Meet Dr. Hollis

Hi Everyone-- Dr. Hollis Here. (She, her, hers) I'm always happy to start off a new semester at Villanova. One reason is because before VU, I spent 5 years at Dickinson College, and I was tired of the small town life (Carlisle, PA). I am going backwards, but before Dickinson, I did my Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. I did my Masters at the University of Texas in Austin, and that's where I met my husband who is a labor leader for PSEA, the teachers' union. I'm a native Texan, having grown up in Corpus Christi. In 1988 we had a son who's now a musician. Our greatest family activity has been our house trading ventures to Europe and beyond every summer. Through a home exchange organization (Intervac.com and HomeExchange.com), we have traded with families from Spain, Italy, France, India, China, Poland, Mexico and South Africa. They venture to our house in Wynnewood, PA to live for about 3 weeks, and we go to their homes--many have been right on the Mediterranean coast. We just returned from Turkey and Spain. Last spring we enjoyed a wonderful trade in Galway, Ireland. This summer we visited Poland and Hungary. Last Christmas we were in South Africa. Then Covid hit. . . . .

I also have traveled over spring break with students in my travel writing class. I've been to Costa Rica, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Vietnam, Ecuador plus Galapagos and Cuba. I lived in Europe for 7 years quite a while back and loved it: three years in Paris, three in London and one in Bilbao, Spain. I speak Spanish pretty well and fluent French. While in London I was assistant editor of Harper's Wine and Spirit Gazette. That was an exciting point in my life--I was paid to report on wine tasting events all over London! And that's where I got most of the experience that relates to many of my courses. I also have a BA in Journalism from the University of Texas.

I have published a book about the way writing was taught at the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers, 1922-1938. And I have edited two books about the role of intellectuals in society with Dr. Silvia Nagy-Zekmi, past Chair of the Romance Languages and Literature Department here at Villanova. More recently I've published a paper using a quantitative analysis of the Wikileaks cables and another article analyzing the language used in the Trans Pacific Partnership treaty (TPP). Right now I'm working on an article about grassroots activism around the Black Lives Matter movement.

At Villanova I have been director of the Writing Center and Writing Program. I established the Concentration in Writing and Rhetoric.

Currently, I'm the Director of the GIS: Cultural Studies Program--another great major here at Villanova.

I feel very fortunate that I have been able to combine my love of learning, travel, writing, and teaching in my Villanova career. Hope to read more of your self-introductions soon!

Welcome to my class!!

Dr. Hollis --