Keri Sanburn Behre, Ph.D.
I’m a Teaching Assistant Professor of English at Portland State University in Oregon. My areas of scholarly interest include the intersections of food, medicine, gender and literature; Renaissance women writers; Shakespeare; early modern drama; online learning; composition pedagogy across disciplines; service learning; and public humanities.
My Work
My current work focuses on equitable writing assessment in composition pedagogy, engaging students in historical texts and writing practices, and integrating writing instruction across the curriculum. I am also a “historical foodie” of sorts, researching the ways in which food and medicine were practiced and experienced in Shakespeare’s time, especially by women. When Falstaff mentions raisins and blackberries in 1 Henry IV, for example, the early modern audience would have had very different experiences of these foods than we have today. That experiential and material difference is rich with opportunity for understanding the play, its cultural context, and, sometimes surprisingly, our own beliefs. I’m also engaged with Anglo-Saxon poetry, specifically the magical/medical texts known as the Metrical Charms, and working against the misappropriation of the medieval period by those seeking to oppress marginalized groups.
About Me
As a teacher, I want to empower my students with the skills to communicate and argue effectively, with an understanding of the past and thus the present, and with approaches to nurture their academic and personal lives.
As a public humanist, I believe that the history of the relationship between self, body, and food as reflected in texts continues to be interesting and engaging to both academic and public audiences.
And as a Portlander, I love hiking with my spouse and 14-year-old kiddo, Golden Retrievers, knitting, reading, and drinking tea.
Teaching Awards
- John Elliot Allen Outstanding Teaching Award, Portland State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, June 2021.
- Award for Excellence in Academic Service and Teaching, Marylhurst University, June 2015.
- Carlin University-Wide Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, University of Kansas, April 2008 (awarded to top two out of 1,200 GTAs university-wide).
- Outstanding Instructor Award, KU Department of English, May 2007.
- Finalist, Florida State University Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, May 2002.
Summer 2024 Offerings
WR 323: Critical Writing in English
In this course, we will practice critical inquiry in personal, academic, and professional writing. This is a process-oriented class, which means we will be studying and practicing writing techniques to develop insight into how we function best as writers. We will develop skills in critical reading, thinking and writing. Students will be given reign to choose their own topics within the assignment structures, so our work can encompass personal writing goals. There is no required textbook; all readings will be provided. Required course work will constitute multiple drafts of three essays, peer-review workshops, weekly low-stakes writing assignments, participation in class discussions, and a final self-reflective essay.
ENG 399: Fairy Tales (at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility)
The stories we tell ourselves are important. This class will ask you to reflect upon and engage in the meaning of story. We will use the lens of fairy tales, both classical and contemporary and from a variety of cultures, to develop skills in analyzing poetry, prose, and drama; familiarize ourselves with genre; establish a working vocabulary of literary terms; consider historical context as part of the reading experience; and interpret texts critically. Each unit will focus on a certain tale type, and within that unit we will read and compare a variety of instances of that tale. All the while, you will practice writing based in close reading, interpretation, and adaptation. I’m so glad you’re here!