About
Dr. Jervette R. Ward is an Associate Professor of English at Mississippi State University. She earned tenure and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of English at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She is the editor of Real Sister: Stereotypes, Respectability, and Black Women in Reality TV (Rutgers University Press, November 2015). Her research and teaching areas focus on American Literature with an emphasis in African American Women’s Literature. She has taught and published on Zora Neale Hurston, the addition of the African American characters to the Dick and Jane series, and Black women in reality television. Dr. Ward is the President and a life-time member of the
College Language Association. She earned the Ph.D. in English – Literary & Cultural Studies from The University of Memphis. She is the current Chair of the MLA LLC African American Forum.
Education
Ph.D. English Literary & Cultural Studies, The University of Memphis
M.A. American Literature, The University of Memphis
B.A. Journalism News Editorial, The University of Memphis
Graduate Certificate in African American Literature, The University of Memphis
TEFL Certificate, The University of West Bohemia, The Czech Republic Publications
Edited Book
Ward, Jervette R., ed. Real Sister: Stereotypes, Respectability, and Black Women in Reality TV. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2015. Print.
Refereed Journal Article
Ward, Jervette R. “In Search of Diversity: Dick and Jane and Their Black Playmates.” Making Connections: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Cultural Diversity 13.2 (2012): 17-26. Print.
Refereed Book Contributions
Ward, Jervette R. “Reunion Chapter: A Conversation among Contributors.” Real Sister: Stereotypes, Respectability, and Black Women in Reality TV. Ed. Jervette R. Ward. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2015. 180-201. Print.
Ward, Jervette R. “The Real Scandal: Portrayals of Black Women in Reality TV.” Real Sister: Stereotypes, Respectability, and Black Women in Reality TV. Ed. Jervette R. Ward. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2015. 1-15. Print.
Edited Book Contributions
Ward, Jervette R. “In Defense of Black Womanhood and Femininity in Slavery.” Liberating Minds Liberating Society: Black Women in the Development of American Culture and Society. Eds. Lopez D. Matthews, Jr. and Kenvi C. Phillips. San Bernardino: Association of Black Women Historians, 2014. 244-258. Print.
Ward, Jervette R. “Seraph on the Suwanee: Hurston’s “White Novel.” Critical Insights: Zora Neale Hurston. Ed. Sharon Jones. Ipswich: Salem Press, 2013. 250-269. Print.
Ward, Jervette R. “Zora Neale Hurston: Coming Forth as Gold.” Introduction. Zora Neale Hurston: An Annotated Bibliography of Works and Criticism. Eds. Cynthia Davis and Verner Mitchell. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2013. 1-5. Print. Memberships
Modern Language Association (MLA)
College Language Association (CLA) Lifetime Member
Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
