Contact Information
Office Hours
Research Interests
Middle English literature, Arthurian Literature, global medieval studies, ecocriticism and environmental humanities, medieval climate change, animal studies, border studies, medievalism, archaeology and material culture.
Education
PhD - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (forthcoming in 2023)
MA- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2018)
BA - Hanover College (2016)
Grants
Education Emergency Grant Recipient (2021)
Awards and Honors
Department of English University Fellowship Award (2022-2023)
Heldrich-Dvorak SWPACA Travel Fellowship Award (2021)
Hodgins Summer Fellowship Award at UIUC (2020)
Roxanne J. Decyk Fellowship Recipient at UIUC (2016-2017)
Courses Taught
Rhetoric 105: Writing & Research (F 2017, SP 2018, F 2018, SP 2019, F 2019, SP 2020, F 2020, SP 2021, F 2021)
ENGL 109: Introduction to Fiction (F 2021)
ENGL 112: Literature of Global Culture (F 2019)
ENGL 209: Early British Literature & Culture TA (SP 2022)
ENGL 216/MDVL216: Legends of King Arthur (SP 2020, SP 2021)
Additional Campus Affiliations
UIUC Program in Medieval Studies
Highlighted Publications
Brassell-Mills, Catherine and Kathryn O'Toole. 'Where the Streets Have a Name: Signposting and Organization' in I Write: A Writing Guide for the Undergraduate Rhetoric Program at the University of Illinois, ed. Kristi McDuffie, Urbana, The Department of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2022.
Recent Publications
Conference Presentations:
Brassell-Mills, C. (2022, Oct.) 'Forests, Fields, Wastelands, and Climate Change in the Tale of Gamelyn.' Virtual paper presentation at the 2022 New England Medieval Consortium.
Brassell-Mills, C. (2022, Jan). '’To hake and hewe the okes olde:’ Deforestation and Climate Change in Chaucer’s The Knight’s Tale.” Virtual paper presentation at the 2022 Modern Language Association conference.
Brassell-Mills, C. (2021, May). "Life on the Borders: The Questing Beast and Ecotonal Imagery in Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur." Virtual paper presentation at the 2021 International Congress of Medieval Studies conference.
Brassell-Mills, C. (2021, February). "Into the Unknown: Medieval Climate and Landscape in Disney's Frozen II." Virtual paper presentation at the 2021 Southwest Popular and American Culture Association conference.
Brassell, C. (2019, November). “Natural Gateways: Ecotonal Landscape in the Middle English Lay Sir Orfeo.” Paper presented at the 2019 Southeastern Medieval Association Annual Conference at University of North Carolina in Greensboro, NC.
Brassell, C. (2018, October). “Crossing Through the Woods: Ecotonal Landscapes in Sir Orfeo and C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Paper presented at the 2018 ISSM at Brock University in St. Catharines, ON Canada.
Brassell, C. (2018, October). “Forest, Cliffs, and Caves: Ecotonal Landscape in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Paper presented at the 2018 Medieval Association of the Midwest Conference at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, IN.
Brassell, C. (2016, April). “Mordred & Arthur: The Effect of the Anti-Hero on the Hero.” Paper presented at the 2016 Undergraduate Research Conference held at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN.