Biography
Education
PhD in Media, Art, and Text (MATX), Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019
MA in English, Appalachian State University, 2010
MA in Appalachian Studies, Appalachian State University, 2004
BA in English, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2000
Interests and Specializations
Appalachian Literature, Southern Literature, Folklore, American Studies, Popular Culture
About
Dr. Robertson teaches multiple courses in Appalachian literature, from ENG 203 to upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses on topics like Appalachian women writers and ecocritical readings of regional literature. His research interests are in Southern/Appalachian representation, across both literature and mass media, with a specific focus on the “Grit Lit” genre (and the late 20th century U.S. subcultural landscape in which it proliferated). Some of Dr. Robertson’s previous research and teaching includes Appalachian folklore (in primary-source and archival contexts) and images of Appalachia in the comic arts (cartoon strips, comic books, animation). Other topics that interest Dr. Robertson are late Cold War-era dystopian imaginings, eschatological frameworks, and ethno-regional identities. His classes tend to have a strong interdisciplinary orientation, with an emphasis on historical and cultural contexts.