Here at Vanderbilt I am continuing my research on the French Middle Ages, looking at the development of racial consciousness in medieval European literature and the importance of the Middle Ages to modern notions of race. I teach courses in medieval and Renaissance French literature and culture, as well as introductory literature and grammar courses.

Teaching

My teaching style is interactive and largely informal. Students in my classes are encouraged to seek out their own interests and apply them to the language and literature work we do as a class. Group work plays a large role in our in-class work, and I also encourage cooperative learning outside the classroom.

Research

My research tends to read the literary work in its cultural context. I see literary works as artifacts influencing and influenced by the cultures in which they are produced.  I recently published an article on what the use of Muslim characters in a medieval French play can teach us about attitudes toward Crusade, and I have started a study of medieval attitudes toward racial and ethnic difference.

Representative Publications

Books:
Race, Class, and Gender in "Medieval" Cinema. Eds. Lynn Ramey and Tison Pugh. The New Middle Ages Series. (New York: Palgrave, 2007)

Christian, Saracen and Genre in Medieval French Literature (New York: Routledge, 2001)

Recent Articles:

"Monstrous Alterity in Early Modern Travel Accounts: Lessons from the Ambiguous Medieval Discourse on Humanness," Esprit Créateur, 48.1 (2008), forthcoming.

"In Praise of Troubadourism: Creating Community in Occupied France, 1942-43" In Race, Class, and Gender in "Medieval" Cinema. Eds. Lynn Ramey and Tison Pugh. New York: Palgrave, 2007.

"The Death of Aude and the Conversion of Bramimonde: Border Pedagogy and Medieval Feminist Criticism." In Approaches to Teaching the Song of Roland. Eds. William Kibler and Leslie Zarker Morgan. NY: MLA, 2006, pp. 232-37.

"Laughter and Manhood in Jehan de Saintré (1456)." Fifteenth Century Studies, 31 (2006): 163-74.

"La perception du sarrasin XIe-XIVe siècles: l’image du musulman dans la littérature française" In Histoire de l’islam et des musulmans en France, du Moyen Age à nos jours, aspects religieux, politiques et culturels. Eds. Mohammed Arkoun and Jean Mouttapa. Paris: Albin Michel, 2006: 194-203.