Insight 2nd Ed_Brian Ragen

Brian Abel Ragen, PhD Emeritus Professor of English Saint Louis, MO www.brianragen.com Supported by nearly three decades of professional experience, Dr. Ragen has held the title of professor emeritus at Bryn Mawr College since 2013, having first served the college as an associate professor in 1993 and full professor in 2000. Prior to these engagements, he held the posts of associate professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 1988 to 1993. He also contributed as a lecturer for Bryn Mawr College and Princeton University from 1984 to 1987. Other career-related endeavors include serving as a visiting professor with Hong Kong Baptist University in 2010. An expert in the field, Dr. Ragen has contributed numerous articles to professional publications on the topics of heraldry, hymnody and literary canons. Civically, he has been associated with Fontbonne University as a trustee, as well as a secretary and board member of the Field House Museum. Likewise, he has served as a board member of the St. Louis Cathedral Concerts and volunteered more than 300 hours to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. A respected voice in the industry, his books “A Wreck on the Road to Damascus” and “Tom Wolfe: A Critical Companion” were published in 1989 and 2002, respectively. Dr. Ragen is gratified to have produced the 2018 musical composition, “Word to Music: Songs of Eugene Field,” featuring accompaniments by Christine Brewer and Scott Kennebeck. How have you navigated disruptions in your industry to remain a top professional? First, I gave up the idea that my students would have all read anything in particular. There was a time when you could count on all students having some acquaintance with the Bible or Shakespeare or some other great works. Throughout my career, that became less and less true, so I realized I had to provide background information on everything and couldn’t assume that we were starting with any sort of common knowledge. That often meant I had to teach history or other