ABOUT . . .
This Site
SOME HISTORY
The first site I created was back in 1997, for the English Department at Eastern Kentucky University, where I had my first full-time teaching position. I did multiple sites for that department, and then branched out into more student-centered sites. I had two popular sites, The World Poetry Audio Library, where students could listen to poems as they read them, and KYLIT, a critical introduction to a number of Kentucky writers. The best thing about KYLIT was the fact that I got to work with George Brosi, who is the single greatest compendium of knowledge about Appalachian Lit, and one of the kindest men I've ever met.
When I came to Georgia Southern in 2007 I created this site for students in my general education classes. But it's grown over the years, and now has sections devoted specifically to English majors, as well as areas addressing academic writing, history, mythical, classical and biblical backgrounds, and graduate studies in our field. But with this revision (Summer 2023) I've pared it down a bit. I've gone from over 4,000 files to just over 3,500. I've simplified the layout for consistency, and addressed such accessibility and inclusivity issues.
Joe
MY STANDARD INTRO
I'm Dr. Joe Pellegrino, an Associate Professor in the Department of English. I teach lots of different classes. My specialties are Irish literature and postcolonial literature, so I end up doing classes that don't fit into the standard Brit Lit/American Lit model: Irish lit, African lit, graphic novels, etc.
It seems like I went to school forever, and went to lots of different schools: Duquesne University, St. Louis University, Mannes College of Music, The New England Conservatory, and UNC-Chapel Hill, which is where I did my last degree. I've also taught at a lot of schools: Duquesne, UNC, Eastern Kentucky University, University of South Carolina-Upstate, Greenville Tech, Converse College, and here at Georgia Southern. I've had some experience in online education; while at EKU I was the University Director for the (short-lived) Kentucky Commonwealth Virtual University, and have taught online classes for over 20 years now.
Professionally, I edit a journal, The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. I'm interested in a number of fields, but most of my publications are either on Irish studies, postcolonial lit, or teaching.
I also work on the British Commonwealth and Postcolonial Studies Conference, the the oldest and longest-running annual meeting of its kind in the United States. Check out that web site; the design is one of my best.
I have only one item on my bucket list: to see the Northern Lights. One day I'll get there, but in the meantime I check in on the site linked here, from the Churchill Northern Studies Center in Churchill, Manitoba. I've got two daughters who are growing in wisdom, beauty, and grace. I make heirloom furniture (pretty much a middle-aged guy cliché), try to keep up with new technology, wish I could spend more time doing music, and constantly try to keep my head above water.
CONTACT: jpellegrino@georgiasouthern.edu
Office:
Room 3308B, Newton Building
912.478.5953
English Department in Statesboro:
Room 1118, Newton Building
622 COBA Drive
Statesboro, GA 30460
912.478.0141
A Bit More
In Italian, Pellegrino means both Peregine—as in the falcon—and Pilgrim—as in one who travels to a sacred place for religious reasons.
Past the Few Forest, out beneath the stars—
Along the road, a high, bare pilgrim’s track
— Seamus Heaney, "The Strand at Lough Beg"