Dr. Paula A. Farca

Dr. Paula A. Farca

Dr. Paula A. Farca

Liberal Arts and International Studies
Colorado School of Mines
414 Stratton Hall
Golden, CO 80401 / E-mail:

Education

Ph.D. in English Literature, OklahomaStateUniversity, December 2009, dissertation entitled Roots to Routes: Contemporary Indigenous Fiction by Women Writers in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

M.A. in English Literature, OklahomaStateUniversity, May 2003 – thesis entitled Three Borgesian Cartographers in Search of (Hi)stories: E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient, and Peter Ackroyd’s Chatterton.

M.A. in British and American Studies, West University of Timisoara, Romania, June 2000 – thesis entitled Advertising – From Popular Culture to Art.

B.A. in Romanian and English Literatures and Languages, West University of Timisoara, Romania, June 1999 – thesis entitled Narrative Techniques in John Fowles’s Fiction.

Areas of Interests and Expertise

Contemporary Literature, Postcolonial and Indigenous Literature, American Literature, Women’s Fiction, Environment and Energy, First-Year Writing and Composition

Publications

Books:

Energy in Literature: Essays on Energy and Its Social and Environmental Implications in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literary Texts (edited volume)Oxford: TrueHeart Press, 2015, ISBN-13: 978-1-910018-00-2 and E-ISBN: 978-1-910018-01-9)

Identity in Place: Contemporary Indigenous Fiction by Women Writers in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2011 (ISBN 978-1-4331-1153-2 and 978-1-4539-0158-8 eBook).

Nature and Human Values: A Student Guide (second edition). Co-authored with Cortney Holles and Shira Richman.Plymouth: Hayden-McNeil Publishing, 2012

(ISBN 978-073805383-7).

A Student’s Guide to Nature and Human Values.Co-authored with Cortney Holles and Shira Richman.Plymouth: Hayden-McNeil Publishing, 2010 (ISBN 978-073803643-4).

Speculations: An Anthology for Reading, Writing, and Research.Co-edited with Matthew Sivils and Constance Squires.Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt, 2006 (ISBN 0-7575-2502-4).

Book Chapters:

“Introduction.” Energy in Literature: Essays on Energy and Its Social and Environmental Implications in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literary Texts. Edited by Paula Farca.Oxford: TrueHeart Press, 2015, ISBN-13: 978-1-910018-00-2 and E-ISBN: 978-1-910018-01-9)

“Humor in Contemporary Aboriginal Adult Fiction.”A Companion to Australian Aboriginal Literature.Edited by Belinda Wheeler. Rochester: Camden House, 2013, pages 125-138.

“CreatiesiVindecare in SpatiulMultietnic din FurtuniSolare de Linda Hogan.” Spatiul in Romanul Anglo-Saxon Contemporan:Heterocosmosuri/ Heterotopii(in Romanian). Edited by Pia Brinzeu.Bucuresti: Art, 2011, pages 207-28 (ISBN978-973-124-522-5).

Articles:

“Lacan Frames Scorsese’s Paintings in The Age of Innocence.”American, British and Canadian Studies Journal, Vol. 23, December 2014, pages 40-59.

“Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood and the Garden of Limited Choices.”Margaret Atwood Studies Vol. 3, No. 2, August 2010, pages 18-21.

“Land as Mediator: Violence and Hope in Alexis Wright’s Plains of Promise.”The Journal of Australian Writers and Writing, Issue 1, May 2010, pages 29-36.

“Violence and the Female Body in Southern Fiction.”Consortium: A Journal Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry, Boulder, April 2010, pages 49-57.

“Generations of Canadian Women Alone Together in Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin.”Notes on Contemporary Literature, May 2010, Vol. 40.3 pages 10-12.

“Writing from the Margin about the Body of Slavery: Mary Chesnut’s Civil War Diary and Mattie Griffith’s The Autobiography of a Female Slave.”Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Honolulu, January 2009.

“’And, You, Miss, Are No Lady’: Feminist and Postfeminist Scarlett O’Hara Rethinks the Southern Lady.”Southern Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of the South, Spring/Summer 2007, Vol. XIV, No. 1, pages 73-90.

“Foucault Informs Kate Chopin’s Short Fiction.”Academic Exchange Quarterly, Spring 2007, Vol. 11, Issue 1, pages 120-24.

“White, Straight Lady Savannah of John Berendt’sMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”Notes on Contemporary Literature, 37.3, May 2007.

“Whistling the Blues and Washing the Language in Lewis Nordan’sWolf Whistle.”Notes on Contemporary Literature 36. 5, November 2006.

