Biography
Kristen L. Olson, Ph.D. is associate professor of English and an honors student adviser for the Schreyer Honors College. She teaches courses in writing and literature, from “Shakespeare” to “Banned Books” to “Apocalypse and Beyond.”
Students in Dr. Olson’s classes can expect an interactive experience, exploring ideas raised across centuries in different modes of writing through group discussions that connect students’ lives to literature and the art of writing. Literature courses explore questions like: What’s the difference between life and death? How do we know if someone loves us? Are humans and animals more alike or different? What is power and how do we experience it? Business writing students consider the shape of their own narrative reflected in building their resume and personal statement.
Whatever form writing takes, Dr. Olson’s classes help students understand the forms and patterns of literature and communicative problems that help students to build skills that employers value and start their careers and excel when they are presented with complex challenges and systems.
Students will enter their professional lives prepared to:
- Read and interpret complex material
- Form and express ideas clearly
- Navigate multiple perspectives
Research Interests
- 16th- and 17th-century poetry and drama
- Shakespeare
- Renaissance/Early Modern literature and culture
- Critical Theory
- Poetics
Education
B.A. in English Colby College, Maine
A.L.M. in Humanities with a concentration in English and America Literature, Harvard University, Massachusetts
M.A. in English and American Literature and Language, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio
Ph.D. in English and American Literature and Language, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio