Introduction

I'm a second-year MA candidate in English with a dual concentration in rhetoric and composition and literary history. My research interests in early modern drama and poetry include works by Marlowe, Spenser, Shakespeare and Milton. My recent scholarship includes work on the historiography of Shakespeare through an analysis of Alexander Pope's edition of The Taming of the Shrew, which set an editorial standard for the play that lasted over a century and continues to affect modern readings of it. Regarding Milton, I have been working on interrogating the role of chaos in Paradise Lost through indigenous decolonization theory. Concerning rhetoric and composition, my work focuses on audience theory, activity theory, and genre. Thus, my overall research interests focus on historical and political contexts, genre, and historiography.

I'm particularly looking forward to this class because I used to be something of an expert on pedagogical uses of social media, but I've become a bit rusty over the last year or so. Additionally, my interest in audience theory comes from working as an editorial assistant on a collection of essays on the topic, Engaging Audience: Writing in an Age of New Literacies. Hence, I'm eager to further explore the intersections of technology and rhetoric, and to see how they can enrich my teaching.