Susan Ray
Associate Professor
Communications, Arts & Humanities
Contact Information
Marple901 S. Media Line Road
Media, PA 19063
610-723-2000
Room Number: 4315
Phone: 610-723-1365
Contact Faculty
Degrees
- B.A. in English (Pennsylvania State University)
- M.A. in English, General Literature & Rhetoric (Binghamton University)
- Ph.D. in English, General Literature & Rhetoric (Binghamton University)
Academic Biography
SELECT PUBLICATIONS: •"Rethinking Madness and Marginality: A Neo-Victorian Reading of the Life of Isabella Thackeray," Vernon Press. (Forthcoming 2025) • "Disney’s Coco: The Power of Celebrity and its Impact on the Adolescent Mind." Social Order and Authority in Pixar Films. Rowan and Littlefield Publishers. (2023) • “The Experiment.” Prosopisia Journal of Creative Writing. Ed. Moizur Khan (Fall 2019) • “The Imprint of the Western Dime Novel on Hard-boiled Pulp Fiction.” Twentieth Century Literary Criticism Series. Gale Cenage. (2015) • “Empty Houses: Theatrical Failure and the Novel by David Kurnick.” (Book Review). George Eliot—George Henry Lewes Studies. (September 2012) • “Thackeray: Poking Holes in the Narrative of Empire.” Victorians: a Journal of Culture and Literature. (Spring 2011) SELECT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS • “Translating Victorian Insanity.” Interdisciplinary Nineteenth Century Studies. Cincinnati, OH (March 2024) • “The Complaints of an English Curmudgeon: William Thackeray’s Accounts of International Travel.” Interdisciplinary Nineteenth Century Studies. Knoxville, TN. (April 2023) • “Elwell’s Little Nell: The Monument Dickens Never Wanted.” INCS. Dallas, TX. (March 2019) • “Tracing William Thackeray’s Premonitions of a More Inclusive England.” North American Victorian Studies Association. St. Petersburg, FL. (October 2018) • Conference Organizer and Co-Host. INCS. Philadelphia, PA. (March 2017).
Theoretical Approach, Experience, and Temperament
While I have been passionate about writing and literature since childhood, I realize not all of my students share my interests. I've learned that students put forth their most sincere efforts when they recognize how skills from our course will serve them outside the classroom. Thus, I tell my students the most important accomplishments they can take from a college English class are the abilities to write confidently and think critically. During my eighteen years of teaching, I have always been an advocate for student-centered learning: I may open class with a brief lecture, but the lesson will always require student participation. This may include collectively answering discussion questions, peer editing, or group activities. Directly involving students in the learning process encourages them to engage with the material and inspires a collaborative environment. I offer frequent low-stakes writing assignments in my composition courses and always provide students with the opportunity to revise their essays. This removes the stigma of looming paper deadlines and emphasizes that writing is a process and revision is the key to successful composition. Whether teaching a composition or traditional literature course, one of the most important steps in becoming a more confident writer and thinker is to read, discuss, and analyze well-written works. Assigning readings that students can relate to fosters lively class discussion and invites them to ask “Why is this a strong piece of writing?" as well as “How could it be better?” A lifelong love of fiction led me to academia but the adventure of teaching lies at the heart of my career. As I continue to learn from both students and colleagues, my teaching strategies are evolving to better fit the needs of my students.
Scholarly Interests
- Composition studies; Victorian studies; Postcolonial studies; Pop culture studies.
