David Summers

David Summers is a Professor in the Department of English at Capital University's School of Humanities, where he has taught since 1997. He has held significant administrative roles including Director of General Education and Assistant Dean of the School of Humanities. In 2007, he received Capital University's highest teaching honor, the Praestantia Award, and has led educational travel groups to England, Italy, and Greece.

His academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in English Literature, University of Washington
• Master of Arts in English Literature, University of Washington
• Secondary Certificate in Social Studies (History), University of Washington
• Bachelor of Science in Humanities and Religious Studies, Corban University

Dr. Summers specializes in Medieval and Renaissance literature, British literary traditions from Anglo-Saxon to Augustan periods, classical mythology, and modernist poetry. His research critically examines intersections between literature and religious consciousness, particularly through Dante's influence on T.S. Eliot and explorations of transcendence in modernist works. He teaches core courses including Shakespeare, Classical Literature, Medieval Literature (Dante and Chaucer), and specialized seminars on Eliot, Auden, Yeats, and Joyce.

His publications demonstrate a consistent scholarly focus on Dantean frameworks in modernist poetry and the phenomenology of transcendence, positioning English literature within broader European intellectual traditions. Both works analyze how canonical poets engage with spiritual experience through literary form.

His academic recognition is highlighted by:

• Praestantia Award for teaching excellence (2007)

Dr. Summers has significantly shaped curriculum through General Education reform and participated in advanced scholarly programs including the Council of Independent Colleges Summer Seminar on Herodotus' Histories at the Hellenic Studies Center. His educational leadership extends beyond campus through international study programs that contextualize literary studies within historical landscapes.