The Composition Department is served by a number of instructors, each representing a wealth of experiences and knowledge. Each instructor is dedicated to making his or her students' experience in AH 110/120 as productive and enjoyable as possible.

Matthew Mace Barbee

I come to Defiance College from Bowling Green State University where I earned a PhD in American Studies and taught composition and American Studies and served as a faculty member in the Department of Ethnic Studies.  Prior to my time in BG, I taught composition at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia; taught composition and earned an MA in English at Washington State University; and earned a BA in English at the College of Wooster.  While at Wooster I played on the varsity football team, DJ’ed for and helped manage the campus radio station, served as assistant editor of the campus literary journal, and served as president of a men’s multicultural, residential service community.

My academic interests focus on the intersections of race, gender and public memory, especially in the contemporary U.S. South.  Specifically, I am interested the ways communities fashion collective identities out of the past and the ways literary, visual, and media cultures respond to and shape the memories of collective traumas.  I am working with the University Press of Mississippi on a manuscript which examines constructions and articulations of race, masculinity and public memory in discourses surrounding Richmond, Virginia’s Monument Avenue.  I am also developing a project on race and masculinity in post-punk music from the U.S. South.  

As a teacher I try to build supportive yet challenging environments in which students engage the writing process through an intensive interdisciplinary study of community and memory.  In 2009-2010 my sections of AH 110 focused on violence, nationalism, and race in contemporary westerns; for those classes we looked at films such as Dead Man and Lone Star and read Michael Ondaatje’s The Collected Works of Billy the Kid.  My sections of AH 120 focused on memory and trauma associated with ethnic violence and diaspora.  Our reading included: the graphic novel Maus, which deals with memories of the Holocaust; the film Ararat, which focuses on the legacies and denial of the Armenian Genocide; and a unit on the forgotten horrors of ethnic and sexual violence of Jim Crow segregation in the U.S. 

Despite the rather grim nature of my classes I am a very approachable and friendly teacher who takes seriously student concerns and needs.  Plus, I’m pretty funny. 

Outside of teaching I am husband to Karin, who teaches composition at BGSU, and father to Pearl, who turned three in January, 2010.  We are expecting our second child, a boy, in May 2010.

email: mbarbee_AT_defiance.edu

Penny Claudio

Born and reared in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, I am a Cleveland Indians fan. My formal education is comprised of a Bachelors and Masters degree in English Literature from the University of Toledo.

Life experiences include twenty three years of marriage to my college sweetheart, rearing our three children together, and enjoying a career in the non-profit arena for several years.

As much as I enjoy watching the Indians, or sitting down to enjoy a good book, the activity I most enjoy is bicycling. I can be found biking the back roads of Williams and Defiance counties spring through fall, and the stationary bike in my basement in the winter. I have biked in four GOBA’s since taking up the sport and finished my first century ride at the age of 43. I find biking to be the perfect opportunity for solitary reflection and can actually accomplish a lot mentally on rides.

Teaching Composition at Defiance College combines my education, interest in reading and communicating, experience of helping others, the discipline and perseverance of an aspiring athlete, and the patience of an often disappointed Indians fan!

AH 110: Affecting Community: Effecting Self
Exploration and application of Mahatma Gandhi’s “Be the change you wish to see in the world” to the American condition. In this section of AH110 we will examine how an individual decision, intent, or action can escalate to evoke major change. Through reading, participation in service related activities, discussion, and writing the student will examine the effect an individual’s decisions and actions could have in defining not only the self but the larger community.

AH 120D: Solutions in a Changing World 
This section of AH120 will begin by taking a look at our world from an environmental standpoint by referencing sections of Thom Hartmann’s The  Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight.  Based on the class’s analysis of basic human needs, students will examine, analyze, and evaluate a variety of  types of solutions ranging from individual efforts, to non-profit organizations, to governmental efforts. Other sources will include but may not be limited to Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea, the Online Charity Guide, and The Brief Wadsworth Handbook.

email: pclaudio_AT_defiance.edu

Todd Comer

Todd completed his MA and PhD in American literature and film at Michigan State University, and now works as an Assistant Professor of English at Defiance College. Prior to his time at Michigan State University, Todd worked as a reporter, copy writer, and librarian. He earned his BA (English and History) at Taylor University and was born and raised West Virginia.

