Jim Kirkland has received the 2002 Scholar-Teacher Award from the College of Arts and Sciences sponsored by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Kirkland teaches courses in Folklore, American Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition.  His published articles and reviews range from Melville's literary uses of the tall-tale tradition to composition pedagogy.  Most students who have taken one of Jimís classes, or who have worked with him on a project, will agree that he is always eager to help foster their academic pursuits. Dr. Kirkland is conspicuously present at student readings, conferences, and English department socials.

TCR:  What do you enjoy most about teaching? 
Kirkland:  I enjoy learning from teaching. I think the two go hand in hand. I also enjoy reading student papers and journals. I have especially learned a lot from reading papers written by students from other disciplines.  A psychology student wrote a very interesting paper about schizophrenia and ìThe Yellow Wallpaper.î Iíve also had some very interesting papers on folklore. I especially enjoy reading student journals. I believe the journals allow students to have their own input in the discussion, when there is not enough time otherwise. Many times the journals trigger interesting topics. I also enjoy the fact that teaching keeps me engaged in scholarship. Itís like being in graduate school all the time.

TCR: What classes do you especially enjoy teaching? 
Kirkland: Well, Iíve enjoyed teaching all of my classes. I would like to teach more graduate seminars on the American Renaissance and folklore. The American Renaissance is my specialty. I think the American Renaissance sometimes gets ignored. It is such an exciting period. I would be interested in doing a Melville seminar. Folklore is another class I enjoy teaching. I think I incorporate folklore into so many of my classes. In my American Renaissance course, I discuss the "evil eye" in relationship to Poeís stories. What I enjoy about the folklore seminar is that it gives students so much flexibility. It is difficult to come up with something original when youíre writing a paper about Melville because so much has already been written. Folklore, however, opens up so many new possibilities.

TCR: What are your research interests? 
Kirkland:  I enjoy looking at manuscript collections and old books, like finding a story by Poe published in an old magazine. Most people think of Poe only as writing crazy stuff, but he wrote mainstream stories that were published in popular magazines. I am also interested in visiting museums, like the Bedford Whaling Museum.

TCR:  What are some of the frustrations you experience as a teacher? 
Kirkland:  One of the main ones is that I donít always get to teach Special Topics courses. Unfortunately, many courses are not offered because students have to take required courses. You find that problem anywhere. I would also like to work with graduate students more. I enjoy working with students on long term projects.

TCR: How do you find time to balance research and teaching? 
Kirkland:  I think research and teaching are interchangeable. Research is a part of everyoneís lives. The best research is when you donít have a clue what to do. Teaching is a way to bring all the clues together and, at the same time, to enjoy what you are doing.