Renaissance Man

Media Credit: Brenna Cheyney Associate professor of English Ben Saunders credits his enthusiasm for his work and the intrinsic values of the texts he uses for the success of his students. [Click to enlarge]

There's more to associate professor of English Benjamin Saunders than his eccentric taste in fashion (which includes the occasional black top hat) and his admiration for the late Elvis Presley. With a love of literature and a witty approach to teaching, Saunders makes for a unique character around campus.

At first listen, one can hear his unmistakably thick Welsh accent and understand why people enjoy it when he speaks; occasionally he'll throw in words from his native tongue or use descriptions like "bloody" or "brilliant" in the midst of his lectures. Merely referencing his name elicits dreamy smiles from some women and chuckles of recognition from some men. Saunders is somewhat of a paradox: old-fashioned in his enthusiasm for Shakespearean plays, but quite modern in the way that he connects classic themes to contemporary issues. But overall, people agree: He's a man who loves to teach.

Michael Underwood, a student in Saunders' seminar "Taking Super-Heroes Seriously," said Saunders was the only possible professor who could teach such a course that analyzes Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

Underwood said Saunders' background as a reader and his literary criticism credentials qualify him as an expert in the field of comic book analysis.

"That's the best way to talk about pop culture materials, if you're engaged with it personally. Otherwise you're going to have an antiseptic distance," said Underwood. He says he can tell that with Saunders, the passion is clearly there.

"This is very much a geek-friendly environment, while still being intellectually rigorous," said Underwood.

"There aren't many professors who do a lot of pop culture studies," said Underwood. "So each one of them is a treasure."

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