Emily Lutenski

Dr. Emily Lutenski serves as Professor and Director of the Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies (GWS) program within the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Appalachian State University, where she joined in 2023. Her scholarly work centers on the co-constitution of gender, race, and sexuality in 20th- and 21st-century U.S. cultures, particularly through literary historical frameworks and antiracist feminist methodologies.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Women’s Studies and English, University of Michigan
• M.A. in English Language and Literature, University of Michigan
• B.A. in English and Women’s Studies, University of California at Berkeley

Her research critically examines how marginalized identities intersect in American cultural production, with special attention to feminist and queer theoretical applications within ethnic studies contexts. She investigates transgressive spaces like the U.S.-México borderlands and literary representations of interracial intimacy, challenging historical exclusions of Black experiences.

Scientific Recognition:

• National Humanities Center Fellowship supporting her current book project

As GWS Director, she provides intensive student mentoring for degree planning, graduate school applications, and professional development. Her teaching portfolio includes foundational courses like 'Sex, Gender, and Power' alongside specialized offerings examining feminist thought, race politics, and cultural coming-of-age narratives.