LLP Faculty Spotlight: 5 Questions
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Hi Dr. Whitney! Can you tell us a little about yourself?Hello! I discovered my love for teaching when I lived in South Korea from 2007 to 2009. I taught at a small private school in Seoul and pretty quickly decided to make it my career. I then moved to San Marcos, TX to get a Masters and then a PhD in Writing Studies, graduating in 2018 in Utah. I had the pleasure of teaching at a small college in upstate New York for two years before coming to Nashville. Here I am, 15 years later, in the best job I've ever had living in a great city.
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What are your research interests?
At the moment, using Problem-Based Learning to teach Technical Writing. I'm still in the data gathering phase of this research, but I was able to present this work in progress at a conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma in October. I am also interested in what's called “Knowledge Transfer.” Knowledge Transfer is the idea of learning something in one place and using it in another. I'm particularly interested in the role culture plays in this process.
What inspired you to pursue these topics?
It was my time in Korea that led me to research culture and Knowledge Transfer. There's so much possibility in this realm. Culture is a difficult idea to understand and tricky when it comes to academic research. I currently have a Fulbright and a fellowship with the ACLS under review for this work. With any luck, I will be able to continue my dissertation research while teaching and living in South Korea for a semester.Which authors or books influenced you the most?
Which authors or books influenced you the most?
Michel Foucault. His work on discourse has been enlightening to me. It is through his books that I better understand the role rhetoric plays in making/influencing our understanding of our world.
What are you reading right now?
I'm currently spending most of my time on Problem-Based Learning journals. I also recently picked up a cool copy of Deathbird stories by Harlan Ellison.