Faculty List

Carol F Bender, Ph.D.

Carol F Bender, Ph.D.

Professor of English
Joined Alma College Faculty in 1986
Swanson Academic Center 336
(989) 463-7309
Office Hours: M-W: 11:00 - 2:00; TTh 8:00-8:30 and 2:30-3:30
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My teaching and scholarship strives to emphasize the importance of writing and to expand the possibilities for studies in English at Alma College. Since 1986 I have developed and taught various courses with those goals in mind. Co-founder of the Women's Studies Program I offer a Women's Literature course and teach Women's Studies 101 and 102. After serving as visiting professor at Stillman College (Alma's sister school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) I developed a course in African American literature. For many years I taught an Environmental Writing Course linked with the Environmental Studies Program. Taking students off campus to study literature at such places as London, Taos, New Mexico, Martha's Vineyard and Key West, Florida offers immersion in the culture and literary history of areas far from Alma.

Education

  • M.A., Central Michigan University (1984)
  • Ph.D., Michigan State University (1989)

Research Interests

Learning Communities and Interdisciplinary connections between English and Science. Active participation in institutes sponsored by AACU (Association of American Colleges and Universities) and SENCER (Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities).

Directed Student Presentations and Achievements

Selected Articles

  • Carol F Bender, Ph.D..  "Sandra Cisneros’s `Woman Hollering Creek."  Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition.  Salem Press: Pasadena, California, 2004
  • Carol F Bender, Ph.D..  "Gertrude Stein’s Three Lives."  Cyclopedia of Literary Places.  Salem Press, Pasadena, California, 2003.

Recent Presentations

  • Bender, Carol.  "Taking it Literally: Tennessee Williams' One Acts in Key West."  Conference of the American Alliance for Theatre Education.  Vancouver, BC..  July 2007.
  • Bender, Carol.  "Historical Gratiot County: A Collection of Stories."  11th Annual Institute for Service Learning and Civic Engagement." Schoolcraft College.  Schoolcraft College, Oakland, Michigan.  Feb. 8-9, 2007.
  • Carol Bender.  "Key West Culture: A Midwesterner Reads the Region."  37th Annual College Engish Association Conference.  San Antonio, Texas.  April 6-8, 2006.

Awards, Honors, Recognitions

  • Omicron Delta Kappa, Award for Faculty Excellence

Professional Memberships

  • Pi Kappa Phi National Honorary
  • Conference on College Composition and Communication
  • National Council of Teachers of English
  • Modern Language Association
  • Michigan Council of Teachers of English

Service to the College

  • Co-Chair English Department
  • English Department Search Committee

 

Alma College’s nationally recognized Model United Nations program has won top honors for 16 consecutive years (1997–2012) — the longest active winning streak of any college or university in the nation. Alma College’s all-time 30 “outstanding delegation” awards are the most of any college or university in the 90-year history of the conference.

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Graduate Profile

Erin Pettijohn

Erin Pettijohn
Graduation: 2007
Major: Biology

Before she came to Alma College, Erin Pettijohn was dead-set on becoming a crime scene investigator. After taking an introductory biology course, however, her passion for medical science came alive.

Since graduating in 2007, Pettijohn has successfully finished medical school. Soon she will begin her residency in internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She hopes to pursue a career in oncology.

“Alma really gives you the opportunity to dream big,” she says. “Your degree will get your foot in the door of any occupation you desire, but more importantly, the well-rounded character and humanism you develop will set you apart and allow you to succeed once you get there.”

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