Katharina Wilson
Professor of comparative literature

Katharina Wilson's publication record is astonishing. As writer, translator, or co-author, she has produced more than 20 volumes, and she has contributed chapters to many others. And yet, as her students attest, her teaching record is equally impressive.

"Dr. Wilson is wonderful in every way imaginable," one student says. "Brilliant, encouraging, never condescending, she has qualities that every teacher should aim to have."

Her teaching, primarily in medieval literature, has echoed her research on medieval culture, especially about women and women's issues. Aware that little attention has been paid to women writers from the middle ages, Wilson has edited a series of encyclopedias that highlight their accomplishments.

"In every conceivable way, Dr. Wilson's career at this university and in the profession of literary studies has been marked by dedication to the craft of teaching," says Hugh Ruppersburg, associate dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and interim head of comparative literature. "She is also dedicated to developing new courses, to editing and writing books and articles devoted to enhancing teaching in the classroom, and to serving as an advocate for the values that inevitably accompany the meaning of a humanistic education in the fullest sense of that term."

She earned a bachelor's degree magna cum laude and with general honors from UGA in 1974 and a master's degree from UGA in 1976. She received the doctoral degree from the University of Illinois in 1980. A visiting assistant professor at UGA in 1981-82, she joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1982. She was promoted to associate professor in 1986 and to full professor in 1989.

She has won numerous honors during her career, including a Sandy Beaver Award for Excellence in Teaching and a Sandy Beaver Professorship. She also has won the Outstanding Honors Professor Award an amazing six times.

Wilson's teaching style has been described as inventive and enthusiastic by both undergraduate and graduate students. One graduate student in the department says Wilson is "without question, the most challenging, dynamic and thoughtful teacher I have had during my academic career. It is clear she has a passion for teaching, but more importantly, she has the ability and erudition to back it up. One of Dr. Wilson's greatest attributes is bringing the middle ages to life."

Glenda McLeod, now an associate professor of English at Gainesville College, values Wilson's help when McLeod was a student at UGA. "While she demanded a lot from her students, she was always prepared to give as much as she asked for. She energized her students. Now as a teacher with a decade of experience, I still return to memories of Dr. Wilson when I re-think my goals."

As Ruppersburg says, "She is, quite simply, an extraordinary teacher."

--Phil Williams