Biography•Dr. Dawn Duncan

Dawn Duncan is Professor of English and Global Studies, teaching British and Postcolonial World Literature, Film and Literature, and Writing. Dawn created and acts as Program Director for the Galway Semester in Ireland. She has served as Secretary of the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures for ten years and as US Representative for three years prior. In 1999 she served on the Nobel Peace Prize Observation Team in Northern Ireland. In addition to numerous essays on Irish drama, fiction and film, Duncan is the author of three books: Irish Myth, Lore, and Legend on Film (2013); Postcolonial Theory in Irish Drama from 1800-2000 and The Service-Learning Companion.

Artistically, Duncan continues a life in the theatre: acting, directing and writing. Some of her recent performances include two one-woman shows, "Nurses of Valor: Florence Nightengale, Lillian Walsh, and Margaret Sanger" and "Clara Dillon Darrow: Pioneering Woman," which she wrote and toured to 15 towns across Minnesota; she also played Daisy in "Driving Miss Daisy" for the Tin Roof Theatre Company, as well as Liliana Galletta in "Ellis Island," a joint production of Theatre B and the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, and Carrie in "Trip to Bountiful" for the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre. Prior to her PhD, Duncan made her life in the theatre in Dallas, TX, though she has also performed across the southwest, in Oregon, Canada, and Ireland. Her personal manifesto, which underlies all her scholarly and creative work, may be accessed on YouTube as "Words Made Manifest" (8 min, 7 sec) or within The Service-Learning Companion.