Karen Spector
Associate Professor of Secondary English Language Arts, Curriculum & Instruction
EDUCATION
| Degree | Area of Study | University |
|---|---|---|
| Ed.D. | Literacy Education | University of Cincinnati |
| M.Ed. | English Education | University of Florida |
| B.A. | English | University of Florida |
AWARDS AND HONORS
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Language Arts Distinguished Article of the Year Award, a NCTE Journal |
| 2020 | PhD student won Excellence in Dissertation Research Award, Elizabeth Anne Murray |
| 2021 | Excellence in Academic Advising Award, University of Alabama, Office of Academic Affairs |
| 2024 | Planning Committee, Elizabeth St. Pierre Lecture Series |
| Fall 2024 | Visiting Scholar, Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia Will be working with Dr. Elizabeth St. Pierre in post qualitative inquiry. |
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Making Sense with Literature and Life
Feminist Poststructural Theory
Critical Posthumanisms
Feminist New Materialisms
Post Qualitative Research
Transformative Education
CURRENT RESEARCH AND GRANT PROJECTS
- Racial and Gender Literacies in the Time of Educational Gag Orders
- How Hope Operates in Adolescent Literature and Life
- Rhizomatic Mapping Across Multiple Methods
- Mapping Joy, Wellbeing, and Generosity in Educational Sites
HIGHLIGHTED PUBLICATIONS
Spector, K., Chisholm, J., & Whitmore, K. (2024). Learning and teaching with literature and the arts for social justice. Routledge.
Pedagogies: An International Journal,
Spector, K., Chisholm, J. S., Griffin, K., Whitmore, K. F., Cassada, A., Brow, T., Orosco, J., & Regan, A. (2024). Visual verbal journals and literacies of well-becoming. Pedagogies: An International Journal, 19(1), 99-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2022.2164499
Spector, K., & Murray, E. A. (2023). Reading with love: The potential of critical posthuman reading practices in preservice English education. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 22(4), 482-514. DOI 10.1108/ETPC-05-2022-0074
Teaching Education
Spector, K., & Murray, E. A. (2023). “Why is Anne Frank always so durn happy?”: Happy objects and bad encounters in teacher education. Teaching Education, 34(1), 50–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 10476210.2021.2002840
Kuby, C., Spector, K., Thiel, J. (Eds.). (2019). Posthumanism and Literacy Research: Knowing/Becoming/Doing Literacies. Expanding Literacies Series. Routledge.
