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Robert Wauhkonen

As a literature teacher, Dr. Wauhkonen is committed to the view that engaged reading makes us better critical thinkers and transforms our understanding of ourselves and the world in which we live. He believes that the primary value of literary study is not so much learning about literature, but learning through literature.

Faculty Robert Wauhkonen Robert Wauhkonen
Professional Title:  Associate Professor of English
Areas of Academic Focus and Expertise:  
Humanities; Liberal Education
Area of Work and Concentration at Lesley:  
English
Representative List of Recent Courses Taught:  
Bildungsroman; 19th Century American Novel; Romanticism in the Arts: Literature, Painting, Music; Family in Literature; Short Fiction and Novella; Writing and the Literary Arts; English Composition
Education:  BA, University of Denver; MA, Northeastern University; EdD, Boston University
Representative List of Recent Publications / Exhibitions:  

  • "Experiential Learning and the Attainment of Common General Education Goals." Journal  of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice. Issue 16 (Spring 2012). Lesley University.
  • "Proceed With Caution: The Perilous Road to Success in Sherwood Anderson's The Egg." Paper presented at Northeast Modern Language Association Conference, Spring, 2011. Brunswick, New Jersey.
  • "The Liberal Arts at Lesley College: Wedding Tradition and Innovation." Article published in Lesley University Centennial Book (July 2010).
  • "The Spruces" and "Late August" (poems). Commonthought. Fall, 2009.
  • Presented paper titled "Do We Still Believe the Humanities Can Transform Students' Lives?" at Northeast Modern Language Association Conference. Boston, MA. February, 2009.
  • "Addressing Common General Education Learning Goals Through Experiential Learning." Conference presentation. New England Faculty Development Consortium.  University of Massachusetts, Amherst. May 30, 2008.
  • "A Model for Assessing General Education Learning Outcomes in Co-curricular Activities." Conference presentation. Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Miami, Florida. March, 2007.
  • "The Moral Vision of Van Gogh's The Potato Eaters." Article published in Character, Volume IX, Number 2, Fall, 2006 (Boston University).

Dr. Wauhkonen has over thirty years of teaching experience at the College of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (formerly Lesley College) and the Art Institute of Boston, where he served as Chair of the Liberal Arts Department for fifteen years. In addition to first year composition and literature courses, Dr. Wauhkonen teaches a variety of electives, including Short Fiction and Novella, the Family in Literature, Romanticism in the Arts: Literature, Painting, Music. Aside from his teaching, Dr. Wauhkonen is currently the Coordinator of First Year Writing. Outside of Lesley, Dr. Wauhkonen served as Scholar in Residence in Boston University's Teachers Academy in South Carolina. He has written articles and given conference presentations at local and national conferences on topics in the humanities and education; his current research interests focus on the role and efficacy of liberal arts study in the undergraduate curriculum. As a teacher of composition and literature, Dr. Wauhkonen is committed to the belief that engaged reading makes us better critical thinkers and transforms our understanding of ourselves and the world in which we live - that the primary value of literary study is not so much learning about literature, but learning through literature.