Contributor:

The Dictionary of Literary Characters (2009); entries on the characters from Louise Erdrich’sLove Medicine (Albertine Johnson, Eli Kashpaw, Gerry Nanapush, GordieKashpaw, June Morrissey, Lipsha Morrissey, Lulu Nanapush, Lyman Lamartine, Marie Lazarre, Moses Pillager, NectorKashpaw, and Zelda Kashpaw Johnson Bjornson) and Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin (Adelia Chase, Aimee, Alex Thomas, Benjamin Chase, Mr. Erskine, Iris, Laura, Liliana, Norval, Reenie, Richard Griffen, Sabrina, and Winifred Griffen).

Teaching Experience

  • April 2013 –

Full-time Teaching Associate Professor, Liberal Arts and International Studies, Colorado School of Mines

  • January 2010 – April 2013

Full-time Teaching Assistant Professor, Liberal Arts and International Studies, ColoradoSchool of Mines

  • August 2008 – December 2009

Adjunct Professor, Liberal Arts and International Studies, ColoradoSchool of Mines

  • August 2009 – May 2010

Adjunct Professor, MetropolitanStateCollege of Denver

  • August 2001 – May 2007

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of English, OklahomaStateUniversity

  • August 2000 – May 2001

WritingCenter Tutor, Department of English, OklahomaStateUniversity

  • October 1999 – June 2000

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of English, West University of Timisoara, Romania

Courses Taught

Academic Publishing (Colorado School of Mines)

Energy and Culture (Colorado School of Mines)

Energy and Society (Colorado School of Mines)

Energy and Humanities (Colorado School of Mines)

Literature and Environment (Colorado School of Mines)

Women’s Literature and Society (Colorado School of Mines)

Twentieth-Century American Literature: Place and Ethnic Identity (Colorado School of Mines)

Multicultural American Literature (Colorado School of Mines)

Food and Cultural Traditions in American Literature (Colorado School of Mines)

Rebels in American Literature (Colorado School of Mines)

African American Literature (Oklahoma State University)

Masterpieces of Literature (Oklahoma State University)

Introduction to Literature (Oklahoma State University, Metropolitan State College of Denver)

Introduction to Fiction (Metropolitan State College of Denver)

Nature and Human Values (Colorado School of Mines)

Survey of Martin Scorsese’s Films (Colorado School of Mines)

Film Studies (Colorado School of Mines)

Critical Analysis I (Oklahoma State University)

Critical Analysis II (Oklahoma State University)

English Composition I (Oklahoma State University, Metropolitan State College of Denver)

English Composition II (Oklahoma State University)

Epics: A Writing Class in Engineering Design (Colorado School of Mines)

Conference Presentations

Chair of Extractive Tales: Narratives and Ethics, ASLE, Moscow ID, June 2015.

“Ethical Lessons from Within We Cannot Do Without: Extractive Industries in Nature and Human Values.” ASLE, Moscow ID, June 2015.

Organizer and Chair of the round table discussion “Energy in Literature.” ALA Conference, Washington DC, May 2014.

“From Citizens to Indian Sprits: Choctaw Women Shaping Their Community and History in LeAnne Howe’s Shell Shaker.” SSAWW Conference, Denver, October 10-13, 2012.

“Nature and Human Values: Teaching Ethics and Writing to Engineers.” One Voice International Conference and Forum for Educators, Denver, June 2010. (poster presentation)

“Violence and the Female Body in Southern Fiction.”The Cross-Disciplinary Consortium, Boulder, April 2010.

“Writing from the Margin about the Body of Slavery: Mary Chesnut’s Civil War Diary and Mattie Griffith’s The Autobiography of a Female Slave.”Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Honolulu, January 2009.

“Borderline Indians, Places, and Traditions: Louise Erdrich’sLove Medicine.” Western Literature Association Conference, Boulder, October 2008.

“Biting Blacks, Women, and Homosexuals: Racial and Gender Stereotypes in Vivienne Cleven’sBitin’ Back.” South Central Modern Language Association Conference, Memphis, November 2007.

“Oh, Jiminy, the Aqua Trim Is Lovely!: Cathy Whitaker’s Ornamental Individuality in Todd Haynes’ Far From Heaven.” Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference, Boston, April 2007.

“The Land Writes Back: Violence and Hope in Alexis Wright’s Plains of Promise.” South Central Modern Language Association Conference, Dallas, October 2006.

“Sex and the City: Leopold Bloom’s Pathological Performances in Public Spaces.” International James Joyce Symposium, Budapest, Hungary, June 2006.

