Name: David Humphries
Courses I teach/activities I’m involved in:
English 101 English Composition I
English 102 English Composition II: Introduction to Literature
English 301 Readings in Prose Fiction
English 412 American Literature II: Civil War to Present
I’m involved in learning communities and enjoy working with faculty from different departments.
Research Interests:
Since finishing my book Different Dispatches: Journalism in American Modernist Prose, I’ve finished an article on James Agee and Zora Neale Hurston, and I’m working on a piece that explores the cultural importance of Henry Ford’s friendship with Thomas Edison. I’m also starting a longer project that looks at how different ideas of the family affected the style and structure of the American novel during the Cold War. I also draw upon my teaching and the writing classroom as a source of inspiration and research ideas.
Teaching philosophy:
I think that the classroom should never be isolated from the lives we lead, and so I try to create connections among our reading, writing, and everyday experiences. I also emphasize that critical thinking is a civic responsibility as well as a personal skill. At the same time, I think that laughter can be a useful aid to the thinking process, and I always try to engage the goals and expectations that students bring to the classroom. Queensborough students bring an inspiring enthusiasm and amazing diversity of experience and background to every class.
Recommended web sites:
Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415976758/ref=sr_11_1/102-7445052-0174521?%5Fencoding=UTF8
Click to look inside my book.
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk
It’s always helpful to consider another perspective of what’s important in the news.
Pitchfork Media: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com
Changes in music represent so many changes in our culture, and this site covers most of the stuff I might miss.
Wired: http://www.wired.com
I think it’s important to think about what’s going on in technology to think about what’s going on in the way we communicate.
