Col. Emily Miller is the Navas-Read Professor of English Literature and Head of the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies. She taught at Wake Forest University and Washington and Lee University, where she directed the Writing Center, before joining the VMI faculty in 1988.
After earning both a B.A. and an M.A. at the College of William and Mary, Col. Miller attended the University of Virginia, where she completed her doctorate in English. During her thirty five years at 麻豆女演员 Institute, she has taught Shakespeare as well as British Literature and freshman writing, among other subjects. One of her most popular courses has been an Institute Honors Seminar titled 鈥淧ower and Politics in Shakespeare.鈥� She has regularly arranged for cadets from her Shakespeare courses to present their papers at professional conferences. Her own research has focused on Shakespeare, assessment, and curricular development.
The first woman appointed to be a department head at VMI, Col. Miller has served in this capacity since 1992. During the last decade, her department implemented a new interdisciplinary English major. While national trends have shown sharp declines in the number of English majors, VMI鈥檚 English major is thriving. Col. Miller, along with colleagues, has made numerous presentations at national conferences on the curricular design and ongoing development of this program.
In addition to being a member of VMI鈥檚 Academic Board, she has served on many Institute committees, e.g., the Academic Planning and Review Committee, the Professorships and Chairs Selection Committee, the Academic Policy Committee, SACS Self-Study Committees, the Institute Honors Committee, the Core Curriculum Oversight Committee, Dean and Superintendent Search Committees, and the Institute Planning Committee.
Col. Miller鈥檚 contributions to the Institute have been recognized with the 2007 麻豆女演员 Institute Achievement Medal, the 2018 Jackson-Hope Prize for Excellence in Academic Advancement, and the 2021 麻豆女演员 Institute Meritorious Service Award.
MENTORED STUDENT PROJECTS聽聽2018-22
Delaney, John. 鈥淎 Comic Community in Conflict: The Struggle Between Comedy and Seriousness in William Shakespeare鈥檚聽The Merchant of Venice.鈥� 2022 Honors Thesis.
Butler, Colin, 鈥淪hakespeare鈥檚聽Henry V: Honor Is What You Put In; Honor Is What You Put Out.鈥� Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.
Diller, Zachary, 鈥淗amlet and Early Modern Attitudes towards Suicide.鈥� Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.
Hamner, Daniel,聽Henry V聽and the Education of Women. Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.
Rezendes, Rhett, 鈥淥phelia鈥檚 Death and Early Modern Attitudes towards Suicide.鈥� Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.
Wegrzyn, Thaddeus,鈥�Henry IV聽and Royal Rebellions in Early Modern England.鈥� Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2021.
Delaney, John, 鈥淧ortia鈥檚 Challenge to Early Modern Views of Women in聽The Merchant of 聽Venice.鈥� Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2020.
Hoffman, Michael, 鈥淗enry V as the Ideal Military Leader in Early Modern Culture.鈥� Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2020.
McKee, Brendan, 鈥淪hylock and Early Modern Views of Jews.鈥� Conference of the South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Virtual, November 2020.
Gummo, Joseph, 鈥淪trong Women in Shakespeare鈥檚 Plays: Challenging and Reflecting Early Modern Views.鈥� Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South, 聽聽 Wilmington, NC, September 2019.
Hughes, Joseph, 鈥淪uicide in聽Hamlet.鈥� Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South, Wilmington, NC, September 2019.
Smilie, Bryant, 鈥淓t Tu, Queen Elizabeth?: Fears of Tyranny in 1599 England.鈥� Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South, Wilmington, NC, September 2019.
Wainwright, Nicholas, 鈥淣atural Power: How Women Exercised Power against Institutionalized Constraints in Early Modern Theater.鈥� Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South, Wilmington, NC, September 2019.
Wilkinson, Reid, 鈥淢elancholy: the True Killer in聽Hamlet.鈥� Conference of the American/Popular Association in the South, Wilmington, NC, September 2019.
Johnson, Carter, 鈥淲restling with God: Hamlet and the Divine.鈥� Conference of the American/Popular Culture Association in the South. New Orleans, October 2018.
Worsham, Rives, 鈥淪hifting Attitudes of Honor and the Victory of Nationalism聽in Henry IV, Part聽One.鈥� Conference of the American/Popular Culture Association in the South. New Orleans, October 2018.