Todd's strengths lie in the area of 20th century American literature/film and postmodern theory. One of the exciting perks of teaching at Defiance is that it also allows him to teach Postcolonial and British literature, and Composition. Todd also happens to be the Director of Composition.

For more information, check out Todd's website.

AH 110: "I Still Haven't Found What I am Looking For:" Locating Freedom in Popular Culture
Being able to communicate well is not just a question of how much money ends up in one's pocket (important as that is!), but also a question of whether one is an active producer or a passive consumer of knowledge. Being able to communicate well is in that sense a matter of power. AH 110 is designed to prepare you to enter the world as an agent of change. We will discuss how popular media affects us, how films and television control and mold individuals and communities, and how to find freedom in this context. We will end with a segment on censorship. Possible texts include, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dogma, The Simpsons, The Dark Knight, Manufacturing Consent, various advertisements, and Nick Hornby's High Fidelity.

AH 120: Sports and Ableism in the World  
There are few things as deeply ingrained in human culture as competition. Competition, athleticism, and the able body play a central role in our arts, politics, religion, and daily rituals. Many of us read the sports page (or ESPN.com) on a daily basis. Many of us would prefer to warm a bench than a pew on Sunday. Many of us have sat in the nose-bleed section during a WWF wrestling match and screamed, "kill him!" (or the equivalent during a football, hockey, or basketball game). George Orwell once wrote that "Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words, it is war minus the shooting." This section of Writing the World will ask whether sport is indeed "war minus the shooting." We will trace athleticism and ableism in ancient Greece, fascist Germany, and in antebellum America, showing how we are socialized into games and whether athletics is tied to violence and the marginalization of those with disabilities. Texts will probably include Frank Miller's 300, and Tony Perrottet's The Naked Olympics.

email: tcomer_AT_defiance.edu

Geromina Courtney

Professor Courtney has served as part-time instructor in the Arts and Humanities Division since August 1991.

Born Geromina (Jerri) Catherine Ferrara in Washington, D.C., she grew up in the politically charged, culturally diverse Washington area. National events and political issues continually played out on the family television and on the streets she traveled. Jerri was fortunate to grow up with friends from a wide variety of cultures and creeds. Frequent treks to the Smithsonian and an Italian immigrant family also contributed to her interest in culture and her appreciation of diversity.
Jerri married Larry Courtney and the two moved to “the city with the big shoulders” (Chicago) and started a family. College was put on hold for a time. Then the Courtneys moved to northwest Ohio and Mrs. Courtney soon enrolled in Defiance College.

In May 1978, Mrs. Courtney earned a B. A. in Social Work from Defiance College with special emphasis on interdisciplinary studies in Humanities. The skills she gained through the DC social work program combined with insights gained from her interest in Humanities helped to shape her subsequent practice as a professional Social Worker. Mrs. Courtney later traveled a new path and completed a Master of Liberal Studies Degree (an interdisciplinary degree) at the University of Toledo in June 1987. Continuing interest in history and culture has led her to travel in Europe, Canada, and Puerto Rico where she has visited and photographed several interesting sites.

In addition to photography, Professor Courtney enjoys writing, studies in religion and spirituality, art, music, and theater. She loves to experiment with new technologies and has pages on Facebook, My Space, Deviant Art, and Yahoo 360.

As an Adjunct Professor at Defiance College, Mrs. Courtney has taught Composition, Literature, Western and Global Civilization courses, and Freshman Seminar. For Professor Courtney, the excitement of teaching comes from the opportunity to share. She believes that learning deepens as students work together to share their understanding and their ideas. By participating in that interaction, the professor continues to learn from her students. And of course she loves to share her passions, love of writing, fascination with culture and interdisciplinary studies, and her favorite travel photos.

