Austin Johnson

Austin Johnson is a member of the Ph.D Class of 2013.

Biography
Johnson is a 2007 magna cum laude graduate of Ouachita Baptist University. There, he studied a broad variety of periods and texts, ranging from the medieval period to the early twentieth century. Since coming to S.M.U., his interests have both narrowed and broadened, as he has come to focus more intensely upon the Early Modern period while growing to embrace a wider variety of theoretical positions.

Interests

 * 16th-18th Century English Poetry
 * Elegy
 * John Milton
 * Religion and Literature
 * Science Fiction
 * Cyberpunk
 * Biopunk
 * Theoretical interests:
 * Alain Badiou
 * Formalism
 * Stanley Fish / Reader Response

Publications/Presentations

 * Milton 400 Conference, St. Anselm University. " “Dark, Dark, Dark”: Samson Agonistes and a Hermeneutic of Inspiration". 2008
 * Ouachita Baptist University Scholars Day. "Myth, Perception, and Misperception in Browning’s 'Childe Roland'". 2007.
 * Sigma Tau Delta Conference. "Mingling and Making Souls: The Purpose of Sex in Donne’s 'The Ecstasy'". 2007.

Classes Taught

 * ENGL 1301 (Fall 2008)
 * ENGL 1302 "Space, Location, and Identity" (Spring 2009)

Committees/Organizations

 * S.M.U. English Graduate Students Wiki (Admin)

Current Plans and Projects
Johnson is currently working on developing WegsSMU into a viable resource for graduate students at S.M.U.

In addition to attending the upcoming SMU-in-Taos summer seminar, he plans to use his summer to get a head start on his Early Modern reading, in addition to organizing the summer Theory Reading Group along with Fred Siegmund, which he hopes will feature rather more Badiou than Agamben.

He also plans to catch up on some science fiction by Philip K. Dick, specifically The Man in the High Castle.