"An understanding of the humanities gives students a broader perspective of their contemporary world and provides a wonderful background to enrich any field of study," said Dr. Laura Franey, the 2008 Humanities Teacher of the Year at Millsaps College.
An associate professor of English and chair of the English department, Franey has taught at Millsaps College since 1999. The award is given each year by the Mississippi Humanities Council in celebration of Arts and Humanities Month.
“It was so surprising to hear that I had been chosen for this award,” said Franey. “I try my best to provide students good experiences in the classroom and I keep striving to improve my techniques and my personal connections with students.”
In connection with the award, Franey will give a public lecture, “That Dreamy Gliding in the Boat: Women’s Water Travels in Victorian Literature and Art,” on Monday, Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. in the Ford Academic Complex, Room 215. A reception will immediately follow the lecture in the lobby outside the entrance to the Recital Hall.
“She is well known as an excellent teacher with high standards and a gift for encouraging classroom discussions and as a conscientious mentor who spends many hours both inside and outside the classroom working with students,” said Dr. Richard A. Smith, senior vice president and dean of the college. “In addition, she is an accomplished scholar of travel writing and Victorian literature and more recently Asian-American, Asian-British and ethnic studies.”
Franey’s enthusiasm for nineteenth century literary, along with a strong affinity for history, led to her first book, “Victorian Travel Writing and Imperial Violence: British Writing on Africa 1855-1902,” as well as a new edition of Yone Noguchi’s The American Diary of a Japanese Girl
“In college, I loved all of my literature and history courses that dealt with the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, including classes on British imperialism and the Victorian novel,” Franey said. “The nineteenth century seemed so diverse and rich to me that I couldn't help but want to dig deeper.”
Currently, Franey is working on a new book concerning women’s modes of transportation and mobility as portrayed in Victorian prose fiction, narrative poetry and painting. She received a doctorate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.
