Department of English

Are we giving AI a pulse through language?
English faculty members Jo Mackiewicz and Jeanine Aune are studying how we use anthropomorphizing language – or words that give human traits to non-human things – when writing about artificial intelligence. Their findings can help technical and professional communication practitioners reflect on how they think about AI technologies, both as tools in their writing process and in how they write about AI.

January 12, 2026
Two humanities faculty receive Fulbright awards
John Levis, professor of English, and Elisa Rizo, associate professor of world languages and cultures, have received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year.

July 3, 2024
What America’s first board game can teach us about the aspirations of a young nation
Professor of English Matthew Sivils takes a closer look at the origins of American board games in this post from The Conversation.

May 8, 2024
Two LAS students selected for Fulbright awards
The students will teach English abroad after earning Fulbright fellowships.

April 25, 2024
Developing an intelligent tutoring system to help students write better
With a new NSF grant, researchers in the English department are developing an intelligent tutoring system to help students become better, faster writers.

January 9, 2024
Writing class equips students for a world with AI
Iowa State students are exploring generative Artificial Intelligence tools and techniques in a new, experimental class this fall.

October 4, 2023
Iowa State student selected for Fulbright-Hays fellowship
Andrea Flinn, a Ph.D. student in the Department of English, was selected for the prestigious Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad program.

September 20, 2023
Apprentices hone their writing, speaking skills through ISU-John Deere partnership
Department of English faculty members developed the curriculum and serve as on-site instructors for student communication trainings.

August 2, 2022