Nicole D. Smith

University Distinguished Teaching Professor and Associate Professor of Medieval English Literature, University of North Texas

Class Year

1996

Professional Background

As a scholar of medieval English literature, I am interested in late fourteenth-century guides to sin and salvation, particularly those concerning vernacular theology, the Apostles' Creed, and Chaucer's Parson's Tale. I especially enjoy the detective work associated with textual studies and the manuscript histories of the works that I research. I teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and I am advisor to our chapter of the National English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta.

How has being an English graduate from Duke University helped shape your professional success?

I discovered medieval literature while an undergraduate at Duke! Had I not been exposed by some of Duke's finest English professors to the pleasures and complexities of literature produced during England's Middle Ages, I would not be where I am today. Duke English has not only shaped my research interests but also my teaching practices, which have been handsomely rewarded by my present institution.

Nicole D. Smith