A specialist in 19th-century American literature, much of Faith Barrett’s scholarly research has centered around poetry of the the Civil War era. She served as co-editor of Words for the Hour, a 2005 anthology of American Civil War poetry, and has two books in progress, “To Fight Aloud Is Very Brave”: American Poets and the Civil War, which examines works of popular poets as well as unpublished poems written by soldiers, and Letters to the World: Emily Dickinson and the Lyric Address.

In presenting her award, President Jill Beck credited Barrett for “creating a sense of excitement” about poetry and literature in her classes.

“Students praise your ability to challenge them and to help them reach new levels of accomplishment in both writing and critical analysis,” said Beck. “It is clear that a great deal of your success comes from an individualized learning style that is based on a high level of rich interactions with students. Your teaching has established a balance between attempting to cover a set of important points and allowing students to take responsibility for their own learning.”


Read a profile of Professor Barrett.