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Dr Frances McCormack

PHD, MA, BA

Contact Details

Lecturer Above The Bar
College of Arts, Social Sciences
Tower 1, Arts/Science Building
NUI Galway

T: Ext. 5348
E: frances.mccormack@nuigalway.ie
 
researcher

Biography

Frances McCormack read for her BA degree in English and Theology in Maynooth from 1997-2000, and she completed her MA at UCD in 2001.  She moved to Trinity College Dublin to pursue a PhD, where she received a Government of Ireland Scholarship from the IRCHSS for the duration of her studies.  After completing her PhD in 2003, she took a position as Faculty of Arts Fellow in UCD, and moved to NUIG in 2004. 

Frances also holds a Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge, a Diploma in Spanish, and an MA in Academic Practice from NUI Galway.  In 2010, she won the President's Award for Teaching Excellence from NUI Galway; in 2011, the National Award for Excellence in Teaching; in 2015, NUI Galway's President's Award for Teaching Excellence again.  She spent four years as Vice-Dean of Learning and Assessment in the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies.

With a breadth of research interests and publications on from Old English emotions to modernist literature, Frances is currently working on a monograph on the nature of compunction in Old English poetry. 

Among her teaching and research interests are the following: 

Old English Literature
Chaucer
Old English Language
Middle English Religious Literature
Fourteenth-Century Poetry
Graham Greene
Historical Linguistics
Sociolinguistics
Poetry and Poetics
Animal Studies

Research Interests

  • Old English literature
  • Chaucer
  • Lollardy
  • Middle English religious literature
  • Modernist religious literature
  • Graham Greene
  • Historical linguistics
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Literary language
  • Higher Education Pedagogy

Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
A FAREWELL TO ELEGY FRANCES MCCORMACK 01-OCT-14 30-SEP-18
NAIRTL NAT AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING FRANCES MC CORMACK 03-NOV-11 31-DEC-12

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2017) 'Memory Cheats: Deception, Recollection, and the Problem of Reading in Graham Greene’s The Captain and the Enemy'
Frances McCormack (2017) 'Memory Cheats: Deception, Recollection, and the Problem of Reading in Graham Greene’s The Captain and the Enemy'. 1 [Details]

Books

  Year Publication
(2007) Chaucer and the Culture of Dissent: The Lollard Context and Subtext of the Parson's Tale.
Frances McCormack (2007) Chaucer and the Culture of Dissent: The Lollard Context and Subtext of the Parson's Tale. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2015) ''Those bloody trees: the Affectivity of Christ''
Frances McCormack (2015) ''Those bloody trees: the Affectivity of Christ'' In: Anglo-Saxon Emotions. Surrey: Ashgate. [Details]
(2015) 'And Like the Sea, God was Silent: Multivalent Sea Imagery'
Frances McCormack (2015) 'And Like the Sea, God was Silent: Multivalent Sea Imagery' In: Approaching Silence: New Perspectives on Shusaku Endo's Classic Novel. London: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2013) ''By Mouth of Innocentz: Rhetoric and Relic in the Prioress's Tale'
Frances McCormack (2013) ''By Mouth of Innocentz: Rhetoric and Relic in the Prioress's Tale' In: Chaucer's Poetry: Words, Authority, and Ethics. Dublin: Four Courts. [Details]
(2012) ''The Old Ways and the New: The Heterodoxy of Sir John Clanvowe's _The Two Ways_''
Frances McCormack (2012) ''The Old Ways and the New: The Heterodoxy of Sir John Clanvowe's _The Two Ways_'' In: The Two Ways: A Festschrift in Honour of John Scattergood. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2011) ''The Later Greene: From Modernist to Moralist''
Frances McCormack (2011) ''The Later Greene: From Modernist to Moralist'' In: Dangerous Edges of Graham Greene: Journeys with Saints and Sinners. New York: Continuum. [Details]
(2010) ''Chaucer and Lollardy''
Frances McCormack (2010) ''Chaucer and Lollardy'' In: Chaucer and Religion. Cambridge: Boydell and Brewer. [Details]
(2010) ''Why sholde I sowen draf out of my fest?: Chaucer and the False Prophet Motif''
Frances McCormack (2010) ''Why sholde I sowen draf out of my fest?: Chaucer and the False Prophet Motif'' In: Heresy and Orthodoxy in Early English Literature: 1350-1680. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]
(2007) ''Reading God: Visions and Revisions in Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love''
Frances McCormack (2007) ''Reading God: Visions and Revisions in Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love'' In: Transmission and Transformation in the Middle Ages. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]