“Autobiographical Harriet Jacobs Fictionalized by the I/eye of Linda Brent.” Popular Culture Association /American Culture Association Conference, San Antonio, Texas, April 2004.

Awards

Order of Omega Outstanding Faculty Award (April 2013)

Faculty Spotlight in The Oredigger, September 6th, Volume 91, issue 1 (2010)

English Graduate Student Association Service Scholarship given for service to the English Department and University, Oklahoma State University (2008)

Clinton Keeler Fellowship in English Studies for the Department’s Outstanding Doctoral Candidate (2007)

Audre Chapman Scholarship for Excellence in Teaching Composition and Curriculum Development (2007)

Leonard J. Leff Film or Media Studies Award (2006)

Nobel Laureate Scholarship offered by The Association of Women in Communications (2005)

Award for Outstanding Essay in Contemporary Studies (2005)

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (2005-)

Audre Chapman Scholarship for Excellence in Teaching Composition (2004)

Academic Service and Committee Work (LAIS)

  • Assessment Coordinator (Fall 2015-)
  • Chair of Teaching Promotion Committee, LAIS (2014-2015)
  • Chair of the Awards Committee, LAIS (2013-2015)
  • Member of two Hiring Committees for faculty positions in Composition, Writing Center Coordinator, and Human Systems, Colorado School of Mines (2011-2012)
  • Awards Committee Member, Liberal Arts and International Studies, ColoradoSchool of Mines (2011-2013)
  • Judge for Epics I Design Competition, Spring 2011, Spring 2013, Fall 2014, Spring 2015
  • Leader of pedagogy and curriculum development meetings, Liberal Arts and International Studies, Colorado School of Mines (2010-2012)
  • Co-author of two textbooks on Nature and Human Values, Liberal Arts and International Studies, Colorado School of Mines (2009-2012)

Academic Service and Committee Work (OSU)

  • Co-editor of the second edition of Speculations: An Anthology for Reading, Writing, and Research, an anthology customized for Composition students and program at OklahomaStateUniversity (2005-2006)
  • Assistant Director of Composition, Department of English, OklahomaStateUniversity (2004-2006)

Provided pedagogical support to Composition program instructors; mentored first-year Composition teachers; conducted course observations; conferred on syllabi design; provided support for assignment creation and implementation; led monthly Professional Development sessions for teaching assistants; planned and organized the schedule for Orientation; led Orientation sessions for new and continuing instructors; revised the Composition website; attended weekly meetings with the Composition Directors to discuss curriculum development; and helped create and publish textbooks/anthologies for our Composition program and students.

  • Member of the editorial and advisory committee for Speculations: An Anthology for Reading, Writing, and Research, first edition, OklahomaStateUniversity (2003)
  • Member of the Hiring Committee for a faculty position in American Literature, OklahomaStateUniversity (Spring 2006)
  • Discussion Leader at Composition Orientation, OklahomaStateUniversity presenting and leading the following sessions:

Spring 2006 (“Selecting a Research Area,” “Focus on Annotated Bibliography, Literature Review, and Argumentative Essay,” “Library Resources,” “Overview of the Reading Anthology,” “Discussion of Page Length Requirements, Assignment Sheets, and Responsibilities,” “Handout Exchange,” and “Syllabus Workshop and First Two Weeks of Classes”)

Fall 2005 (“Teaching Analytical Reading,” “Getting the First Weeks Organized,” “Necessary Record Keeping,” “Difficult Students/Difficult Topics,” “Revisiting the Research Project,” and “Syllabi Workshops”)

Fall 2004 (“The First Two Weeks of Classes,” “Assignment Sequence in Engl. 1213,” “Moveable Bridges in Engl. 1213,” and “Syllabus Workshop”)

Spring 2004 (“Speculations – Greatest Hits”)

Fall 2003 (“Responding to Students’ Papers”)

Spring 2003 (“Exchanging Handouts”)

Fall 2002 (“C papers”)

Spring 2002 (“Exchanging Handouts”)

  • Cross-Visitation and Mentoring Program, First-Year Composition Program, in Spring 2002, Fall 2002, Fall 2003, and Fall 2005, Oklahoma State University
  • Member of the Composition I Curriculum Development Committee, OklahomaStateUniversity (2004)
  • Invited Speaker at Literature Courses in the Department of English, OklahomaStateUniversity: ENGL. 1923 (Spring 2006), ENGL. 4170 (Spring 2006), and ENGL. 2413 (Fall 2004)

References (upon request)

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