Howard Sklar, PhD

Department of English

 University of Helsinki

 

C.V.

 

CURRICULUM VITAE

Howard Sklar, PhD

 

 

EDUCATION

 

November 25, 2008

PhD

University of Helsinki, English Philology

Dissertation title:  The Art of Sympathy:  Forms of Moral and Emotional Persuasion in Fiction

 

May 1996

Master of Arts (Jewish Studies)

Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California

[Päätös ulkomailla suoritetun korkeakoulututkinnon rinnastamisesta Suomessa suoritettavaan korkeakoulututkintoon (Master of Arts degree), Opetushallitus, Helsinki, Finland, 2000]

 

1987

California Clear Single Subject Teaching Credential (Authorized Subject: English)

California State University, Los Angeles

Preliminary Credential: 1987; Clear Credential: 1992; Last Renewed: 2007

Clear Crosscultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) Certificate: 1997

[Päätös opinnoista vieraskielisen opetuksen antamiseen, Opetushallitus, Helsinki, Finland, 2001]

 

March 1986

Bachelor of Arts (English Language and Literature)

University of California at Los Angeles

 

UNIVERSITY TEACHING (most recent)

 

Spring 2010 (scheduled)

Hourly Instructor

Intermediate/Advanced-Level Course: “Disability Studies and Literature”

Department of Comparative Literature

University of Helsinki

 

Fall 2009

Hourly Instructor

Intermediate/Advanced-Level Course: “Fiction and the Emotions”

Department of English/Department of Comparative Literature

University of Helsinki

 

January 2009 – present

Hourly Instructor

Intermediate/Advanced-Level Course: “Fiction, Ethics and the Significance of Reading”

Department of English/Department of Comparative Literature

University of Helsinki

 

September – December 2006

Hourly Instructor

Intermediate/Advanced-Level Course: “Fiction, Ethics and the Significance of Reading”

Department of English/Department of Comparative Literature/Department of Aesthetics

University of Helsinki

 

PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHING (most recent)

 

August 2001 – Present                                                    August 1997 – June 2005

(academic leave: August 2007–August 2008)             Classroom Teacher

Subject Teacher (English)                                              Bilingual Program

Bilingual Program                                                            Tähtiniityn Koulu (primary school)

Kuitinmäen koulu (yläaste/junior high school)           Espoo, Finland

Espoo, Finland

 

 

PUBLICATIONS (last updated December 12, 2009)

 

(2009, under review) “‘What the Hell Happened to Maggie?’: The Sympathetic Effects of Race– and Disability-Related Stereotypes in Toni Morrison’s ‘Recitatif’”.  Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies.  Forthcoming special issue, “Representing Disability and Emotion.”

 

(2009, refereed journal article) “Narrative Structuring of Sympathetic Response: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches to Toni Cade Bambara’s ‘The Hammer Man.’” Poetics Today 30:3.  Link (requires subscription)

 

(2009, edited book chapter) “Breaking Bread: The Sympathetic Effects of Sharing Food in The Grapes of Wrath.” In Michael Meyer, ed. The Grapes of Wrath: A Re-Consideration. Amsterdam/ New York: Rodopi.  Link to publisher’s description of book.

 

(2009) Editor, Helsinki English Studies 5 (online journal of the Department of English, University of Helsinki).  Special issue:  “Emotions: Implications for Literary, Linguistic and Translation Studies”.  Link to special issue/journal home.

 

(2009) “Introduction.”  Helsinki English Studies 5.  Special issue: “Emotions: Implications for Literary, Linguistic and Translation Studies”.  Link

 

(2009, edited journal article) “Believable Fictions: On the Nature of Emotional Responses to Fictional Characters.”  Helsinki English Studies 5.  Special Issue: “Emotions: Implications for Literary, Linguistic and Translation Studies.”  Link

 

(2009) Lectio praecursoria (published version of introductory lecture from doctoral defense). Helsinki English Studies 5.  Special Issue: “Emotions: Implications for Literary, Linguistic and Translation Studies.”  Link

 

(2008) The Art of Sympathy: Forms of Moral and Emotional Persuasion in Fiction.  PhD Dissertation (limited printing, available through Finnish library system).  Link to abstract (in Finnish and English).  (Revised version of manuscript under review with European academic publisher.)