Edited Books

  Year Publication
(2015) Anglo-Saxon Emotions.
Alice Jorgensen, Frances McCormack, Jonathan Wilcox (Ed.). (2015) Anglo-Saxon Emotions. Surrey: Ashgate. [Details]
(2013) Chaucer's Poetry: Words, Authority and Ethics.
Clíodhna Carney and Frances McCormack (Ed.). (2013) Chaucer's Poetry: Words, Authority and Ethics Chaucer's Poetry: Words, Authority and Ethics. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]

Conference Contributions

  Year Publication
(2009) Medieval Power,
Frances McCormack (2009) Why Medieval Matters. [Plenary Lecture], Medieval Power, National University of Ireland, Galway , 19-JUN-09 - 19-JUN-09. [Details]
(2012) Anglo-Saxon Emotions,
Frances McCormack (2012) Ða wearð beam monig blodigum tearum / birunnen under rindum reade ond þicce: Compunction in the Christ poems. [Invited Paper], Anglo-Saxon Emotions, Trinity College Dublin , 03-JUL-12 - 04-JUL-12. [Details]
(2014) Ministry in Transition: Conference of Priests,
Frances McCormack (2014) Graham Greene's Religious Novels. [Invited Lecture], Ministry in Transition: Conference of Priests, Salthill Hotel , 27-JAN-14 - 29-JAN-14. [Details]
(2014) Ministry in Transition: Conference of Priests,
Frances McCormack (2014) Christianity and Wisdom in Anglo-Saxon Literature. [Invited Lecture], Ministry in Transition: Conference of Priests, Salthill Hotel , 27-JAN-14 - 29-JAN-14. [Details]
(2014) Chaucer at Galway II,
Frances McCormack (2014) Chaucer and the Theology of Emotion. [Conference Paper], Chaucer at Galway II, National University of Ireland, Galway , 25-JUN-14 - 26-JUN-14. [Details]
(2016) World Vegan Summit,
Frances McCormack (2016) The Usefulness of Questioning in Advocacy. [Invited Paper], World Vegan Summit, University of Berkeley, California , 30-JUL-16 - 30-JUL-16. [Details]
(2016) World Vegan Summit,
Frances McCormack, Gary Francione, Anna Charlton, et al. (2016) Grassroots Vegan Advocacy Workshop. [Organising Chair], World Vegan Summit, University of Berkeley, California , 31-JUL-16 - 31-JUL-16. [Details]
(2016) World Vegan Summit,
Frances McCormack (2016) What is Intersectionality. [Invited Paper], World Vegan Summit, University of Berkeley, California , 30-JUL-16 - 30-JUL-16. [Details]
(2016) World Vegan Summit,
Frances McCormack, Gary L. Francione, Anna E. Charlton, et al. (2016) Abolitionist Veganism and Intersectionality. [Organising Chair], World Vegan Summit, University of Berkeley, California , 29-JUL-16 - 31-JUL-17. [Details]
(2016) Old English Study Day,
Frances McCormack (2016) The Limits of Compunction in Old English Poetry. [Invited Oral Presentation], Old English Study Day, Trinity College, Dublin , 10-DEC-16 - 10-DEC-16. [Details]
(2017) Centre for Antique, Medieval, and Premodern Studies Laboratory,
Frances McCormack (2017) From Weeping Trees to Heated Hearts: Towards an Understanding of Compunction in Old English Poetry. [Invited Lecture], Centre for Antique, Medieval, and Premodern Studies Laboratory, National University of Ireland, Galway , 31-MAY-17 - 31-MAY-17. [Details]
(2017) English Research Day,
Frances McCormack (2017) Emotional Contours in Old English Poetry”. [Invited Paper], English Research Day, National University of Ireland, Galway , 27-APR-17 - 27-APR-17. [Details]
(2014) Chaucer at Galway 2,
Paul Strohm, Piero Boitani, Rod Stoneman, John Scattergood, Darragh Greene, Huiyi Bao, Catherine Emerson, JENNIFER ALBERGHINI , David Clare, Francisco Rosano-Garcia, Clíodhna Carney, Niamh Pattwell, Malte Urban, David Clare, OYA BAYILTMIŞ ÖĞÜTCÜ, Sarah Nangle, Simmone Berry, Brendan O'Connell, Frances McCormack, (2014) An international, two-day conference on the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and Realism. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Chaucer at Galway 2, Moore Institute, NUIG , 25-JUN-14 - 26-JUN-14. [Details]
(2013) Graham Greene International Festival 2013,
Frances McCormack (2013) Festival for fans and scholars of Graham Greene. [Invited Paper], Graham Greene International Festival 2013, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire , 25-SEP-13 - 29-SEP-13. [Details]

