from the computer, I am usually refereeing the constant turf war between our two cats and the dog.
Evelyn Kelly
I am a Ph.D. student in African-American literature. I received a BA in English from Armstrong -Atlantic State University and an MA in English from North Carolina Central University. I am an English instructor and director of the developmental studies department at Lenoir Community College. When I can find some free time, I spend it with my husband and two daughters.
Kristen Pond
I received my BA from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC with a double major in English and Philosophy and my MA here at UNCG. I am in the PhD program in literature, with a focus on the Victorian Novel. My interests also extend to Discourse, Narrative and Identity, and the 18th- and the long 19th-century in British Literature. When I am not at school or doing things for school I enjoy rock climbing, hiking, playing with my new kitty (Emma), pretending to play my guitar, and spending time with my wonderfully supportive and very understanding husband.
Mary Beth Pennington
I am working on my PhD in Rhetoric and Composition Studies. I received my BA in Communication Studies from Virginia Tech in 2000, and after two years of corporate work, returned to complete my MA in English from VT from 2002-2004. The year before returning for my PhD, I taught composition courses at both Siena College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate NY. My areas of interest include connections between pragmatism and composition theory and investigations of rural students' literacy and classroom experiences.
Kimberly G. Reigle
I received my BSN through Winston-Salem State University and practiced as a Registered Nurse for several years before perusing my Master's Degree. In 2005 I earned a M.A. in English from Appalachian State University with an emphasis on literature. I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in English literature with areas of specialization in Renaissance, Medieval, and British Gothic literature. My research also incorporates my interests in gender studies, Renaissance Humanism and Neo-Platonism. I spend my precious little time away from the university volunteering with GCY swim team, traveling, shopping, baking and enjoying the great outdoors.
Melissa Richard
I received my BS in Secondary Education and MA in English at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (I'm still adjusting to not having a Mardi Gras holiday). Now a second-year PhD student, I'm much too interdisciplinary for my own good: I work in 19th-century British literature, Rhetoric/Performance Studies, and can't decide what I should do with my background in Southern lit. When not pontificating on the significance of Dickens or explaining the pronunciation of my last name (doesn't sound as it looks), I moonlight as a belly dancer, roller skate, and/or drink too much coffee.
David Rogers
I’m working on my PhD in English after completing my MA at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. My research interests include transoceanic/transatlantic exchanges in literature and history --particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries--Rhetoric and Composition, Cultural Studies, and Literary Theory. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.
Peter Scisco
I took a BA in English with honors from the Univ. of Kentucky and then received my MA from the Univ. of Mass – Boston in the mid 80s. (No, the 1980s. C'mon.) I then began a career as a magazine writer and editor, on staff and freelance, and spent a long time reporting on, reviewing, and analyzing trends in computer gaming. For the last 10 years I've served as the acquisition and development editor for the publishing program at the Center for Creative Leadership. I returned to the university to pursue a PhD in rhetoric and composition. I'm especially interested in how personal knowledge is constructed from the interaction of writer and reader and text, for example, and how organizations use discourse to construct themselves and the people connected or affected by them. My oldest son is a senior English major at UNCG, which I find beautifully weird and wonderful.
MaryBeth Short
I am a 19th Century American Literature major in my first year. I hail from Upstate New York in the heart of the Finger Lakes - Ithaca, NY. I have published a piece on Pheobe Cary in Writers of the American Renassaince and have other works in the process of being published. I have a special interest in American Realism and Naturalism and wrote my master's thesis on Stephen Crane's Maggie.
Karen Summers
I am a PhD student majoring in Medieval Lit and minoring in Renaissance and possibly Critical Theory. After starting a family and living in Asia (Tokyo and Seoul) for nine years, I went back to school and got my MA from UNC Charlotte in 2003. I live in Clemmons and have two tall sons and two cats. I am delighted to be at UNCG in the company of so many talented and creative people.
Charles Tedder
I'm a PhD student, with research interests in American and 20th century literature, Utopian studies, human rights and ecocriticism. I have been active in student organizations and leadership, and serve as the president of the Graduate Student Association.
G. Warlock Vance
PhD English Literature focusing on 20th Century American, and 19th and 20th Century British. Critical pieces published on authors J.K. Huysmans and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as 20th century film and various aspects of spiritual/religious study. I have also written and lectured on book collecting. In addition to my academic studies I am also a published author and artist with work in over 100 publications. My most recent appearances are in the anthologies titled Demonology: Grammaticus Demonium (from Double Dragon Publications), and Epitaphs (Padwolf Publishing). Other works are scheduled to appear later this year in both British and American anthologies. Hobbies include book, toy, and stamp collecting (and just about anything else one could imagine with which to fill up empty space).
Kari Warren
I'm working on my PhD after getting my MA at East Carolina University, and my BA before that at Wofford College (Go Dogs--Woof). I'm interested in 20th century American lit with minors in 19th century American lit and composition. I live in Winston-Salem with my husband Grant, my two sons Jack and Hank, and my dog and cat, Gus and Kitty. I'm a Virgo,and I love pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.
Janet White
I am fortunate to be able to complete my PhD at UNCG after having completed my MA in English here in 2003. My primary area of interest is Twentieth Century American Literature with an emphasis in multi-ethnic literatures by women. Other areas of interest include women's and gender studies, pedagogy, and postmodern and cultural theories.
Tamara Wiandt
I am a PhD student majoring in Renaissance with minors in Medieval and Drama through 1700. I began my educational career some 20 plus years ago as a theatre student but soon decided that I enjoyed eating too much so I traded the stage for a pair of combat boots and joined the army. After taking time off to raise three gorgeous boys I jumped back into school. Currently I am living in the beautiful town of Holyhead in North Wales with my lovely husband and his 13 year old daughter.
Stephanie Womick
I received a B.A. in English and Education from Wingate University in 2005 and will receive my M.A. in English at UNCG in the spring of 2007. I am currently taking course work for the PhD, teaching freshman English as a T.A., and serving on the EGSA board. My areas of interest are nineteenth-century British fiction, transatlantic studies, and domestic fiction. My “amateur” academic interests are oral traditions and word history, Appalachian literature and culture, and myth/fantasy in literature.