Robert B. Craven
Assistant Professor of English
English Faculty
Robert B. Craven
About Me
A proud Westminster alumnus (class of 2013, magna cum laude), I have been with Westminster as a faculty member since 2022. I currently serve as Assistant Professor of English. I teach courses in English, writing, and Inquiry.
Academic Degrees:
- Ph.D. in English (University of Oregon, 2022)
- M.A. in English (Duquesne University, 2015)
- B.A. in English, writing minor (Westminster College, 2013)
Research
My academic research is interdisciplinary. Trained in English and in environmental studies, I think and teach about literature by making use of the methods and materials of the environmental humanities. My research tends to be regionally focused.
I’ve written about specific topics including: poetry, cultural regionalism, modernism, literary canon formation, and documentary literature. My dissertation (University of Oregon, 2022) asks about the place of the Appalachian verbal arts in relation to American cultural modernism.
My areas of specialization include:
- poetry and poetics
- twentieth-century U.S. literatures
- Appalachian studies
Scholarly works:
Craven, Bob. “Documenting the Corporate Underworld in Mark Nowak’s Coal Mountain Elementary.” Criticism Volume 62, Issue No. 2 (Spring 2020): 243-270.
Craven, Bob. Appalachian Moderns: Poetry & Music, 1936-1947. Dissertation. University of Oregon. ProQuest (2022).