Magazine Article

  Year Publication
(2012) Graham Greene and the Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God.
Frances McCormack (2012) Graham Greene and the Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God. Magazine Article [Details]
(2016) Transcendence, Tenderness, and Tennis: The Art of the Second Shepherds' Play.
Frances McCormack (2016) Transcendence, Tenderness, and Tennis: The Art of the Second Shepherds' Play. Magazine Article [Details]

Other Item

  Year Publication
(2007) Lexicographical consultant for Terence Patrick Dolan’s Dictionary of Hiberno-English (2nd ed.).
Frances McCormack (2007) Lexicographical consultant for Terence Patrick Dolan’s Dictionary of Hiberno-English (2nd ed.). Other Item [Details]

Radio Presentation

  Year Publication
(2012) J.R.R. Tolkien.
Frances McCormack (2012) J.R.R. Tolkien. Radio Presentation [Details]

Reviews

  Year Publication
(2010) Review of British Library Manuscripts Series.
Frances McCormack (2010) Review of British Library Manuscripts Series. Reviews [Details]
(2007) Closure in the Canterbury Tales: The Role of the Parson's Tale.
David Raybin and Linda Tarte Holley, eds. (2007) Closure in the Canterbury Tales: The Role of the Parson's Tale. Reviews [Details]
(2007) David Raybin and Linda Tarte Holley, eds., Closure in The Canterbury Tales: The Role of the Parson’s Tale (Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute Publications, 2000). Bulletin of International Medieval Research, 2007. .
McCormack, F. (2007) David Raybin and Linda Tarte Holley, eds., Closure in The Canterbury Tales: The Role of the Parson’s Tale (Kalamazoo: Medieval Institute Publications, 2000). Bulletin of International Medieval Research, 2007. . Reviews [Details]
(2007) R. Allen Shoaf, 'Chaucer's Body: The Anxiety of Circulation in the Canterbury Tales'.
Frances McCormack (2007) R. Allen Shoaf, 'Chaucer's Body: The Anxiety of Circulation in the Canterbury Tales'. Reviews [Details]
(2005) 'Review of Julia Boffey and A.S.G. Edwards, _A New Index of Middle English Verse_.
Frances McCormack (2005) 'Review of Julia Boffey and A.S.G. Edwards, _A New Index of Middle English Verse_. Reviews [Details]