AH120H: Expressions of War  
In this section of AH120, we will explore ways in which different cultures give expression to the experience of war. Through the study of a variety of visual and literary art forms, as well as a variety of music, we will seek to understand the range of expressions of war, from an ancient Chinese military treatise, The Art of War, to U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” Thus course materials will include selected works from ancient as well as contemporary conflicts and from cultures around the world. These works will form the subject matter for student writing and logging.

email: gcourtney_AT_defiance.edu

Lisa Crumit-Hancock

I believe Composition is all about exercising and improving one’s reading, writing and researching skills. So in preparing to write this biography, I decided to do a little research and asked my family for some input. My daughter said I am “a very intelligent mother of two loving children” and my son said I am “the best mommy in the world.” I obviously have reared them well, but they might be a little biased. My husband of over fifteen years, John Hancock (yes, that is really his name and don’t ask him to sign his “John Hancock” because he will), decided to plead the fifth. It became clear in this “research process” that I needed to just take matters into my own hands and simply move on to the drafting process. This is what I finally decided upon:

I am a first generation Ohioan with strong Appalachian roots. I completed my BA in English and History at Defiance College and then completed my MA in American Culture Studies at BGSU. I have taught for many years at NSCC and more recently began to teach at my alma mater, DC. Due to my interdisciplinary interests and training, I teach a variety of courses in English, Philosophy, History, and the Arts and Humanities. At Defiance College, I teach Composition and Global Civilization I and II.

In AH110, I focus on writing as a process, collaborative learning, and critical thinking skills. I use the concept that the “world is a text” (borrowed from my course textbook The World is a Text by Rader and Silverman) to persuade students to read the world around them both formally and informally. Through course discussion, group work and formal assignments, I encourage students to read, write and research the popular culture they interact with every day and not take the way(s) it affects them and the way(s) they use it for granted.

AH 110: Stories, Stories Everywhere!
This writing intensive course centers on content relating to the human impulse to create stories. We humans have created and told stories of ourselves in our quest for identity since the beginning of time. In this section, we will be both story-listeners and story-tellers, as we discover what the elements of a good story are, what the different types of storytelling techniques are, and what drives humans to create and tell stories. We will start our course examining the stories in selections of art and music. We will then study memoir and other biographical non-fiction like, the national bestseller, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. We will also consider stories in film and new media.

AH 120J and K: What is the meaning of life? 
“What is the meaning of life?” is the central question that has engaged all peoples across all times.  It is a question that crosses disciplines from philosophy and theology to science and technology and it is a foundational question that examines both the purpose and reason of human existence. Three primary philosophical categories of responses to this question exist:  Supernaturalistic, Naturalistic, and Nihilistic.  This course will look at these responses as well as examine the universal import of this question, the diverse cultural responses to this question, and the ways we may attempt to answer to this question in our own cultural and historical context.  We will examine a variety of texts from art and music to philosophical essays as well as such classic texts as Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning and contemporary films like, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. 

email: lcrumithancock_AT_defiance.edu

M.C. Harper

Mary Catherine Harper teaches literature, creative writing, and Global Civilization at Defiance College. She has had poetry published in The New England Review, WomenWriters.net, The Bozeman Er, and Masque, and has had her poetic theater piece "A Quarrel of Voices" performed at the Interdisciplinary International Women's Studies Conference of 1996. She has just finished a cross-media epistolary novel, Letters to Christian Duval, which is set in Ohio and Iraq.  

Professor Harper also publishes articles on women’s science fiction and has been published in Science Fiction Studies, Extrapolation, and FemSpec. Her interests in language arts, cultural studies, poetics, and social justice issues have taken her to Cambodia to work on a language arts and ethnography project, so she is currently writing poetry about her experiences in Cambodia. 

AH 110: What IS The Good Life?
The question of what it means to Live the Good Life has been asked from culture to culture and through the ages of human existence. In this section of AH110 we will explore the possible features of The Good Life (money, love, social standing, spirituality, playfulness, art, sport, family, work, achievement) and how much each of these might be valued in the multicultural American environment. Through reading and writing each of us will come up with our individual way to define The Good Life.

AH120A and B: The Art of World Lifestyles 
“The Art of World Lifestyles” sections of AH120 begin with an analysis of comical art from around the world showcased at the haha.nu blog site of http://haha.nu/funny/strange-statues-around-the-world, and continue with the visually stunning film Baraka. The focus will be on diverse lifestyles around the world through the study of image, film, poetry, essay, and fiction. In particular, as students study such texts as Material WorldPicture Bride, they will write (and blog) about the ways in which a lifestyle can be expressed as art and how art can be influenced by a culture’s lifestyle. 

email: mcharper_AT_defiance.ed