English Department Faculty
NCWU English professors care passionately about teaching and advising.
The English Faculty
The Department of English is one of the largest at North Carolina Wesleyan University. Our faculty are experts in many areas of English literary and writing studies, including American and British literature, critical theory, cultural studies, digital rhetoric, journalism, professional, technical and creative writing, as well as English as Second Language.
We are an active and engaged department. Our faculty believe that teaching and advising are at the core of our professional identities. Moreover, as scholars and authors, we also publish books and scholarly articles, present our work at conferences, conduct research and continue to learn as part of a community of like-minded colleagues and students. The close professional ties that are forged between students and faculty crucially enhance the study of English at North Carolina Wesleyan.
Department Chair
Lee Templeton
Associate Professor of English
Chair, School of Humanities
English Program Coordinator
Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
I specialize in Medieval British literature, with emphasis on romance and Chaucer. My teaching interests further include Old-Norse/Icelandic literature, ancient literatures in translation, the history of the English language, gender studies, critical theory and Shakespeare. Read More
Full-Time Faculty
James Bowers
Associate Professor of English
Ph.D., Florida State University
I specialize in 20th- and 21st-century American literature. My research and teaching interests include African-American literature, the literature of social movements, the literature of peace, the history of the novel and creative writing. Read More
Bill Grattan
Professor of English
Faculty Adviser to The Decree
Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia
A generalist, I teach first-year composition, news and sports writing, copy editing, and introductory literature courses, with particular interest in the American novella, fiction of the American South, and modern American drama. I’m the author of a novella, Ghost Runners (Pinyon Press), and a novel, The Bully of Brantley, Pa. (Black Rose Writing). My current fiction manuscript is titled “N’at.”
Margaret Love
Assistant Professor of English
Faculty Adviser to Sigma Tau Delta
Ph.D., Tufts University
I teach courses in world literature and composition, with a particular interest in exploring the power dynamics present in these fields. My literature courses explore how cultural representations shape our lived experience. Read More
Mark Sursavage
Assistant Professor of English
Director of the Writing Center
Ph.D., University of Houston
I am interested in how students’ personal experiences and area of study inform their writing practices, so in my classes I try to find ways for students to connect these aspects of themselves to their assignments. That often that means using group work and class discussions.
Doreen Thierauf
Assistant Professor
General Education Program Coordinator
Assistant Director of the Zipf Teaching and Learning Center
Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
I specialize in 19th-century British literature, particularly in Romantic and Victorian women writers. My teaching interests also include contemporary literature and popular culture, gender studies, critical theory and undergraduate research methods. Read More
Megan Von Bergen
Assistant Professor
Director of the Writing Program
Ph.D., The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Visiting Full-Time Faculty
Katie Beeman
Visiting Instructor of English
Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Jamie Hathaway-Pollard
Visiting Instructor of English
M.A. Ed., East Carolina University
Part-Time Faculty
Sophronia Knott
Adjunct Instructor
M.A., East Carolina University
I studied creative writing and literature, with a research interest in non-fiction literature on mental illnesses written by female authors. My teaching interests include writing and composition. Read More