Abigail Sprenkle - NMU English

Abby Sprenkle will teach medieval British literature, the first half of the British literature survey, and composition for the English department at NMU this year. Her research specializes in Old English language and literature, early medieval law and legal culture, and medieval constructions of ethic and gender identities. Her work on the intersections of feuding culture, law, and gender in Medieval Iceland has appeared in The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, and she has presented on topics of kingship, authority, gender and popular medievalisms at both international medieval congresses and MLA. Her teaching interests extend to Middle English law and literature, the history and development of medieval Englishes, global depictions of chivalry and Arthurian legend, and interrogating how medievalism has been used to prop up regimes of oppression.  

Sprenkle also has extensive experience as a composition instructor, teaching college writing courses at a variety of levels. During her postdoc with the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines at Cornell, she taught college writing courses for those looking for more one-on-one support and worked as a graduate writing tutor for the writing center. She is committed to making academic and scholarly writing an accessible practice. She is also a member of the National Council of Teachers of English.