Elizabeth Goodenough

Elizabeth Goodenough is a Lecturer IV in the Arts and Ideas in the Humanities Program at the University of Michigan's Residential College, part of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). She has taught at Harvard, Claremont McKenna, Sarah Lawrence College, and across multiple University of Michigan units including the Residential College, School of Education, and School of Information.

Dr. Goodenough received her MAT and PhD from Harvard University and has established herself as a leading scholar in Childhood Studies. Her research focuses on:

• Children's literature and representation of childhood
• Environmental education and children's relationship with nature
• Secret spaces and imaginative worlds of childhood
• The impact of war on children's experiences
• Historical perspectives on childhood reading and literature

Her scholarly trajectory shows a progression from examining children's voices in literature to exploring presidential childhood reading habits, with environmental concerns about children's play spaces forming a significant through-line. Her publications reveal a consistent interdisciplinary approach that bridges literary analysis, environmental studies, and psychological perspectives on childhood development.

Dr. Goodenough has received significant recognition for her work:

• Award for the PBS documentary 'Where Do the Children Play?'
• Finalist for the 2014 U-M Provost's Teaching Innovation Prize
• UROP Outstanding Research Award Honorable Mention (2015)
• UROP Outstanding Research Mentor Award (2016)
• Golden Apple Award nomination (2018)
• Elected Fellow of the Society for Values in Higher Education (SVHE)

As an educator, Dr. Goodenough has mentored numerous students, including those who organized the 'Secret Spaces of Childhood' conference and exhibition. Her RC course 'Growing Up Near the Great Lakes' exemplifies her innovative approach to environmental education. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Michigan Quarterly Review and was selected to serve on the Children's Literature Association's Phoenix Award Committee.

Dr. Goodenough established the Landscapes of Childhood Series at Wayne State University Press and continues to contribute significantly to interdisciplinary scholarship that bridges humanities, environmental studies, and childhood development.