TAC Member: Kelly Neil

Hello! I'm thrilled to begin work as a TA Consultant this year, and I look forward to collaborating with you in UCD's vibrant and innovative teaching community! I am a doctoral candidate in the English Department working on a dissertation that focuses on law, gender, and identity in sixteenth and seventeenth century drama. I am currently teaching Enl 3: Survey of English Literature, and before coming to UCD 5 years ago, I taught composition at a community college in North Carolina.

In the early modern period that I study, English men and women were deeply concerned about how to articulate and define the concept of self-hood, particularly in regards to how one defined him or herself in relation to others. This drive to analyze the "self," in all its various forms, is something I find useful and productive when thinking about how students can produce their own learning, how instructors facilitate that learning by appreciating and encouraging diversity, and how to navigate the often complex but rewarding relationship between students and instructors in the classroom. I'm excited to work with fellow grad students to think through these and other questions about teaching effectively.

When I'm not reading early modern plays or teaching, I'm usually spending time with my dog, Lucy, who is a Huskie/Greyhound/Border Collie mix, experimenting with a new recipe in the kitchen, or exploring the amazing hikes, trails, and wineries that Northern California offers.