Sarah Downey

Dr. Sarah Downey is an Associate Professor of English at Pennsylvania Western University, teaching courses in College Composition, Linguistics, Medieval Literature, and World Literature. She holds a Ph.D. in Old English and Anglo-Latin from the University of Toronto’s Centre for Medieval Studies. Her research focuses on medieval literature, linguistic analysis, and computational methodologies. She has published in Traditio, Mythlore, and Modern Philology, and contributed to the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia.

Dr. Downey has led grant-funded computational linguistics projects and supervised numerous undergraduate Honors theses on topics like constructed languages and creative writing. She previously served as Assistant Chair and Assessment Coordinator for the General Education Committee, contributing to PennWest’s broader educational framework. Her work includes editorial roles at the University of Toronto Press and academic book reviews for Choice magazine.

Her teaching spans Medieval Literature, Latin language courses, and the history of the English language, reflecting her expertise in both historical linguistics and literary analysis.