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Patrick Morgan
Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching
English
Faculty Adviser: Priscilla Wald
BIO
Patrick Morgan joined the Ph.D. program in English in 2012 and received his master’s in 2015. He is also earning graduate certificates in college teaching and feminist studies. In his time at Duke he has been the instructor of record for three courses, as well as two sections at Duke Kunshan University in China. He also served as a guest instructor and teaching assistant for several Duke courses. Furthermore, last year Morgan created a series of workshops as a pedagogy forum leader to help prepare third-year English graduate students to teach ENG 90.
Morgan’s dissertation is titled “Manifesting Vertical Destiny: Geology, Reform, and the Stratified Earth in American Literature, Long Nineteenth Century.” He earned a double undergraduate major in English and geology, and his dissertation reflects the overlap that he has drawn between the two. His academic endeavors have earned him several honors, including an MLA Travel Grant and Duke’s Reynolds Price Endowed Scholarship, Preparing Future Faculty Graduate Fellowship, and Fred and Barbara Sutherland Fellowship.
IN HIS WORDS
“Good teaching has to do with good listening, listening to your students carefully. Instead of always having something pre-written that you want to say, it’s important to plan for your classes but also to be open to the intellectual interests of your students.”
On Bringing the Library into the Classroom
On the Great American Short Story
IN THEIR WORDS
Excerpts from Morgan's Nomination
“Mr. Morgan’s course designs and assignments are innovative and interactive. He wants students to learn to take responsibility for their learning, and he designs activities both in and out of class to encourage that… He changes the spaces in which they produce their work (an art gallery, a field) and gives them assignments that encourage them to understand the variety of ways in which we communicate”
“What truly sets him apart is his passionate commitment to learning new pedagogical ideas, methods and techniques, developing them himself, and passing them on to others”
“The intelligence and creativity that Patrick brings to the classroom are exceptional—he’s the most outstanding young teacher I’ve worked with in many years.”
“Not only is the quality and content of his instruction superb, but he is genuinely interested in helping his students succeed. The hallmark of a great instructor is the willingness to go out of his or her way to help the students. Professor Morgan is worthy of such praise, as he has gone out of his way to guide my further readings, engage my curiosity, and deepen my understanding of the genre.”