Degrees

Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 2008.
M.A., Vanderbilt, 2004.
B.A. (summa cum laude, PBK), University of Puget Sound.

Research Area

Modernism
Victorian and fin-de-sičcle literature
Cultural studies, media studies, the "new musicology"

Current Courses

Fall 2009: None
Spring 2010: First-Year Writing Seminar
Topic: Riots, Scandals, and Panics in Twentieth-Century Literature and the Arts.
This course will examine literary and artistic scandals, riots, and panics from the first half of the twentieth century: stage plays, films, musical works, and radio dramas responsible for some kind of cultural freak-out. Works such as J.M. Synge's Playboy of the Western World and Stravinsky's pagan ballet The Rite of Spring premiered to riots in the stands; Orson Welles' radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds had audiences wondering if they were being invaded by Martians. In this seminar we will study these texts as artworks on their own terms, and as participants in a cultural and historical conversation. What made this period of history a hotbed for artistic scandal? What purposes were served by inducing these scandals? Why did these artworks cause such shock—controversial politics? moral impropriety? aesthetic impudence? Even though we may think of theater spectators as quiet, well-behaved creatures, how did these works startle their audiences out of complacency? Other works to be studied include Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation. In independent research projects, students will investigate their own scandal-inducing texts, from or beyond the first half of the century. As we grapple with these various texts and questions, we will also spend considerable time discussing strategies for successful academic writing and argumentation.

Current Positions

Senior Lecturer, Department of English
Faculty Adviser, Pre-major Academic Advising and Support

Previous Positions

Lecturer, Dept. of English, Vanderbilt, 2008-9.
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Dept. of English, Vanderbilt, 2004-7.
Teaching Affiliate, Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt, 2006-7.
Graduate Writing Consultant, Writing Studio, Vanderbilt, 2006-7.
Tech Coordinator, English Grad Student Association, 2005-6.
Secretary, EGSA, 2004-5.
Graduate Representative, Expository Writing Committee, 2005.

Professional Societies

Modern Language Association
Modernist Studies Association
American Association of University Professors
Junior Member of the Aristocracy of the Sensitive, Considerate, and Plucky

Professional Honors

Vanderbilt University Nominee, CGS/UMI Distinguished Dissertation Award in the Humanities and Fine Arts, 2009.
George J. Graham, Jr. Dissertation Fellowship, Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, 2007-08.
Robert Manson Myers Graduate Award in English, 2007.
Summer Research Grant, Vanderbilt College of A&S, 2005.
Many nice awards, Univ. of Puget Sound, 1999-2003.
100% positive feedback rating on eBay, 1999-present.

Publications

"'Neutral Physiognomy': The Unreadable Faces of Middlemarch," Victorian Literature and Culture 36.1 (2008).
"The Antheil Era: Noise, Publicity, and Musical Boilerplate" (under consideration).
"Joyce's Phoneygraphs: Joyce, Antheil, and Noise Unleashed" (under consideration).

Biography

Josh received his BA from the University of Puget Sound in 2003 and his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt in 2008.