Dr. Joseph Little

Biography

Dr. Little is an Associate Professor of English at Niagara. Additionally, as Director of Writing, he oversees the university’s first-year writing requirement and the Writing Studies minor. He also coordinates the university’s Study Away Program.

His most recent creative work is Letters from the Other Side of Silence (Homebound Publications, 2017); his most recent scholarly work is “Rhetoric and Mathematics in the Saturnian Account of Atomic Spectra,” published in Arguing with Numbers (Penn State University Press, 2021).

Focus of Teaching

In Dr. Little’s seminar-style classes, students regularly lead discussion, present their work in draft and final form, and thoughtfully respond to the work of their peers. In doing so, they engage not only the course material but also one another’s ideas in development, emphasizing the classroom’s value as a legitimate community centered on the individual growth of each member. Students also encounter contemplative practices such as meditation and free writing in the classroom, especially in English 343, Writing and Well-Being.

He regularly teaches the following courses:

• Writing 100, Writing and Rhetoric
• English 343, Writing and Well-Being
• English 345, Science Writing
• English 348, Ethnography and Travel Writing (paired with the California Wonder Walk)
• English 350, Style

Educational Background

Dr. Little received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota and his doctorate from the University of California, Santa Barbara. After gaining industry experience at IBM’s Silicon Valley Lab and the Toronto Transit Commission, he joined Niagara’s English faculty in 2005, earning tenure in 2011.