About
Michael Newbury is a Professor of American Studies and English and American Literatures at Middlebury College, holding the Fletcher D. Proctor Chair in American History. He has been teaching at Middlebury since 1993. He earned a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. from Yale University. His research focuses on American Colonial studies, 19th-century literature, science fiction, madness in literature, comics, imperialism, disaster narratives, and consumer culture. Notably, he led the award-winning The Collinwood Fire, 1908, an online historical project about a tragic school fire in Ohio. His teaching spans interdisciplinary courses like Gothic and Horror, Science Fiction, and The Graphic Novel.
Education:
- B.A., Wesleyan University
- Ph.D., Yale University
Research and Projects: Professor Newbury's work examines intersections of literature, history, and cultural studies. His book Figuring Authorship in Antebellum America and collaborative online projects like The Collinwood Fire highlight his commitment to public history and interdisciplinary scholarship. Recent courses engage students in analyzing horror genres, science fiction's societal critiques, and graphic novels as cultural artifacts.
Teaching and Mentorship: He advises senior theses and honors projects in American Studies, Creative Writing, and Literary Criticism. Courses like Senior Work I and Honors Thesis reflect his role in mentoring student research.
Labs/Teams: Collaborated on the Vermont Life's Vermont web project, exploring Vermont's cultural identity through historical lenses. This project emphasizes community-driven scholarship and digital humanities.
