Introducing Dr. Sarah Hagelin, New English AUH

“Embrace the thing that you love and also the thing that you’re good at” says new English Department Academic Unit Head, Dr. Sarah Hagelin, when asked her advice for English majors. In her words, Literature and film are “empathy machines,” in that they allow for complex understanding of other people’s experiences. These “habits of mind and spirit” make English majors marketable in many fields and professions on account of their versatility. According to her, the ability to read, think, communicate, and understand how you feel are all lifelong skills gained from majoring in English that go well beyond professional development.  

For Dr. Hagelin, this advice comes from personal experience. As an undergrad at Gonzaga University, she majored in English and History and minored in Theater. Originally, she was interested in journalism, fueled by her love for activism and desire to be a part of stamping out the death penalty. However, as the time came to decide between law school or grad school in English, Dr. Hagelin was stuck at a crossroads. After taking both the GRE and the LSAT, she ultimately decided her passion for dissecting culture through English superseded. Dr. Hagelin describes knowing English was the right decision when she began teaching through her graduate program at Purdue University, saying, “It was like falling in love. I felt it with the strength of a religious conversion.” 

After pursuing her doctorate at the University of Virginia, Dr. Hagelin worked at New Mexico State University, and most recently at the University of Colorado Denver. As a big commuter school, Dr. Hagelin reflects that her time at the University of Colorado Denver taught her about the modality of different students. Because of the large commuter population and older student demographic, Dr Hagelin became adept in embracing different learning styles. She explains that this experience showed her how people learn in uniquely different styles and may need different accommodations to be able to properly engage with a text. She describes the classroom as a “sacred space where people are in communion with the text and with each other,” and that what people want from the classroom is to be “seen and known” by both their professors and peers. She explains that the best way to do this is through meeting students where they are and making the classroom a safe space for thoughtful discussion.  

Dr. Hagelin is familiar with JMU and the Harrisonburg area through her time at the University of Virginia while completing her PhD. Additionally, she recounts fond memories of visiting the university through a dear friend and fellow professor that took a job teaching at JMU. When the opportunity arose for the title of Academic Unit Head, Dr. Hagelin jumped at the chance. In terms of the English Department, Dr. Hagelin plans to capitalize on what she perceives to be functioning well: “amazing professors offering classes that really spark student interest.” She emphasizes the department’s interdisciplinary engagement with literature and culture and wants to continue to develop that as Academic Unit Head.  

Dr. Hagelin shares her excitement to be working with JMU English and looks forward to meeting all of the students that make this department uniquely special. She encourages everyone to stop by her office to say hi and introduce themselves saying, “My door is always open!”