Nancy Taylor

Hello, and welcome!  I enjoy teaching at Radford University and having the opportunity to work with our first-year students, English majors, graduate assistants, and my colleagues in the English Department. I’m proud of RU’s student-centered focus and dedication to quality in education.  I also love our river city in the Appalachian Mountains and take full advantage of the hiking, camping, cycling, and kayaking opportunities we are so fortunate to have here.

Courses I teach:

• ENGL 111:  Foundations of College Composition (a required course for all students)
• ENGL 112:  Critical Reading and Writing in a Digital Age (A writing intensive course that helps satisfy one of the WI requirements for all students)
• ENGL 231:  British and Commonwealth Literature II

In the English Department’s Graduate Teaching program, I mentor two graduate teaching assistants through their first year as student teachers—a part of my job that I find especially rewarding as we specialize in teaching freshmen.

Education and professional work:

I received my MA degree in English from Radford University and my BA in English and Philosophy from Charleston Southern University. 

My work with first-year and first-generation students has given me several special opportunities during my time here.

• For eight years, I produced and edited the textbook, UNIV100: Getting to Know You and RU, which gave me the opportunity to work with students and staff in the areas of technical writing and publication, including cover design.
• I worked with other faculty and with residence hall staff to pilot the first living/learning communities at RU. 
• I have made presentations at several First Year Experience national conferences to share research and ideas about good practices with first-year students and to learn from other professionals as well.

Though I have also presented at conferences about practical applications of teaching British literature and composition, my favorite continuing education activity is traveling to learn more about British writers.  I might as well tell you that I especially like visiting cemeteries when I travel.  Strange, I know, but it’s quite interesting.  I have visited the graves of British writers all over England as well as in Scotland, France, and Italy, and I have quite a few more on my bucket list!

Creative writing and other awards:

Though my primary focus is teaching and helping graduate students learn how to teach, I have also published poetry, essays, and photography, winning special recognition for a few of them.

The award I appreciate the most is the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences Distinguished Teaching Award in 2021. I value being nominated by a student and chosen by my colleagues for this honor.

Extra activities with students:

As teachers, we have many opportunities to engage with students outside of the classroom. In working with student athletes in the summer, I get to provide extra activities like a golf cart field trip from the Dedmon Center to the Harvey Center. In my work with the Honors College, I have often given students opportunities to participate in community service activities such as packing meals to relieve food insecurity as they were researching and writing about human rights.                                             

I invite you to visit my website at Linkedin.