LeeAnn Derdeyn

LeeAnn Derdeyn is an Adjunct Professor in the English Department at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where she teaches courses in transatlantic literature, environmental humanities, and writing. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Dallas and has interdisciplinary expertise in ethics, literature, and social justice. Her research spans 20th and 21st-century American, British, and Irish literature with a focus on environmental identity, trauma, and love.

Education:

• Ph.D., Studies in Literature, University of Texas at Dallas, 2015
• M.A., Literature, University of Dallas, 2009
• B.A., Medieval Literature and Spirituality, University of Dallas
• Holocaust Studies Certification, Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies, UT Dallas

Her research interests include environmental humanities, modernism, eco-criticism, trauma studies, and ethics in literature. She explores how writers like T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, David Foster Wallace, and Zadie Smith engage with ecological and social justice issues. Her work often connects ancient and medieval thought to contemporary literary forms.

The recent publications and ongoing research projects show a consistent focus on the intersections of environment, identity, and ethics in transatlantic literature. Her articles analyze trauma in Helen Macdonald, relational failure in Ali Smith, and representational politics in Zadie Smith. The recurring themes include alienation, affirmation, insecurity, and the role of love in a fractured world.

Scientific Awards:

• SMU HOPE Annual Award (2018, 2015)
• UTD Creative Faculty Award (2012)
• P.E.O. Scholar Award Choice (2012)
• SLS Poetry Contest Finalist (2011)
• UT Dallas Deans’ Travel Grant (2010)
• Golden Key International Honor Society (2009–2015)

She has advised undergraduate research, including co-authoring a paper on mental health policy. She has served on faculty learning communities, AP English exam scoring teams, and common reading programs. She is actively involved in academic service, including mentoring student writing and organizing campus discussions. She has presented at major conferences such as MLA, T.S. Eliot Society, and American Literature Association.

She is currently developing two book projects: Love the Jackalope: Insecurity in Contemporary English Literature and Blindsighted: Alienation and Affirmation in T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. Her teaching includes seminars on environmental identity, diversity, and digital humanities. She also contributes to academic journals and edited volumes on modernist poetry and eco-criticism.