Jason McEntee

Jason McEntee serves as Director of the School of English and Interdisciplinary Studies and Professor of English within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at South Dakota State University. He has held departmental leadership roles since 2010, including department head since 2012 and acting associate dean in 2017-2018, while maintaining active teaching in American literature and film studies.

Education:

• B.A. in English/education, minor in philosophy, South Dakota State University, 1994
• M.A. in English: language and rhetoric, South Dakota State University, 1998
• Ph.D. in English: American literature/film studies, University of Kentucky, 2004

McEntee's research centers on American cultural narratives, with deep expertise in war literature from Vietnam to contemporary conflicts, Western genre evolution, and adaptation studies across literature and film. His work critically examines how DeLillo and Pynchon frame modern/postmodern anxieties, while exploring war films as sites of cultural memory and Westerns as evolving reflections of American identity. This interdisciplinary approach bridges literary analysis with visual media studies.

His publications demonstrate consistent engagement with narrative adaptation in American contexts, particularly how war experiences and frontier myths transform across media. The 2019 Western action film study and 2016 Corn Palace analysis reveal his methodological focus on spatial rhetoric and genre reinvention within cultural landmarks and cinematic tropes.

Scientific Awards:

• Dr. Harold and Barbara Bailey Award for Excellence in Academic Department/School Leadership (2022-2023)
• Modern Language Association Award for Achievement (2019)
• SDSU F.O. Butler Excellence in Service Award (2016)
• Multiple SDSU Excellence Awards for Veterans Affairs support (2014-2016)
• University of Kentucky teaching excellence awards (2000-2003)

Advising and Grants:

• Advising: Directed 10 M.A. students to degree completion and served on 17 graduate committees
• Grants:
  • South Dakota Humanities Council CARES Grant ($5,000, 2021)
  • SDSU Scholarly Excellence Awards ($500-600 annually, 2008-2018)
  • SDSU New Ideas Grants ($800-$5,500 for research/conferences, 2006-2008)
  • SDSU Griffith Faculty Development Award ($2,000, 2007)

McEntee coordinates the Literature and Medicine Group at Sioux Falls VA Health System (2011-2017), leading war literature/film discussions for clinical staff, and serves on the Modern Language Association International Bibliography Advisory Committee and International EBSCO Literature Editorial Board as part of his national scholarly engagement.