Mark
Willhardt
 Professor
Department Chair
Contact Information
Mellinger Learning Center, 203
309-457-2349
mwill@monm.edu
Office Hours
Website
https://sites.google.com/site/willhardthome/
Education
(2000), Associate Professor of English, 2000- B.A., Macalester College, 1987; M.A.,
Rutgers University, 1989; Ph.D., Rutgers University, 1993.
Courses Taught
English 110: Composition and Argument
English 180: Introduction to Literature – Detective
Fiction and/or Cover
English 200: Introduction
to English Studies
English 301: Advanced Composition
English 314: History of the English Language
English
343: 20th Century British Literature
English 350: Chaucer
English 350: Modern English Poetry
Modern
Anglophone Poetry
Modern English-Language Poetry
English 350: Modernism
English 350: Angry Young Men
English 400: Senior Seminar (Trans
Atlantic Modernism;
The Responsible Artist)
Teaching Interests
My interests are luckily reflected in the range of
courses that I’ve been able to teach at Monmouth
College. Although my graduate training was in
Modernist, and particularly Scottish, literature, I’ve
been able to explore my concerns with language as a
living and changing item through History of the English
Language and Chaucer. I’ve also been able to
concentrate on poetry, the genre that brought me to
English and most often keeps me here.
Research Interests
Having published on poetry – both as an anthologist of
cross-gendered verse and as the editor of a biographical
reference volume – my recent research has centered on
notions of authenticity, particularly in popular
culture. Last
semester, my sabbatical was spent researching
“authenticity” in rock music. I looked not only at the
philosophical roots of the concept but also at various
musicians – from Elvis Costello to Devo – who might
embody a certain vision of authenticity. This project
is large and will continue to occupy my thoughts and
research breaks for some time to come.
About Mark Willhardt
I was actually raised in
the Monmouth College community, since my father was a
professor here for thirty-five years. Although I
trained and worked around the United States, I really
wanted the community – intellectual, social, and
professional – which colleges such as Monmouth provide. I was delighted, then, to return to Monmouth as a
faculty member, since its vision of liberal arts is not
one I simply profess; it’s one I’ve lived for the
majority of my life.
|
|
