Faculty/Staff Directory
Dr. John B. Murphy
478-934-3375
Assistant Professor
Department of English
| Office Hours: | Monday, 1:00 to 5:00 by appointment Wednesday, 1:00 to 5:00 by appointment |
| Locations: (Campus & Office) |
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| Biography: | A native Middle Georgian (from Sandersville), I've also called Athens and Charlottesville, Virginia home. Currently, I live in Houston County and work on MGA's campus in Cochran. I teach first-year courses in English Composition (ENGL 1101 and 1102), second-year surveys of Modern World Literature (ENGL 2112) and Modern British Literature (ENGL 2122), and an upper-division course on 19th Century American Poetry and Prose (ENGL 3500). I contribute regularly to international scholarship on the British modernist writers Joseph Conrad and Ford Madox Ford through academic publications and conference presentations. An additional research interest is the development of AI tools that facilitate student success in English Composition, including "Socrates Inventory Engine," a custom GPT providing student-friendly diagnostic feedback based on principles for critical thinking outlined in "The Craft of Research," a standard guidebook for academic and professional writing from the University of Chicago Press. From 2019 to 2024, I served as an instructor in English Learning Support, and from 2021 to 2024, I served as Coordinator for the MGA Writing Center on the Cochran campus. Since 2023, I've supported MGA's First-Year Experience initiative, incorporating the student success resources "Knights' Academy" and "Knight's Journey" into my sections of ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 as the basis for critical thinking and writing assignments. Since 2026, I've contributed to MGA's joint pilot project with the University System of Georgia to renovate ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 and served as faculty sponsor for MGA's P.O.E.T.R.Y. Club, a registered student organization. My teaching, scholarship, and service are all informed by Virtue Ethics and Positive Psychology. |
| Courses: | ENGL 1101-14: TU and TR, 3:30-4:35, Russell 319 ENGL 1101-23: M and W, 11:00-12:15, Russell 327 ENGL 1102-20: TU and TR, 11:00-12:15, Russell 327 ENGL 3550-01: Asynchronous, Online |
| Education: (All institutions attended and degrees or credentials earned) | Ph.D., English Language and Literature, University of Virginia AB, MA, English, University of Georgia (Cum Laude with General Honors) Honors Program, University of Georgia UGA-at-Oxford, Jesus College and Worcester College, University of Oxford |
| Professional Experience: | Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) - Middle Georgia State University Coordinator, The Writing Center - Middle Georgia State University Assistant Professor (Visiting) - University of Virginia Director, The Writing Center - University of Virginia Head Teaching Assistant - University of Virginia Tutor - The Writing Center - University of Virginia Graduate Teaching Assistant - University of Virginia Graduate Research Assistant - University of Georgia |
| Publications and Scholarships: (Last 5 Years) | Selected Recent Publications: “The Egg and Spoon Race That Life Is: Virtue, Integrity, and Well-Being in Ford Madox Ford's Parade’s End,” in Ana Sofia Lauro and Seamus O'Malley eds, Ford Madox Ford: At the Dawn of an Era. Anglo Saxonica, vol. 23, no. 1, 2025. |
| Professional Affiliations: | The Joseph Conrad Society of America The Joseph Conrad Society UK The Ford Madox Ford Society The South Atlantic Modern Language Association |
| Awards and Honors: | Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Virginia |
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