Faculty
Dr. Jeanne Laurel
Associate Professor and Chair of the English Department
- Email:
- jlaurel@niagara.edu
- Phone:
- 716.286.8628
- Office Location:
- Dunleavy Hall, Room 352
Bio
Her research interests include:
- African-American and multicultural literatures
- 20th and 21st Century American literature and criticism
- Gay and lesbian literature and culture
- Service learning components in literature courses.
She received her B.A. in English from SUNY Albany (N.Y.) in 1982 (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) where she also minored in Philosophy, and her Ph.D .from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1990, where she majored in 20th Century American Literature and minored in African-American Studies and Women's Studies.
Dr. Laurel enjoys teaching a mix of courses, including:
- Introduction to Literature for freshmen
- The American literature survey, especially Part II from 1865 to the present
- Upper-level courses, including a course focusing on author Toni Morrison and the critical responses to her works, as well as a senior seminar which takes a broad overview of the African-American literary tradition.
She also enjoys teaching multicultural literatures, which examine the intersection and interaction of two or more cultures through literature, as well as through journalism, history, film, the arts, the social sciences and other approaches to cultural studies.
Dr. Laurel can be found on:
Educational Background
- Ph.D., English. Indiana University; Bloomington, Ind., December 1990. Major:20th Century American Literature. Minors: African-American Studies; Women's Studies.
- B.A., English. State University of New York at Albany (N.Y.), December 1982. Summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Major: English (Literature and Creative Writing); Minor: Philosophy.
Current Involvement
- Chair of English Department, Niagara University, May 2003-Present.
- Participant in summer 2003 and 2007 faculty-administration union negotiations, NULTA (Niagara University Lay Teachers Association).
- Member, AAUP SDGI committee (American Association of University Professors committee on Sexual Diversity and Gender Issues) since 2003.
- Church Secretary, First Spiritualist Temple of East Aurora, N.Y., since August 2006.