Biography
Dr. Jamin Rowan received his doctoral degree from Boston College in 2008. After teaching at Wake Forest University for two years, he joined BYU's faculty in 2010. He specializes in U.S. literature since 1865, with a particular focus on urban literature and culture, and the environmental humanities. He is the American Studies Program Coordinator, a faculty advisory committee member for the Office of Civic Engagement, a faculty affiliate of the Global Environmental Studies Program, and a faculty fellow at the Ballard Center for Social Impact.
Professor Rowan is the author of The Sociable City: An American Intellectual Tradition (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017) and articles in venues ranging from American Literature to the Journal of Urban History to the Journal of Transformative Education. His current research focuses on the ways in which culture makers have turned to the urban landscape to make sense of the causes and consequences of climate change. He is also collaborating with scholars from other disciplines to publish work on experiential and transformative education as well as the neuroscience of storytelling and social connection.
In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in American literature and culture in the Department of English, Professor Rowan teaches in the American Studies Program, the Honors Program, and General Education. He is committed to providing students with an experiential and transformative education in both the study abroad programs he directs and his on-campus courses. In 2017, he launched the Provo City Lab, a course in which students from across the university work with Provo City to improve urban design, active transportation, and community development. His commitment to and excellence in teaching has been recognized across the university.
Research Interests
American Literature (after 1865)Urban Studies
American Studies
Environmental Humanities
Experiential and Transformative Education
Neuroscience of Storytelling
Teaching Interests
American Literature & CultureTransnational Urban Literature & Culture
Eco-Fiction & Film
Civic Engagement
Storytelling
Study Abroad
General Education
Education
- PhD in English, American Literature , Boston College (2008)
- MA in Engilsh, American Literature , Boston College (2002)
- MA in Literature, Culture, and Modernity, , British Literature, Universtiy of Southampton (2001)
- BA in English, , Brigham Young University (1999)
Honors and Awards
- Teacher of the Year, Department of English (2024 - 2024)
- Alcuin Fellowship in Undergraduate Education, General Education (2021 - 2024)
- Accessibility Center Faculty Award, BYU Accessibility Center (2022 - 2022)
- Douglas K. Christensen Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellowship, College of Humanities (2018 - 2021)
- Scholar of the Year, Department of English (2018 - 2018)
- Humanities+ Experiential Learning Educator Award, College of Humanities (2017 - 2017)
- Professor of the Year, American Studies Program (2013 - 2013)
- Rockefeller Archive Center Grant-in-Aid, Rockefeller Archive Center (2009 - 2009)
Administrative Assignments
- American Studies: Director (2022 - Present)
Professional Citizenship
- Officer, Rocky Mountain American Studies Association (2023 - Present)
- Board Member, BikeWalk Provo (2022 - Present)
- Committee/Council Member, Provo City Planning Commission (2013 - 2019)