Karen Spector

Assistant Professor, English Education
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
230B Graves Hall—Box 870232
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0232
(205)-348-0303
kspector@bamaed.ua.edu
Appointed in 2007

Recent Courses Taught:

CSE 390
CRD 412/512
CSE 563/663

Areas of Research:

Holocaust literature teaching and learning
Multicultural literature teaching and learning
Critical English education
Narrative theory
Critical discourse analysis

Academic Degrees:

Ed.D., University of Cincinnati, 2005, Literacy
M.Ed., University of Florida, 1988, English Education
B.A. University of Florida, 1986, English

Professional Experiences:

Assistant Professor, College of Education, The University of Alabama, 2007 – Present.

Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator, College of Education, Cleveland State University, 2005-2007

Instructor, English Department, University of Cincinnati, 1997-2001

Selected Publications:

Spector, K. (2007). God on the gallows: Reading the Holocaust through narratives of redemption. Research in the Teaching of English, 55(1), 7-55.

Spector, K., & Jones, S. (2007). Constructing Anne Frank: Critical literacy in an 8th grade English language arts classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 5, 36-48.

Selected Presentations:

Spector, K. (Symposium Organizer and Presenter), Juzwik, M., Caughlan, S. (2007, November). Connecting micro and macro narrative analysis in secondary English educational research: Crossing the scales of time in classroom Holocaust narratives. Symposium to be presented at the annual meeting of the National Reading Conference, Austin, TX.

Spector, K. (2007, March). The possibilities of parallel narratives: Blacks, Jews, and tolerance. Paper presented at the 37th Annual Holocaust Scholars Conference, Cleveland.

Spector, K. (2007, March). “This story has nothing to do with my life!” Paper presented as part of the panel Power and Identities in Gendered Performances: A Look at Diverse Educational Contexts in the U.S. with S. Jones, L. Vasudevan, E. & L. Clarke. Discussant, Jane Miller. Gender and Education, Dublin, Ireland.

Spector, K. (2007, February). “Project decoy: The possibilities of a provocateur identity. Paper presented at the annual meeting of National Council of Teachers of English—Assembly for Research, Nashville, TN.

Clarke, L., & Spector, K. (2006, November). Texts as tools: Using critical literacy in the classroom across grades. Paper presented at the National Council of Teachers of English, Nashville, TN.

Spector, K. (2006, April). God on the gallows: Public school students reading the Holocaust through narratives of redemption. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.