spotlight on honors

  A DAY IN THE LIFE... STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING HONORS FACULTY NEWS PHOTOS

honors faculty                  

dr. matthew brennan

  Dr. Matthew Brennan, Honors Faculty

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Ph.D., English, Univ. of Minnesota, June 1984.

M.A., English, Univ. of Minnesota, June 1980.

B.A., English, Grinnell College, May 1977. Honors in English, Phi Beta Kappa. 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dr. Brennan’s main research interests include 19th century literature and art, especially the Romantic Period, and poetry writing.

HONORS BEGINNINGS

During his third year at Indiana State, Dr. Brennan began teaching an Honors class entitled Literature and Visual Arts which focused on William Wordsworth, William Turner, and John Constable. Though Dr. Brennan still shares some of the same material with his students, his class title and content have evolved over time. The most recent edition of the class, The Young Romantics, centered on three authors who wrote their important works during their late teens and early twenties, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Keats, and Emily Brontë.

TYPICAL CLASSES TAUGHT

Dr. Brennan enjoys teaching Honors classes because they are small enough to allow in depth discussion and exploration. Honors students are intelligent and engaged; they make it easy for a professor to develop a challenging course that will produce growth both in the students and in the professor at ISU.

  Dr. Matthew Brennan, Honors Faculty

Dr. Brennan also had the special opportunity to teach a course focused on the Romantic Landscape in London though the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad. Though this class was not specifically for Honors students, it allowed interested students from both ISU and London to study Romantic works together and visit their original settings. Teaching abroad was a fantastic experience for Dr. Brennan; he was able to show students real landscapes and actual art pieces instead of using faded slides. He said, “It really brings the world to life when you have actually been in the landscape.” Experiences like these exhibit the great opportunities Honors students find if they choose to study abroad.

ADVICE TO HONORS STUDENTS

“The Honors program underscores that learning is not just about a career path. It’s about the life of the mind.” – Dr. Brennan