John Watkins

Dr. John Watkins is McKnight Distinguished Professor of English specializing in early modern literature and diplomatic history. His career spans Shakespeare studies, apocalyptic narratives, Anglo-Russian relations, and T.S. Eliot's works. Awarded the University's highest teaching honors, he developed innovative courses including 'End of the World in Literature & History'.

His scholarship includes monographs on Elizabethan representation in Stuart England and Shakespeare's diplomatic contexts, supported by Guggenheim and ACLS fellowships. Current projects examine Benjamin Britten's operatic works and apocalyptic narratives.