 

(2008, refereed journal article) “Narrative as Experience: The Pedagogical Implications of Sympathizing with Fictional Characters.”  Partial Answers 6:2.  Link to abstract/article (subscription required for article).

 

(2008, refereed journal article) “Sympathy as Self-Discovery: The Significance of Caring for Others in “Betrayals.” Paradoxa: World Literary Genres (special issue on Ursula K. Le Guin).  Link to journal website.

 

(2007, edited journal review) “Reimagining the Teaching of Secondary English.” Review of Jim Burke, The English Teacher’s Companion: A Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum, and the Profession. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003.   Pedagogy 7:2.  Link

 

(2005, edited book chapter) “Believable Fictions: The Moral Implications of Story-Based Emotions.” In Harri Veivo, Bo Pettersson, and Merja Polvinen, eds. Cognition and Literary Interpretation in Practice. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press.  Link to publisher’s description of book.

 

 

RECENT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

 

2009, Fictional Violence Symposium

Film and Television Studies, Institute for Art Research, University of Helsinki

Presentation: Creating Sympathy in Fiction

 

2009, International Society for Research on Emotion (ISRE) Conference

Leuven, Belgium

Presentation: “The Dynamics of Sympathy in Toni Cade Bambara’s ‘The Hammer Man’”

 

2007

Finnish Society for the Study of English (FINSSE) 4 Conference

Helsinki, Finland

Paper: “The Clothes Make the Man: Fantastic Empathy and Realistic Sympathy in Roth’s ‘Eli, the Fanatic’”

 

2007

Tampere Conference on Narrative: Knowing, Living, Telling

Tampere, Finland

Paper: “Narrative as Experience: The Pedagogical Implications of Sympathizing with Fictional Characters”

 

2007

European Society for the Study of English (ESSE) 8 Conference

London

Paper/Presentation: “Narrative Structuring of Emotional Response: Theoretical and Practical Approaches”

Paper/Presentation: “Towards an Integrated Perspective on Emotions and Fiction”

 

2006

International Conference on Literature and Psychology

Helsinki, Finland

Paper: “Fiction, Emotional Response, and Adolescent Moral Development: An Empirical Study”

 

 

RECENT GRANTS RECEIVED

 

May 2008                                                                             April 2008

Ehrnrooth Foundation                                                         Oskar Öflund Foundation

Completion of doctoral studies                                         Completion of doctoral studies

 

October 2007                                                                       October 2007

University of Helsinki                                                         Dept. of English, University of Helsinki

Completion of doctoral dissertation                                  Completion of doctoral dissertation

 

May 2007                                                                             May 2006

Oskar Öflund Foundation                                                  Ehrnrooth Foundation

Work on doctoral dissertation                                            Work on postgraduate studies

 

December 2006 (salaried)

Academy of Finland

Part of team organized by Department of Social Psychology, University of Helsinki

Title of Project: “Changing Moral and National Identities: Focus on Emotions.”

 

 

MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

 

European Society for the Study of English (ESSE)

Finnish Society for the Study of English (FINSSE)

International Society for the Empirical Study of Literature and Media (IGEL)

International Society for the Study of Narrative (ISSN)

Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö (OAJ)

 

 

 

 

 

Howard Sklar Homepage

Sklar - Research

Ethics - Course Description

Ethics - Syllabus

Ethics - Extra Readings

Ethics - Papers

Ethics - Lit Texts

Emotions - Course Description

Emotions - Syllabus

Emotions - Papers

Disability Studies and Lit

CFP: Helsinki English Studies

Sklar - Bio

Sklar - C.V.