Janella Moy

Dr. Janella D. Moy
Coordinator of English Department; Associate Professor of English; Honors Program Director
janella.moy@kwc.edu
(270) 852-3217
Faculty Office Building #12

My name is Dr. Janella Moy, and I teach composition, World Literature, and American Literature classes. I earned my doctorate from Saint Louis University and specialized in American Literature with an emphasis in feminist writing and spirituality. This is my fourth-year teaching for Kentucky Wesleyan College, but I have been teaching college writing and literature classes for the past 17 years. I truly enjoy helping students learn more about American authors and their texts. My favorite aspects of teaching are getting to know my students and helping them learn to love literature as much as I do. By taking my classes, college students become more knowledgeable of literature as well as its social and historical significance.  

Just as the young people attending Kentucky Wesleyan are much more than college students, I too am much more than a college professor. My first career was as an Emergency Room Nurse and Trauma Nurse Specialist. At the age of 40, I returned to college to pursue my current career as an academic. I am a mother of 3 grown sons, of whom I am exceedingly proud. Two of my sons have also earned PhDs – one in Mathematics from Northwestern University and the other in Health Economics from Harvard University. My youngest son is an engineer in Silicon Valley. I am married, and my husband of 35 years is a retired physician; I am also a grandmother of 3 wonderful grandchildren. 

When not teaching or grading student papers, I like to travel the world. Two summers ago, before Covid, I visited family in Tennessee, Boston, and California, flew to Italy and then Spain, and cruised to Alaska. This past summer my middle son married in Boston, MA and moved to California, so I have many future visits planned to the West Coast. This summer I will take a family cruise with my siblings to Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Russia. 

My hobbies include traveling, quilting, gardening, taking long walks, caring for my parents, playing with my grandchildren, and watching NCIS or cooking shows. 

Education

  • Ph.D. – 20th Century American Literature – Saint Louis University – St. Louis MO
  • M.A. – American and British Literature – Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville IL
  • Post-secondary Certificate in the Teaching of Writing – SIUE
  • B.A. – English – Minor – Creative Writing – SIUE

Courses Taught

  • ENG 100 & 102 – Writing Workshop I and II
  • ENG 206 – Survey of American Literature
  • ENG 230 – Readings in World Literature
  • ENG 303 – Topics in Literature – Spirituality
  • ENG 303 – Topics in Literature – Women in Theater
  • ENG 411 – Major American Authors – Toni Morrison
  • ENG 413 – Major World Authors – Detective Novels
  • ENG 414 – American Renaissance
  • ENG 415 – American Regionalism
  • ENG 440 – Senior Seminar
  • ENG 460 – Independent Study – Courtship, Love, and Marriage in Austen and Bronte

 Awards

  • Nominated for Teacher of the Year by KWC student body
  • Nominated for the Fourier Award for Excellent in Teaching at Saint Louis University

Professional Committees and Positions

  • Academic Policies Committee
  • Institutional Review Board Committee
  • Honors Program Director and Committee Member
  • Teacher Education Advisory Committee
  • Teacher Education Committee
  • NetVUE

Selected Publications

  • “Reading and Writing One’s Way to Wellness: The History of Bibliotherapy and Scriptotherapy.” In Palgrave Handbook of Literature and Medicine. Ed. Stephanie Hilger. Palgrave, 2017.
  • “Marilynne Robinson’s Merging of Medicine and Literature: Therapeutic Journaling as Balm in Gilead” in This Life, This World:New Essays on Marilynne Robinson’s ‘Housekeeping’, ‘Gilead’, and ‘Home’. Ed. Jason Stevens. Rodopi Press: Boston. 2016. 171-189.
  • “Reworking Landscapes: Creating Identity in Body, Space and Language.” Feminist Challenge Feminist Rhetorics? Locations, Scholarship, Discourse. Ed. Kirsti Cole. Cambridge Scholars Publishing: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. 2014. 178-193.

Selected Presentations

    • “For the Love of Animals: Childhood Trauma and Numanda’s Spiritual Journey in Shusaku Endo’s Deep River” Southwest Popular/American Culture Association. Online Conference due to Covid. Feb. 23, 2021
    • “Seeking Utopia: Moving Toward A Hopeful Future”- Southwest Popular/American Culture Association – Albuquerque, NM – Feb 19-22, 2020
    • High Impact Practices in the States- Western Kentucky University – Bowling Green, Kentucky – Feb. 2019
    • “Journeying to Utopia: From the Home to the Road in Search of A Better Life” – Midwest Modern Language Association Conference – St Louis, Missouri – November 2016
    • “Reading and Writing as Remedy: The History of Bibliotherapy and Scriptotherapy” – American Comparative Literature Conference – New York University – New York, New York – March 2014 
    • “Merging of Medicine and Literature: Therapeutic Journaling as Balm in Gilead” – International Comparative Literature Conference – University Paris – Sorbonne – Paris, France – July 2013 
    • “Writing As Remedy: John Ames’ Spiritual Journal” – Conference on Christianity and Literature – Calvin College – Grand Rapids, MI – April 2012
    • “Reworking Landscapes: Creating Identity in Body, Space, and Language” – Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference – Minnesota State University – Mankato, MN – Nov 2011   
    • “The Palimpsest: Clues for Reading Twain” – AHSA/MTCA Quadrennial Conference – San Diego, CA – Dec 2010