Wendy L. Weber
Email: weberw@email.unc.edu
Home
405 Yorktown Drive
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516
Phone: (919) 942-3242
Office
University of NorthCarolina
CB # 3520 Greenlaw Hall
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
Current Appointment
Lecturer
Department of English and Comparative Literature
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2000-present
Education
Ph.D. in English, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1999
Major Field:
Twentieth-Century American Literature
Minor Fields:
Twentieth-Century British Literature; Rhetoric and Composition
Dissertation:
"Disrupting Social Constructions of Gender and Sexuality: Selected Works in Twentieth-Century British
and American Literature."
An application of literary Queer Theory to James Joyce's Ulysses, James Baldwin’s Just Above My Head,
and Jeanette Winterson's Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit with a particular focus on the formation of
sexuality and gender through religious institutions and religious rhetoric.
Directed by Robert Langenfeld
Departmental Nomination, University of North Carolina at Greensboro Outstanding Dissertation Award
M.A. in English, North Carolina State University, 1995
Thesis:
"History and Myth in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and Beloved."
An examination of Morrison's interweaving of historical people, places, and events with mythical
perspectives drawn from Christian and African religious traditions.
Directed by Lucinda MacKethan
B.S. in English Education, Florida State University, 1989
Teaching and Research Interests
Sexuality and Gender Studies; Twentieth-Century American and British Literature; African-American Literature;
Composition
Publications
"'A match burning in a crocus': Inexpressible Desire in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway." Illuminations: New Readings of
Virginia Woolf. New Delhi: Macmillan, 2004.
"Queering the Word: Patricia Nell Warren’s Adaptation of Christian Sacraments in The Fancy Dancer." Strange
Bedfellows, special issue of The International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies. 6: 4, 2001.
Rev. of Soul, Black Power, Politics, and Pleasure, Eds. Monique Guillory and David C. Green. SYMPLOKE. 6: 1-2, 2000.
"Literary Representations of Gay Men and Lesbians." The Reader's Guide to Gay and Lesbian Studies, Chicago: Fitzroy
Dearborn, 2000.
"African-American Religion and Homosexuality." The Reader's Guide to Gay and Lesbian Studies, Chicago: Fitzroy
Dearborn, 2000.
"Queer Disruptions of Socially-Constructed Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Literature." Proceedings of the First Annual
Gay and Lesbian Studies Conference, 1998.
Presentations
“Coming Out Stories in Gay and Lesbian Literature.” Durham Public Library Speaker Series, June 2010.
“Love Lost and Regained: Toni Morrison’s Queer Women in Love” GLBTQ Studies Conference, University of North
Carolina at Asheville, 2005.
“Secrecy of desire: Sexual Oppression in Patricia Nell Warren’s The Wild Man. American Literature Association
Conference, Cambridge, 2003.
"Disrupting the Straight and Narrow: James Baldwin's Redemptive Word." Twentieth-Century Literature Conference,
University of Louisville, 2002.
"Queering the Word: Adaptation of Chrisitianity in GLBTQ Literature." Twentieth-Century Literature Conference, University
of Louisville, 2001.
"Reading Between and Beneath the Acts: Woolf's Interrogation of Knowability in Between the Acts. Virginia Woolf
Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, 2000.
"Turning Paradise Upside Down: Toni Morrison's Revision of Christian Utopics in Paradise. American Literature
Association Annual Conference, Long Beach, California, 2000.
"New Wine in Old Wineskins: Jeanette Winterson's Revision of the Gospel in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit." TwentiethCentury Literature Conference, University of Louisville, 2000.
"Queerness and Race: James Baldwin's Negotiation of the Margins." Gay and Lesbian Studies Conference, University of
North Carolina at Asheville, 2000.
"Language and Images: Media Coverage of the Carrboro Domestic Partner Registration." The Southeastern Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender College Conference, Duke University, 1999.
"Dissertation-in-Process: Queer Theory Meets Twentieth-Century Literature." Dissertation Colloquium for English
Department Faculty and Graduate Students, 1998.
"Queer Disruptions of Socially-Constructed Sexuality in Twentieth-Century Literature." Gay and Lesbian Studies
Conference, University of North Carolina at Asheville, 1998.
"Lesbian 'Coming Out' Stories: A Cultural Trope in Feminist Discussion." Women's Studies Conference, The University of
North Carolina at Greensboro, 1995.
University Courses Independently Developed and Taught
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Literature and Cultural Diversity (140):
“Survey of Gay and Lesbian Literature”
Major American Authors (128):
"Whitman to Morrison: Traditions and Trends in American Literature"
British Literature: Romantic through Modern (121):
"Survey of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Poetry, Drama, and Fiction"
Introduction to Fiction (123):
"Survey of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Fiction"
Advanced Composition: Business Writing (304):
"Excellence in Business Communication"
Introduction to Composition (101 and 102):
"Oral and Written Discourse in a Workshop Environment"
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Women in Literature (331):
"Finding Voice: Historical and Contemporary Writing by Women"
American Literature: Realist through Modern (252):
"Survey of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century American Poetry, Drama, and Fiction"
British Literature: Romantic through Modern (212):
"Survey of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century British Literature, Writing Intensive"
Introduction to Narrative (105):
"Survey of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century British and American Short Stories and Novels: Critical Analysis of
Historical, Cultural, and Literary Influence on Narrative"
"Survey of Narrative in Myth, Fairy Tale, Epic, Romance, Poetry, Drama, and Fiction"
Approaches to Literature (104):
"Survey of British and American Poetry, Drama, and Fiction: Critical Reading and Analysis of Literature Focused
on Connections among National Literatures and Genres"
"Literary Approaches to Poetry, Drama, and Fiction"
Rhetoric and Composition (102):
"Rhetoric, Writing, and Current Issues: Analyzing Arguments for Logic, Evidence, and Effectiveness in
Contemporary Debates of Controversial Issues" (CAI)
"Feminism and Composition: Examining and Responding to the Rhetoric of Feminist Theory, Writing, and
Practice"
"American Voices: Multicultural Perspectives on Race, Gender, and Identity"
Introduction to Composition (101):
"Identity, Presence, and Writing: Discovering Your Voice"
"Composition and World Cultures: Examining the Impact of Culture on the Writing Process and its Product"
"Writing Exploratory Essays: Exploring Ourselves by Writing About Contemporary Events"
"Introduction to Writing" for returning adult learners through the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's
Continuing Education at Alamance Community College