Graham Drake received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and became a member of the Geneseo faculty in 1989. He teaches courses in medieval literature, the Bible as literature, history of the English language, and Canadian literature. He currently serves as the Interim Director of the Medieval Studies program at Geneseo. He studies and publishes works related to medieval romance and LGBTQ issues in the Middle Ages which have been featured in GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies and SMART (Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching). He co-edited Four Romances of England: Athelstan, Bevis of Hampton, Havelok the Dane, and King Horn with Ronald Herzman and Eve Salisbury (Medieval Institute, 1999) and recently published “Queering the Medieval Classroom” which was featured in SMART.
Drake is one of SUNY Geneseo’s pre-law program advisors and serves as the Geneseo Pre-Law Chapter, Phi Alpha Delta. He is active in the study abroad program; he teaches or directs courses in Athens, Berlin, Oxford, and London during summer and winter breaks. He is also the Assessment Coordinator as well as the Internship Coordinator.
Classes
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ENGL 203: Rdg: Canadian Literature
An introduction to the discipline of English through the study of particular topics, issues, genres, or authors. Subtitles of "Reader and Text" help students develop a working vocabulary for analyzing texts and relating texts to contexts; understand the theoretical questions that inform all critical conversations about textual meaning and value; and participate competently, as writers, in the ongoing conversation about texts and theory that constitutes English as a field of study.
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ENGL 361: History of English Language
A historical survey of the English language, introducing the techniques of historical linguistic research and contrasting the phonology, grammar, and lexicon of Old and Middle English with that of Modern British and American English. The course also considers the growth and distribution of "World Englishes," including Canadian, Indian, Southern Hemisphere varieties as well as English creoles and pidgins. Students also contribute to an updated edition of the Dictionary of Geneseo English. Prerequisites: ENGL 203. Offered fall, even years
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ENGL 366: Lit:Medieval & Renaissance Lit
A course charting the historical movement of pre-1700 literatures in the British Isles or globally or transnationally. The course emphasizes historical, political and cultural events through which this literature was produced; the development of genres and poetics over time; and changes in language, including for example the ways that English has changed from Old English to Early Modern.