By Amanda Lenox

Known for her energetic and passionate teaching style, Professor Heidi Breuer is one of the most fascinating Literature & Writing professors on campus.

The classes she usually teaches include: Survey of Medieval and Renaissance Literature (LTWR 308A), Studies in Shakespeare (LTWR 402), Fantastic Journeys (LTWR 206) and Workshop in Argument and Analysis (LTWR 307). She also teaches different special topics at the graduate level including Arthurian Literature, Old English Literature and Tolkien.

Another popular class Dr. Breuer teaches is The Monstrous, the Grotesque and the Occult (LTWR 340), which also helped with the research for the book she is working on. Currently, Dr. Breuer is writing a book titled Is the Zombie Apocalypse Good For Feminism?, which focuses on witches, zombies and vampires in popular culture. She explains that the book will analyze “how representations of these supernatural figures are linked to the way in which gender norms operate. The idea is that we’re asking if these texts are feminist, [and] do they have possibilities for women to enjoy strong characters.”

Professor Breuer received her Bachelor’s degree from Florida Southern College in both Biology and English. While working on her biology degree, she took English classes for fun. Professor Breuer wanted to be in a field full of the things she loved to do. She was encouraged by her professors to get her Master’s degree, so she continued her focus in English and earned her M.A. from Florida State University. While in the M.A. program at Florida State, Professor Breuer was “thrown right into the classroom.”

“The very first semester that I started my M.A., I started teaching two classes of first year writing [GEW equivalent], along with taking two classes. What I found was I really liked to teach. I found it rewarding to be teaching students,” Professor Breuer said.

She then decided to become a college professor and received her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Her love of “King Arthur” stories led her to become a Medievalist and Renaissance scholar. Professor Breuer also specialized in feminist theory, gender studies and sexuality studies.

Once out of graduate school, Professor Breuer worked at a university in Ohio. Although she liked the job, Ohio itself was not the right fit. She wanted to look for another university similar to the one she was working at, one that valued diversity and egalitarian access.

“Cal State was a good fit for me because it is a teaching-oriented university and it serves students from a broad range of backgrounds,” Professor Breuer said.

The greatest accomplishment for Dr. Breuer comes from seeing students get excited about the assigned literature.

“I like working with students. I especially enjoy moments where I see that students have learned to think critically about texts. I like seeing students’ improvement in writing. I also get excited when students link what they’re doing in class to the outside world or to culture.”