Corey Olsen
Assistant Professor of English
E-mail: colsen2@washcoll.edu
Phone: (800) 422-1782, ext. 7887
Office: Smith 221
Education
B.A., Williams College, 1996; M.A., Columbia University, 1997; M.Phil., Columbia University, 2000; Ph.D., Columbia University, 2003.
Teaching Areas
- Arthurian Literature
- Chaucer
- Sir Thomas Malory
- J. R. R. Tolkien
Published Work
Forthcoming Works and Works in Progress
- "Adulterated Love: The Tragedy of Malory’s Lancelot and Guinevere." Essay accepted for publication as a chapter in a forthcoming book, Malory and Christianity, (Medieval Institute Press) May 2008.
- "Arda Marred: Tolkien’s Myth of the Ents and the Entwives." Article due for submission in Spring 2007.
- "Reductio ad Absurdum: Chaucer, the Wife of Bath, and the Antifeminist Tradition." Article under revision for resubmission.
- "The Medieval Reading Experience." An instructional website designed to introduce modern readers to reading medieval texts in their original forms. Based on the Winchester manuscript of Sir Thomas Malory.
Conference Papers
- "The Song of the Ents and the Entwives." Paper accepted for presentation at the Fourth Annual Tolkien Conference at the University of Vermont, April 2007.
- "Repenting for ‘Vertuouse Love’ in the Morte Darthur." Paper selected to be included in a featured series of panels on Malory at the 41st Annual International Congress on Medieval Studies in May of 2006.
- "Grace, Unity, and the Ideal Community in Langland’s Vita of Dobest." Paper presented at the 40th Annual International Congress on Medieval Studies in May of 2005.
Scholarly Medieval Recordings
- Malory Aloud: "The Tale of Sir Lancelot." Selected to perform a role in a live performance of a section of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur at the 42nd Annual International Congress on Medieval Studies in May of 2007.
- Piers Plowman, Chaucer Studio. Selected to serve as the director and narrator of an unabridged recording of Langland’s Piers Plowman in Middle English. Recording in progress.
Honors and Affiliations
- Columbia University President's Fellowships (1997-2001)
- International Arthurian Society (North American Branch)
- Harvey Fellowship, Mustard Seed Foundations (1999-2002)
- Modern Language Association
- Medieval Academy of America
- New Chaucer Society
- Phi Beta Kappa; Member and Treasurer at Washington College's Theta Chapter
- Tolkien Society
Biographical Note
Professor Corey Olsen began teaching at Washington College in the Fall of 2004. Before coming to Washington College, he taught at Temple University, Columbia University, and Nyack College.
At Washington College, Professor Olsen serves on numerous committees, such as the Honor Board, the Writing Task Force, and the Academic Technology committee. Professor Olsen is the Treasurer for Washington College's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the Humanities Editor for the Washington College Review, as well as the Faculty Advisor for both Sigma Tau Delta and the Writers' Union.
Professor Olsen is actively involved in the scholarly recording of medieval texts, and is a proponent of integrating technology into academic learning, promoting the use of podcasting and multimedia technology in the study of literature. His interactive web project, "The Medieval Reading Experience," will be a website, based on the Winchester manuscript of Sir Thomas Malory, designed to introduce modern readers to reading medieval texts in their original forms.