Kathryn Grafton

Kathryn Grafton is a tenured Teaching Professor in the Department of English Language and Literatures at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Faculty of Arts. She specializes in Educational Leadership, with a focus on Canadian literature, media studies, genre theory, and academic writing. Grafton actively contributes to curriculum design, peer review of teaching, knowledge mobilization, and Indigenous pedagogy initiatives, notably co-developing Knowing the Land Beneath our Feet at UBC, a digitally-augmented Indigenous walking tour of the Vancouver campus. She also serves as Associate Editor of CanLit Guides, an open-access resource translating literary research for undergraduate audiences.

• PhD in Educational Leadership from University of British Columbia
• Primary roles: Curriculum design, digital literacies, and community-engaged learning
• Key collaborations: Coordinated Arts Program (CAP), UBC-Sciences Po Dual Degree Program

Her research and teaching emphasize dialogic learning environments inspired by M.M. Bakhtin’s theories, aiming to cultivate critical dialogue and civic engagement as outlined by Henry Giroux. She integrates Web 2.0 and digital tools to explore public reception of contemporary Canadian literature. Grafton’s work bridges literary analysis with educational innovation, focusing on multidisciplinary cohort learning and team teaching models.

Notable projects include workshops on digital literacies (2017), open educational practices with Wikipedia (2017), and addressing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action through Indigenous pedagogy (2016). She has presented on mobilizing the Know the Land Beneath our Feet tour in classrooms (2015) and organized panels on Canadian and Québec literature pedagogy (2015). While no scientific awards are explicitly mentioned, her roles in educational leadership and curriculum development highlight her institutional impact.

Teaching courses include ENGL 100 (Representation and Reception), ENGL 470 (#CrazyforCanLit: Canadian Literature and Web 2.0), and ASTU 260 (Knowledge Mobilization Pedagogy). Her approach prioritizes close reading, critical analysis of literary canons, and the intersection of form, content, and societal issues.