Mentorship Information

Each year, the department offers a handful of graduate research and graduate teaching mentorships, contingent upon Graduate School funding and applications from sponsoring faculty members. These mentorships allow interested English MA and Creative Writing MFA students to work closely on a research project with a faculty member or to team-teach with a faculty member an undergraduate course in literature, rhetoric, or creative writing while receiving training in course design, pedagogy, and assessment. Interested students should contact the graduate program manager for details about specific mentorships and their application deadlines.

Mentorships: Spring 2026

Jason Kerr

Teaching Mentorship, 13 hours per week

London Theatre Study Abroad: This mentorship will provide a qualified graduate student an opportunity to plan and deliver a literature course in a culturally and historically rich setting. The student will work closely with the professor preparing a syllabus and assignments with a particular focus on the kind of experiential learning a study abroad program provides. The student will gain firsthand experience building a course from the ground up, participating in everything from text selection, scheduling, and assignment and rubric design, to lesson planning and delivery. The student is required to enroll in and pay for the study abroad program, though there are some funding opportunities through the department and college.

Mentorships: Summer 2026

Michael Lavers

Teaching Mentorship, 13 hours per week

British Literature and Landscape Study Abroad: I am seeking a graduate student to work with me as a mentee in teaching English 306 (Travel Writing) as part of the Summer 2026 British Literature and Landscape study abroad program. Expertise in creative writing (MFAs) is preferred, but MAs are welcome to apply. The program consists of extensive hiking (~200 miles) and will require the student to lead undergraduates in conditions outside the traditional classroom, while nursing blistered feet and standing on mountaintops in the rain. The most important qualifications, therefore, are cheerfulness and equanimity, a knack for staying positive, and knowing how to lead, by example, a group of people who are sick of being hungry, tired, and cold.

To apply, please include a CV and a letter that explains how you are that person.

Paul Westover

Teaching Mentorship, 13 hours per week

British Literature and Landscape Study Abroad: I am seeking graduate student to help me teach English 300R (British Literature in a Cultural Setting) as part of the Summer '26 British Literature and Landscape study abroad program. The course will be experiential, exploring natural, literary, and historical sites in England, Scotland, and Wales. The graduate assistant will focus on teaching literature and writing on the spot. The program consists of extensive hiking (~200 miles) and will require the student to teach in varied conditions outside the traditional classroom. The ideal candidate, therefore, will have a demonstrated interest in British literary landscapes, or at least a willingness to geek out over literature while nursing blistered feet and standing on mountaintops in the rain.

If possible, I would love to have this student help with the program’s preparation course in the winter (4 hours per week?). In any case, he or she will need to attend, being enrolled as a student on the program.

To apply, please include a CV and a letter that explains how this opportunity will help further your academic and professional growth.