P. Aaron Potter
potterama@earthlink.net
http://www.potterama.net/Aaron


Education

Dissertation

Research and Teaching Interests  

  • Romantic and Victorian Literature
  • Computer Applications in the Humanities / Computer-Assisted Pedagogy
  • Electronic Media and Textuality
  • Literature and Social Praxis
  • History and Philosophy of Scientific Discourse
  • Popular Fiction and Genre Formation
  • Science Fiction and Supernatural, Fantastic, and Gothic Literatures

Teaching and Professional Experience

  • Lecturer, English, UC Riverside -- 2000-present
  • Graduate Assistant Director of Composition, UC Riverside -- 1999-2000
  • Research Assistant, California Council on Science and Technology -- 1998-present 
  • Teaching Assistant, English, UC Riverside -- 1996-2000
  • Associate in English, UC Riverside Extension -- Summer Session, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1998 
  • Research Assistant, UC Riverside -- 1999
  • Graduate Teaching Fellow, University of Virginia -- 1993

Awards and Honors

  • Humanities Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, UC Riverside, 1996-2000
  • UC Riverside Graduate Student Association Research and Travel Grant, 1999
  • Prize Winner, Graduate Student Essay Contest, UC Riverside 1998
  • Nominee, T.A. of the Year Award, UC Riverside, 1998
  • Dean's Scholar, University of Oregon

Publications

Presentations

  • "Harry Potter and the Firebreathers."  "Pottermania" conference, UC Riverside, 2005 (prospective).
  • "Sex, Lies, and Avatars: Neo-Orientalism from Street Fighter to Crouching Tiger."  39th Annual Comparative Literature Conference, 2004.
  • "The Failure of Southey’s Thalaba: a Tragedy of Translation."  21st Western Humanities Conference, 2002.
  • "Monster Slaying 101: Horror and Ideology."  Invited research presentation, UCR Retirees Association, UC Riverside, 2002 (re-presented for the LIFE program, UCR extension center, 2002).
  • "Vampires in the Stacks: an Exercise in Non-traditional Research."  Invited presentation, Library Staff Association Spring Program, UC Riverside, 2001.
  • "The Context and Reception of Digital Archives."  Invited presentation, UC Digital Cultures Research Conference, 2000.
  • "Coleridge's Mystery Poems."  Invited Lecture, English 23C (Nineteenth Century Literature), UC Riverside, 2000.
  • "The Devil's Domicile."  Cross-Currents in Humanities, 2000.
  • "God's Wounds!: How Dracula Bled Christianity Dry."  Southland Conference, 1999.
  • "Appropriating Vampires: Wish Fulfillment and the New Gothic."  Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association Annual Conference, 1999.
  • "Manfred, Myth, and Magic: the Gospel according to Lord Byron."  6th Annual Graduate Student Conference, UC Riverside, 1998.
  • "The Gender in the Machine: The Sexual Personae of Artificial Intelligence."  Information, Technology and the Humanities, Western Humanities Conference, 1997.
  • "Hypertext / Hyperclassroom : Humanities Instruction in the Wake of Hypertext."  Disciplining the Humanities, UC Riverside ,1996.

Classes Designed and Taught 

  • ENGR 180: Technical Communications -- upper division writing course in technical communications theory and practice, required of all engineering majors.

  • ENGL 302: Teaching Practicum -- introductory pedagogy course required of all Teaching Assistants (team-taught with other composition program directors)

  • ENGL 140(i): Genre Studies (Romance and Fantasy) -- upper division seminar on the origins, forms, conventions, influence, and legacy of the fantasy genre, from medieval romance to the Lord of the Rings film adaptations.

  • ENGL 102: Introduction to Critical Methods -- upper division core class for majors in theory and criticism, incorporating readings from Plato through post-structuralism

  • ENGL 23C: Nineteenth-Century Literature -- lower division survey of Romantic and Victorian literature, emphasizing major authors and works within their historical contexts

  • ENGL 1SC: Writing for the Sciences -- introductory WID program for science majors, emphasizing the distinct nature of scientific discourse, critical thinking, and professional skills.

  • ENGL 1C: Advanced Composition and Critical Analysis -- introduces interpretive methods utilizing both popular and canonical texts, as a basis for analytical compositions

  • ENGL 1B: Argument and Rhetoric -- composition and literary analysis course emphasizing construction and interpretation of didactic texts, utilizing literary examples as models

  • ENGL 1A: Beginning Composition -- introduces students to the demands of writing in the university setting, and approaches to the writing process, from draft to final revision

  • ENGL 5: Ideas in Conflict -- introductory course in argumentative writing.

  • ENGL 4: English Writing in the Disciplines -- composition course emphasizing organizational paradigms, composition and revision strategies, as preparation for writing in the disciplines

  • ENGL 3: Basic Writing -- remedial composition course serving ESL students

  • American Literature -- upper division survey in 20th century American literature (co-taught as Teaching Assistant under J.C. Levenson, University of Virginia)

Additional Professional Projects and Activities

  • Administration and scoring of the University of California’s English placement exam
  • Development of standards and curricula for Applied Intermediate Composition for the Sciences, an interdisciplinary undergraduate composition program, UC Riverside
  • New T.A. Mentor Program, UC Riverside
  • "Web-based Distance Education" -- survey project evaluating current options in on-line education, undertaken for the Engineering Center for Science and Technology Policy (ECSTP), hosted by the College of Engineering, UC Riverside
  • "Recent Issues in Computer Policy" -- survey project developed for ECSTP
  • "Science and Technology Policy Resources" -- Web directory created for ECSTP and the California Council on Science and Technology
  • Web-master, Fifth Annual UC Riverside Graduate Student Conference, 1997

Additional Work Experience

  • Programmer/Analyst, College of Engineering, UC Riverside -- 1996-1998
  • Software Engineer, Jay Jacobs Corporation, Seattle, Washington -- 1995-96
  • Programmer/Analyst, Dana Garvey Corporation, Seattle, Washington -- 1994
  • Certified Nursing Assistant, Eugene, Oregon and Coos Bay, Oregon -- 1992-3
  • Camp Counselor, U. of Oregon Talented and Gifted Program, Eugene, Oregon -- 1991

Professional Affiliations

  • National Council of Teachers of English
  • Modern Language Association
  • Popular Culture Association

References

  • Professor Robert Essick, Distinguished Professor, Department of English, UC Riverside
  • Professor Deborah Willis, Director of English Composition, Department of English, UC Riverside
  • Professor Joseph Childers, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, Department of English, UC Riverside
  • Professor Susan Hackwood, California Council on Science and Technology / Department of Engineering, UC Riverside

Dossier available upon request from:
University of California, Riverside
Career Services Center-070
Riverside, CA 92521-0211

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Please direct comments and questions to P. Aaron Potter (potterama@earthlink.net)