Distinguished Lecturer
407 McClung Tower
smurph19@utk.edu
Biography
Dr. Samantha Murphy is Distinguished Lecturer in English. Her research interests lie in early modern drama, 16th and 17th century politics, witchcraft studies, and the intersection of and literature and science. Dr. Murphy teaches courses in Shakespeare, British literature and culture, comedy, and writing. She is also a member of the Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and occasionally teaches courses for the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Interdisciplinary Program. Recent conference presentations have addressed the incestuous politics of Charles I, the early modern interconnection of male menstruation and masculine grace in Shakespeare’s Roman plays, and male witchcraft in early modern Scotland.
Education
- Ph.D. in English Literature, The George Washington University
- M.A. in English Language and Literature, University of Chicago
- B.A. in English Literature, Wellesley College
Publications
- Review of Shakespeare and the Practice of Physic: Medical Narratives on the Early Modern English Stage by Todd H. J. Pettigrew. Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England, vol. 23, 2010, pp. 183-185.
- “Writing Britain: James VI & I and the National Body.” Enculturation: a journal of rhetoric, writing, and culture, vol. 6, no. 1, Spring 2008.
Recent Professional Service
- Search Committee, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. University of Tennessee.
- Non-Tenure Track Issues Council. Faculty Senate, University of Tennessee.
- Senator. Faculty Senate, University of Tennessee.
- Executive Council. Faculty Senate, University of Tennessee.
- Co-Chair, Teaching and Learning Council. Faculty Senate, University of Tennessee.
- Undergraduate Affairs Committee. Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, University of Tennessee.
- Chair, Ethics in Research Working Group, Chancellor’s Honors Writing II Enhancement. Department of English, University of Tennessee.
- Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. Faculty Senate, University of Tennessee.
- First Year Composition Committee. Department of English, University of Tennessee.
Selected Awards, Honors, & Grants
- Finalist, Hodges Excellence in Teaching Award. Department of English, University of Tennessee. 2018.
- Faculty Fellow, Experience Learning Summer Institute. University of Tennessee. Summer 2017.
- Nominee, Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award. University of Tennessee. 2013.
- Hodges Excellence in Teaching Award. Department of English, University of Tennessee. 2010.
Associations & Organizations
- Modern Language Association
- Sixteenth Century Society
- British Society for Literature and Science
- South Central Renaissance Society