Samantha Allen Wright, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of English | Humanities Division Chair | New Media Division Chair

Samantha (Sam) Allen Wright joined the WPU faculty in the fall of 2018. She specializes in 20^th century American literature, disability studies, healthcare humanities, and writing pedagogy. As a teaching-focused scholar, she is researching pedagogical methods of including illness and disability studies in to both writing and literature classrooms. Sam also intends to present and publish her own pedagogical approaches, as she continues teaching.

Through the use of active learning and new media components, Professor Wright engages her students and involves them in the learning process. Her goal is for students to make connections between class and their personal or professional lives. By keeping the course content relevant to their interests and having them create assignments and workshops, Professor Wright challenges her students to see their communication improve outside of the classroom.

She also meets individually with students to understand their goals and provide a better grasp of the course material and grading. By creating an environment where students can comfortably seek help and ask questions, she captures their attention and shows the value in the work being done.

In her spare time, Professor Wright enjoys reading, spending time with her dogs, Romey and Monty, and traveling with her husband, Wilton.

Education

• B.A., Historical Studies, University of Texas at Dallas
• M.A., English, University of Texas at Arlington
• Ph.D., English (with Graduate Pedagogy Certificate), Texas Christian University

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Recognitions