Dr. Kisha Tracey is an English professor here at Fitchburg State, who wears quite a few hats when it comes to the subjects she teaches. When asked, she told me she teaches “Global Middle Ages, Medieval Africa Literature and Heritage (a course I created), British Literature I Adventure and Transformation, World Literature I Myths and Traditions, Bible as Literature, Storytelling and Oral Tradition, Greek and Roman Mythology, among other literature courses – and Writing I and II!”. She teaches a wide range of literature courses that appeal to many different audiences.
When asked though, what her favorite to teach was she said “Medieval Africa Literature and Heritage”. She said she has branched out a bit in the past few years and began teaching more global middle ages than just Europe. This has made her enjoy the subject even more.
When asked where her love for medieval studies started she told me “I fell in love with the Middle Ages when I was four and watched the Errol Flynn movie ‘Adventures of Robin Hood.’ I learned when I was nine that there was such a thing as a medievalist, and I decided then what I wanted to be!”
Dr. Tracey has been an English professor at Fitchburg State since 2010 and she still says her favorite thing about working here is the students. She said, “I love Fitchburg State students, and I admire them. Many are working full time, perhaps even raising families or helping out at home, while going to school. There is also an amazing resilience in FSU students that is inspiring and makes me want to come to work every day. Overall, I enjoy being a professor because I may be the only one a student learns about the Middle Ages from, and I take that as both a responsibility but also an opportunity to share what I love.”
Recently she was named a finalist for the Open Education Global Award in Diversity Equity and Inclusion for her open access textbook. Her textbook is titled “Heritages of Change: Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing.” It is defined as “Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing is a method for students to think about the social changes that were prevalent during the COVID years and remain important in their wake.”
Dr. Tracey has done lots of work to draw attention to free educational resources, especially in regards to her textbook. This makes it easier for all students to access these resources. This process also makes it more accessible to get students’ thoughts and work out there.
She’s not done there though, when asked what’s next for her she told me she’s “working on a book on medieval cultural heritage. Also an article on Saint Dymphna and medieval mental health. And I was asked to contribute an article on my work with open access publishing to a journal issue.”