Angela Ridinger-Dotterman
Angela Ridinger-Dotterman
Assistant Professor of English
Humanities 428 9A
718-281-5036
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Ph.D., English, City University New York Graduate Center
M.Phil., English, City University of New York Graduate Center
MA, English and American Literature, Oregon State University
BA, English and history, Willamette University
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Teaching Philosophy:
Studying literature helps us to understand ourselves and others; by encountering and entering into the perspective of another person, we become simultaneously aware of how others see the world and how we see the world, and why. Similarly, writing also helps us develop empathy for other points of view and awareness of our own viewpoints, feelings, and biases. When we write about ideas, even ideas that are very different from our own, we are forced to understand them better. In my teaching, I try to honor this process of coming to know self and other through learning. I believe that the English classroom should be a space that supports exploring different perspectives, taking rhetorical risks, and improving one’s skills. In a practical sense, this means presenting students with assignments and learning experiences that allow them to encounter different perspectives and cultivate awareness of their own rhetorical voices, as well as offering opportunities for critiquing and revising their work.
Teaching/Research Interests:
19th-century American women’s literature; voice studies; disability in literature; disability and composition pedagogy; digital composition projects.
