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Focus
on Karen Saupe
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What is your favorite band or type of music, and why?
My musical tastes are pretty eclectic and always have
been ... In my CD-changer right now I think I have Crash
Test Dummies, Billy Joel, the music composed for last
summer’s Lincoln Center production of Twelfth Night, an
old Dire Straits album, and some Bach cello suites. What
did you do your dissertation on? I researched the place
of the Virgin Mary in medieval English culture and edited
a collection of poems about her. I wanted to study medieval
poetry, of course (who wouldn’t?) but I was also interested
in religious practices in medieval England, and Mary was
a prominent figure in the religious life of most Christians
at that time. What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like music -- listening, playing (violin, a little piano,
very little guitar; I’m quite competent on the kazoo,
and I like to sing in the car).
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file photo
Professor of English
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I have a love/hate relationship with computers.
I like gardening and reading when I have time, and I like camping
in the summer... . How does your faith play out in your profession?
The foundation of my world, teaching and everything else, is
my belief that we are created and sustained by a loving God.
... My faith influences my attitude toward teaching: I have
always felt called by God to teach, and so I want to do it as
well as I can ... My faith also influences what I teach and
how I approach it ... I try to do two things intentionally:
first, I often include or emphasize works that address issues
that are likely to engage Christians, issues that every thinking
Christian wrestles with; and second, I encourage students to
approach challenging works fearlessly. Our faith is rich and
strong, and it grows stronger as we contend with and learn to
answer viewpoints that differ from our own. Literature is a
wonderful opportunity for exploring ideas that affirm and ideas
that challenge our own perspectives.
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