New English professor Dr. Jeffrey Gonzalez specializes in American literature.
Photo courtesy of Borough of Manhattan Community College
Montclair State University’s English Department hired a new professor, Jeffrey Gonzalez, who has hopes to create an exciting and unique classroom experience where his students will generate short and long-term skills and deepen their appreciation for American literature.
In the fall, Gonzalez will teach College Writing II, Modern American Literature and a Seminar in American Literature, which he said will be “focused on experimental literature written between 1960 and 1989 that’s often called ‘postmodern.’” In the spring, he will tentatively be teaching Pursuits of English, American Drama and American Literature II: 1890 to the Present.
The newly-appointed professor said that all of his courses will involve lots of reading and writing, and his students should expect to “read great literature from a diverse body of writers.” Students will also participate in unique discussions. This means that, when he is discussing literature and asking questions, he’s open to hearing new ideas.
Jeffrey Gonzalez will begin teaching in the fall semester.
Photo courtesy of Borough of Manhattan Community College
“When I’m putting questions to the class, I’m really asking them. I’m not always sure I’ve got the right answer, and often new questions occur to me as we’re going.” He said he will “do his best to make sure students see how the material we’re reading is relevant and exciting now, and I bring a real passion to what I do.”
“Prof. Gonzalez is a super nice guy, and I think students will really enjoy his classes,” said Professor Nielsen, chair of the English Department.
Originally from West Milford and now living just a few miles outside of Montclair, the professor attended Rutgers University for his undergraduate degree, then acquired his M.A. at Rutgers-Newark and a Ph.D. in English with a specialty in American literature at Penn State.
Gonzalez’s credentials are an unusual mix that include teaching high school in Central Jersey from 2002 to 2007. While attending Penn State for his Ph.D., he was a graduate assistant, meaning he taught one to two classes per semester. For a year, Gonzalez was at Oberlin College in Ohio as a Visiting Professor, and he spent the last four years at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York.