Workshops

  Year Publication
(2010) Large Group Teaching.
Frances McCormack (2010) Large Group Teaching. Workshops [Details]
(2012) Using iPads in Teaching.
Frances McCormack (2012) Using iPads in Teaching. Workshops [Details]
(2006) ‘Shelta: The Language of the Irish Travellers’. Guest lecture given at UCD, April 2006.
McCormack, F. (2006) ‘Shelta: The Language of the Irish Travellers’. Guest lecture given at UCD, April 2006. Workshops [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2015 President's Award for Teaching Excellence National University of Ireland, Galway
2011 National Award for Excellence in Teaching National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning
2010 President's Award for Teaching Excellence NUI Galway
2000 IRCHSS PhD Scholarship Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
New Chaucer Society Member /
Forum for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in Ireland Member /
Graham Greene Birthplace Trust Trustee and Secretary /
International Society of Anglo-Saxonists Member /
Teachers of Old English in Britain and Ireland Member /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Iontas Alliance for Excellence in Teaching Organizing Committee Member 01-APR-17 / 01-APR-21
Examination Security Group Member 01-JAN-17 /
Graham Greene Birthplace Trust Trustee 01-JAN-12 / 01-JAN-15
Academic Regulations Committee Member 01-JAN-12 / 31-DEC-13
Academic Simplification Working Group Member 02-FEB-11 / 31-AUG-15
College Curriculum Committee Chair 01-FEB-11 / 31-AUG-15
University Learning, Teaching, and Assessment Committee College of Arts Representative 01-FEB-11 / 31-AUG-15
Library Policy Committee Member 01-JAN-11 / 31-DEC-15
Disability Liaison Group Member 01-JAN-11 / 31-DEC-13
School of Humanities Teaching and Learning Subcomitteee Chair 01-JAN-09 / 01-JAN-11
Clubs and Societies Committee Member 01-JAN-09 / 31-DEC-11
Visual Arts Advisory Group Memeber 30-SEP-05 /

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2000 UCD Master of Arts Old and Middle English Language and Literature
1999 St Patrick's College, Maynooth/NUI Maynooth Bachelor of Arts English, Theology
2011 NUI Galway Diploma in Arts Spanish
2003 Trinity College Dublin PhD Medieval and Renaissance Literature
2008 NUI Galway Master of Arts MA in Academic Practice
2008 NUI Galway Diploma in Arts Irish

Languages

  Language
Spanish
Hellenistic Greek
Modern Greek
Latin
Italian
Irish
German
French
Japanese
English

Community Engagement

  Title Type From / To
Outreach School Visits 01-SEP-10 / 01-SEP-14
Board Membership Galway Early Music Festival 01-JAN-06 / 31-DEC-06
Teaching (e.g. Service learning / comunity based learning) Evening Arts 06-OCT-13 / 01-SEP-14
Teaching (e.g. Service learning / comunity based learning) Youth Academy 07-DEC-12 / 31-JUL-13
Teaching (e.g. Service learning / comunity based learning) GABES 04-NOV-13 / 04-NOV-14

Reviews

  Journal Role
Religion And Literature Reviewer

Teaching Interests

  • Old English Language
  • Old English Literature
  • Middle English Literature
  • Historical Linguistics
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Religious Literature
  • Emotions in Literature
  • Animals in Literature
  • Animal Studies
  • Graham Greene
  • Religious Modernism
  • Literary History
  • Critical Theory
  • Study Skills
  • Medieval Drama
  • Chaucer
  • Medieval Mystics

Recent Postgraduate Students

  Graduation Name Degree Primary Supervisor
2011 Sean Sullivan Masters Y
2014 Francisco Rozano Garcia PhD Y
2014 Meaghan Connell PhD Y
2012 Emily Butler Masters N
2012 Kevin Hynes Masters Degree (M.Litt.) Y
2012 Jena Webb PhD Y

Current Postgraduate Students (Research)

  Student Degree Type Type
Francisco Rozano-Garcia Doctorate - Structured Ph.D. in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Supervisor

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
Semester 1, 2013-14 Old English Poetry ENG228
Semester 1, 2013-14 Old English 1: Introduction to Language and Reading EN470
Semester 1, 2013-2014 Literary Periods and Literary History EN116
Studies in Medieval Literature: Poetry EN264
Semester 1, 2013-2014 History of the English Language EN402
The English Language in Ireland EN269
Studies in Literature before 1800: William Langland's Piers Plowman EN413d
2012-2013 Teaching and Learning GS506
Introduction to Medieval Writing EN124
Introduction to Poetry EN114
Old English 2: Studies in Poetry and Prose EN476
Semester 1, 2013-14 Old English 1: Introduction to Language and Reading ENG205
Studies in Medieval Drama EN576
Reading the Canterbury Tales EN127
First Year Tutorial EN126