James Reitter, Ph.D., M.F.A.
Assistant Professor of English
One University Drive, Office 5112
University of Wisconsin—Sheboygan
Sheboygan, WI 53081-4789
(920) 459-6648
 

           Dissertation: Modern Dragons: A History of the Crocodilian in the Western Mind

                               Tracing the cultural history of the way Western thought imagines the crocodilian, this dissertation will demonstrate how the reptile helps us
                               see who we are. The image of the crocodilian has remained consistent throughout time because it has always represented something mythic,
                               fulfilling a necessary position in Western imagination.

           Dissertation Committee: John Laudun (chair), Joseph Andriano, Christine DeVine, Marcia Gaudet

          M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Poetry concentration), Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. Brooklyn, New York, June 1997

          Masters Thesis: Holy Jester

          B.A. in English (Creative Writing concentration), State University of New York at Oswego. Oswego, New York, May 1995

RESEARCH INTERESTS
          Environmental literature, Poetry, First-year writing, Folklore, Gothicism in film and literature, Ethnography, Gender and identity, Interdisciplinary studies.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

PUBLICATIONS

Journal Articles

• “Dickens and Three Stages of Illustration Evolution.” Interdisciplinary Humanities. Volume 25.1 Spring 2008.
• “The Legacy of Three Civil War Poets: Henry Timrod, Paul Hamilton Hayne, Sydney Lanier.” The South Carolina Review. Forthcoming.
• “Western Symbolism of Crocodilians in Literature and Culture.” Midwestern Folklore Volume 31, Issue 1. August 2005.

• “Coming Back to New York” freefall, Fall 2007.
• “Dusting Off” The Southwestern Review, Spring 2005.
• “Bleached” The Southwestern Review, Spring 2003.
• “Homage to My Hips Revisited” The Southwestern Review, Spring 2002.
• “Noel” Penny Dreadful Press, 2000.
• “Companions” Riverrun, 1999.
• “Untold” and “Change of Season” in Muse of Fire, #61, February 1998.
• “Leopard Gecko in a 20 Gallon Tank” The Brooklyn Review, 1997.
• “The Post-Dawn Dilemma” The Plastic Tower, #21, January 1995.
• “If Only” The Laureate Letter, June 1994.

• Cajun Women and Mardi Gras by Carolyn E. Ware. Western Folklore. Forthcoming.
• Lyric, Meaning, and Audience in the Oral Tradition of Northern Europe by Thomas A. DuBois. Western Folklore. Forthcoming.
• What are the Animals to Us?: Approaches from Science, Religion, Folklore, Literature, and Art edited by Dave Aftandilian. Western Folklore. Forthcoming.
• The Alligator Book by C.C. Lockwood. Louisiana History. Col. XLV, No. 24, Spring 2004.

          Scholarly

• “The Daily Journal: Reading and Response.” University of Wisconsin Colleges Colloquium 2008. Sheboygan, WI, May 2008.
• “Epic Transformations: Beowulf and Cinematic Interpretation.” College English Association 2008. St. Louis, MO, March 2008.
• “Learning the Ways of the River: Jim Delahoussaye and the Myette Point Houseboat Community.” South Central Modern Language Association 2007. Memphis, TN, November 2007.
• “Developing the Teacher/Student Relationship Through Journal Writing.” College English Association 2007. New Orleans, LA, April 2007.
• “Pictures Telling the Story: Dickens, His Illustrators, and the Influence of William Hogarth.” National Association for Humanities Education 2007. San Francisco, CA, February 2007.
• “The Gothic Wilderness: Irving’s Regionalism in ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘Rip Van Winkle.’” College English Association 2006. San Antonio, TX, April 2006.
• “Representing ‘The Other’: Nature and Man in Poetry.” The Voice of the Other: Reconstruction Our Cultural Discourse: The 4^th Annual Graduate Conference on Language and Literature 2005. Lafayette, LA, April 2005.
• “The Significance of Environment on Culture: Living with Dragons.” American Folklore Society 2004. Salt Lake City, UT, October 2004.
• “The Legacy of the Civil War Poets: Henry Timrod, Paul Hamilton Hayne, Sydney Lanier.” Conflict in Southern Writing: Troy University Conference 2004. Troy, AL, September 2004.
• “The Dickens Progressions: Continuing the Hogarth Tradition.” Crossing Boundaries: The 2^nd Annual Graduate Conference on Language and Literature 2003. Lafayette, LA, April 2003.
• “Caged In: A Closer Look at Zookeepers’ Roles.” Louisiana Folklore Society 2003. Lafayette, LA, April 2003.
• “Woodcarving as Folk Art in Louisiana.” Louisiana Folklore Society 2002. Nachitoches, LA, April 2002.

• Host. Luce public reading. Spring 2008.
• Featured poet. Thursday Night Reading Series. Spring 2006.
• Poetry/art collaboration. The Deep South Writer’s Festival. Spring 2005.
• Poetry/music collaboration. The Deep South Writer’s Festival. Fall 2003.
• Featured poet. Thursday Night Reading Series. Spring 2003.

• Advisory Board Member. May 2008-present. Ellwood H. May Environmental Park, UWC—Sheboygan.
• Member, Appointments Committee. May 2008-present. UWC—Sheboygan.
• Member, Planning Committee. April 2008-present. UWC
• Guest Lecturer, Application Seminar. April 2008. UWC—Sheboygan.
• Chair, Engaging Students in the First Year Committee. October 2007-present. UWC—Sheboygan
• Member, Mentoring Policy Review Committee. November 2007-present. UWC
• Member, Sophomore Curriculum Committee. September 2006-May 2006. ULL
• Member, Adjunct Faculty Committee. August 2006-May 2007. ULL
• Graduate Student Representative on the English Department Graduate Faculty Committee. August 2005-May 2006. ULL
• Graduate Student Orientation Session Leader, August 2005. ULL
• Departmental Webmaster, May 2005-May 2006. ULL
• Co-Chair. Cultural Context: The 3^rd Annual Graduate Conference on Language and Literature. August 2003-April 2004. ULL
• Member. Technical and Hospitality Committees. Crossing Boundaries: The 2^nd Annual Graduate Conference on Language and Literature. Spring 2003. ULL
• President. UL Folk Organization. Spring 2002-Spring 2003. ULL
• Photo, image, and audio archiving. Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore. Fall 2002-Spring 2003. ULL
• Vice President. UL Folk Organization. Spring 2001-Spring 2002. ULL

• Modern Language Association
• College English Association
• National Association for Humanities in Education
• National Council of Teachers of English
• South Central Modern Language Association

• University of Wisconsin Colleges Travel Grant. Fall 2007.
• University of Wisconsin—Sheboygan Travel Grant. Fall 2007.
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette Fellowship Award. Fall 2000-Spring 2004.

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