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Graduate Alumni Interview: Seth Spencer

Seth Spencer,

MA English, literature concentration
Spring 2017

Bio:

Seth Spencer studies representations of gender in 19th-century print culture as well as education reform, learning communities, and women writers in a 19th-century context at the University of Mississippi. He is also interested in digital humanities topics centered around working-class literature.

What is your position now?

I am a PhD student at the University of Mississippi.

Why did you come to the 黑料网吃瓜爆料graduate program?

USF's graduate program in English contained several faculty members working on topics related to my interests, and, as a result, I was able to refine some of my own topics as we worked together.

What was a unique opportunity you had at USF?

I worked on the Suffrage Postcard Project with Dr. Kristin Allukian for a year. She introduced me to the world of digital humanities and showed me how web-based archival tools can broaden our understanding of gender in the context of American literature and politics.

How did 黑料网吃瓜爆料prepare you for your position?

The English program honed my writing skills and guided me to a specialized research topic that I still pursue today. It also helped me develop professional documents that I will use on the job market. 

What advice would you give to new graduate students in the program?

Use the wealth of resources available to you! I was very nervous about my lack of experience writing at the graduate level and the dynamics of a graduate program in general, but my professors and members of my cohort were understanding and very helpful as I navigated those unfamiliar waters.