Professor, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts & Education
2007
Bio:
Dr. Heather Hill joined the University of Detroit Mercy faculty, as a member of the English Department, in 2003. Her presence makes a real and positive difference in the intellectual lives of students and in the life of the larger University community.
Dr. Hill's scholarship is interdisciplinary in the best sense of the word, as her analysis of literary texts is deeply informed by history, gender studies, and religious and cultural studies. Her book, Sacred Players: The Politics of Response in the Middle English Religious Drama, was published by The Catholic University of America Press in 2007. Her articles—appearing in journals ranging from Early Theatre to Publications of the Medieval Association of the Midwest—and her numerous conference presentations attest to a growing reputation as an original and creative scholar in the field of medieval studies.
Her teaching is marked by the same passion and curiosity that informs her scholarship. She brings medieval literature alive for students, blending close textual analysis with larger considerations of performance, power, and ideology. She brings this same approach to her Freshman Composition and Introduction to Literature classes, as well as her Medieval Literature in Film class. By involving students in classroom debate and discussion, Dr. Hill provides opportunities for them to develop and sharpen their critical thinking and writing skills, and to appreciate how current drama and literature are deeply informed and shaped by creative expressions from hundreds of years ago.
Dr. Hill's legendary service record fully exemplifies the mission of UDM. She contributes to the intellectual, spiritual, ethical and social development of our students not only through her classroom interactions with them, but also with the vision and leadership she brings to the Women’s and Gender Studies Program as its Director. She has worked diligently in the formation of shared governance, specifically as a CLAE representative to the nascent McNichols Faculty Assembly. She has also represented her College on the University of Detroit Mercy Professors’ Union Board, and currently serves as Secretary. Closer to home, Heather is a dedicated and active participant in numerous activities essential to the identity of the English Department, serving, for example, as a special advisor to English majors seeking Secondary Education certification.
Dr. Heather Hill’s record has established her not only as a teacher-scholar of the first rank, but as a model citizen of the University as well.
Dr. Hill's award was presented by Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J., President, University of Detroit Mercy on November 2, 2007.