Faculty List

Laura E. K. Von Wallmenich, Ph.D.

Laura E. K. Von Wallmenich, Ph.D.

Chair & Assistant Professor of English
Joined Alma College Faculty in 2001
Swanson Academic Center 338
(989) 463-7132
Office Hours: (Winter 07) MW 1:30-2:30, TTH 1 - 2:30
Homepage: http://web.me.com/vonwallmenich/Home

My primary training is in early American literature, colonial through the late nineteeth-century. Unlike contemporary literature, early American literature was a central part of colonial and early national culture; in my teaching and research, I am very interested in the role literature played in shaping American cultural identities.

I also have interests in:

--African-American and Native-American literature particularly in the role of literature in defining the 'voice' of marginalized communities
--Composition, particularly in the structure of academic arguments (learning how to write using the expectations of readers as your guide)
--Interdisciplinary research and writing, especially American cultural studies. My own work is highly interdisciplinary, involving materials from the fields of geography, history, philosophy, political science,cultural anthropology, sociology, and of course, literature.

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Washington (2000)
  • M.A., University of Washington
  • B.A., Colby College

Research Interests

Puritan captivity narratives, early national fiction, geography and identity in the early nation, representations of Native Americans in Anglo-American writing. Specific writers include: Mary Rowlandson, Charles Brockden Brown, Catherine Maria Sedgewick, James Fenimore Cooper, Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, and Joaquin Miller.

Recent Courses Taught

Directed Student Presentations and Achievements

Selected Reviews

  • Laura E. K. Von Wallmenich, Ph.D. (with Catherine Fobes).  Review of Our Social World, by Jeanne Ballentine and Keith Roberts.  Teaching Sociology.  forthcoming  t.b.d..

Recent Presentations

  • "The American Clarissa: Rethinking the Problem of Virtuous Violence in Charles Brockden Brown's Ormond."  Michigan Early Americanists.  Michigan State University.  June 2.
  • "Clarissa and Lovelace in America: Brown's Ormond and the Revision of Richarsonian Virtue."  Wierd America: 7th Biennial Conference of the Charles Brockden Brown Society.  Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.  October 21-23.
  • "Inventing Anne Bradstreet: Teaching Critical Thinking in a Survey Course."  American Literature Association.  San Francisco.  May 24, 2008.
  • "Darksome Geographies: Edgar Huntly and the Mapping of early National Identities."  Michigan Early Americanists.  Lansing.  June 1.
  • "Men and the Mountain: Joaquin Miller's Life Amongst the Modocs."  Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment.  Eugene, OR.  June 21-26, 2005.
  • "'A Wilderness of Affliction': The Social Geography of Mary Rowlandson's Captivity."  Great Lakes American Studies Association.  Indianapolis, IN.  March 19.

Awards, Honors, Recognitions

  • Outstanding Junior Faculty Award

Professional Memberships

  • Society of Early Americanists
  • Charles Brockden Brown Society
  • American Studies Association
  • Association for the Study of Literature and Environment

Service to the College

 

In the more than 125 years since its founding, Alma College has stayed true to its roots by keeping its Scottish heritage alive. Today, Alma features a marching band clad in kilts, a Scottish dance troupe, a competitive pipe band and its own tartan. Each year, the College hosts the Alma Highland Festival and Games, which feature traditional Scottish games and revelry.

 

Graduate Profile

Katie Umbarger

Katie Umbarger
Graduation: 2011
Major: Elementary Education

When Katie Umbarger ’11 walked through the door to higher education as a first-generation college student, she was supported every step of the way.

“Alma took me under its wing and guided me through the process of entering college,” she says. “The concept of college seemed pretty surreal, but I was blessed with an amazing admissions counselor who helped me through everything. Alma was like finding a second family.”