Michael G. Smith, Ph.D.Page 1

EDUCATION

DrexelUniversityM.S. (LIS) ProgramPresently Enrolled

DrewUniversityPh.D., English LiteratureMay 2010

DrewUniversityM.Phil., English LiteratureMay 2006

SetonHallUniversityM.A., EnglishMay 1999

CaldwellCollegeB.A., EnglishMay 1996

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Fall 2011: OceanCountyCollege, Toms RiverNJ

Adjunct Instructor: Developmental Reading and Writing I

  • Instructed remedial students in reading and writing basics
  • Developed syllabus and class lessons that focused on basic sentence construction and paragraph development
  • Used group discussions as a means of locating the main points of select reading assignments and the supports that authors have given for said points
  • Presented lessons about topic sentences and supporting details
  • Provided basic grammar lessons through exercises, discussions and quizzes
  • Prepared students for writing a basic, five paragraph essay
  • Met with individual students when necessary

Fall 2006: DrewUniversity, Madison NJ

Adjunct Instructor: English 1/Writing

  • Taught students to develop critical thinking skills through writing and the response to others’ writing
  • Developed syllabus, presentations, and group activities designed to aid students in the development of their writing skills
  • Introduced students to various types of written argument: persuasive, comparison/contrast and definitional
  • Responded to students’ writing with both questions and comments, setting up a dialogue between writer and reader. Encouraged students to actively participate in this dialogue through peer review sessions
  • Taught students editing techniques for grammar and content, emphasizing the need for continual revision in preparation for final portfolio review
  • Developed assignments that required the use of outside sources. In conjunction with the reference librarian, instructed students in research techniques and the incorporation of other voices to bolster arguments. Instructed students in proper citation techniques
  • Met with individual students when necessary

Fall 2001 – Spring 2003: FarleighDickinsonUniversity, Madison NJ

Adjunct Instructor: Freshman Writing Workshop I

  • Taught students the foundations of writing in preparation for research papers in subsequent courses
  • Held group discussions based on reading assignments from an anthology. Used these discussions to generate ideas for writing assignments based on the readings
  • Instructed students in techniques for incorporating sources from the anthology in their writing in order to construct their own argument
  • Engaged students in a dialogue about writing and emphasized continual revision, offering techniques for grammar and content revision
  • Prepared students for proficiency exam consisting of an essay response to a pre-assigned reading
  • During the spring semesters, classes included remedial students and ESL students who required more basic instruction. Adapted lesson plans accordingly and met with students individually when necessary
  • Gave students a chance to be both readers and writers through peer review workshop sessions

Spring 1994, Fall 1994 – Spring 1995 and Fall 1995 – Spring 1996:

CaldwellCollegeLearningCenter, CaldwellNJ

Tutor: English, writing, basic composition, ESL composition, and logic

  • Reviewed students’ papers and offered tools for grammar and content
  • Provided supplemental instruction for lessons presented in class
  • Offered alternative explanations/strategies for class writing projects

Spring 1996:

Private Tutor:

  • Tutored SetonHallUniversity student in logic
  • Reviewed materials presented in class provided supplemental materials and instruction

OTHER EMPLOYMENT

Summers 1993 – 1995 and June 1996 – Present: A&P, Ortley Beach, NJ

Produce Clerk (Some experience in Dairy and Grocery Sections)

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Ph.D. Dissertation: “Men at Work and Play: The Late Victorian Adventure Story”

  • Using the concepts of work and play, argued how the masculinity of the middle- and upper-middle class Victorian gentleman is a flawed concept, which comes out in the adventure story in the late Victorian era
  • Researched databases for pertinent scholarship, combining contemporary scholarship with Victorian source material, utilizing both primary and secondary Victorian materials
  • Combined masculine theory with Victorian social history in approach

M.A. Thesis: “Revisiting Lydia Sigourney”

  • Explored Lydia Sigourney (1791 – 1865) and argued for a reexamination of her work as an a example of a foundation for later feminist literature as well as an influence on American literature
  • Utilized feminist literary theory and applied it to an examination of Sigourney’s works, using appropriate databases to obtain primary and secondary sources

HONORS AND ACTIVITES

Dean’s List – eight semesters (1992-1996, CaldwellCollege)

Graduated summa cum laude (1996, CaldwellCollege)

Earned “Pass with Distinction” mark on English comprehensive exam (1996, CaldwellCollege)

Editor of Carillon, CaldwellCollege’s yearbook, during senior year (1995-1996)

Alpha Chi Honor Society

RELEVANT COURSEWORK

DrewUniversity:

  • Received “A” grade in ENGLG 850S: “Rhetoric and Writing and Teaching Composition”
  • Passed comprehensive examinations: Renaissance Literature, Shakespeare, American Drama, Victorian Literature – The Novel, and Composition Theory

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Working knowledge of Microsoft Office

Proficient in the use of electronic databases such as the MLA Bibliography and Academic Search Premier

Knowledgeable in use of Dialog Classic, Lexis-Nexis, Web of Science databases

Proficient in the use of electronic and online journals

Working knowledge of HTML

REFERENCES

Available upon request