My Teaching Experience
I began my teaching career in 2014 as a secondary English instructor, an experience that grounded my commitment to student-centered learning. The practices I developed in those early classrooms continue to inform my pedagogy at the undergraduate level, where I prioritize active engagement, collaboration, and critical reflection.
Since beginning my graduate studies in 2018, I have taught across a range of disciplines and institutions. At the University of Mississippi, I served as a graduate assistant in the Department of English and later as an instructor of record in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric. After earning my MA in English, I continued teaching there as an adjunct instructor in both the Department of Theatre and Film and the Department of Writing and Rhetoric. Currently, as a PhD candidate at Northeastern University, I serve as an instructor of record in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program and as a teaching fellow in the Department of English at Harvard University.
My teaching experience has prepared me to lead both introductory and advanced courses in American literature, feminist literature, performance and theatre studies, women’s and gender studies, popular culture, and composition. In the classroom, I strive to cultivate an equitable and empowering learning environment that emphasizes critical thinking, collaborative discussion, and analytical writing.
Teaching CV
Northeastern University, Instructor-of-Record, summer 2025
- Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Northeastern University, Guest Lecturer, 2024-2025
- Contemporary Queer Literature
- “Queer Writers Have Always Existed: 19th-century American queer literature”
- Introduction to Literary Studies
- “Introduction to Nineteenth century poetry”
- 19th century American Women Writers
- “Pauline Hopkins’ Contending Forces & Performance Theory”
- Feminism & Pop Culture
- “Black Female Performance and Hypervisuality in Beyoncé’s Lemonade“
Harvard University, Teaching fellow, spring 2024
- Taylor Swift and Her World
- “Reputations: American Womens’ Performance Histories”
University of Mississippi, Instructor-of-Record, 2021-2022
- Dramatic Literature I & II
University of Mississippi, Instructor-of-Record, 2019-2022
- Writing 101 & 102
Student Testimonials
“Though our class got moved online, I thoroughly enjoyed taking Intro to Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies with you. This class was super impactful for me–it was one of the few courses I got to take as a premedical engineering student that spoke directly to my passion for healthcare, social justice, and politics.” – for Intro to WGSS, Summer 2025
“The opportunity to read and reflect on works by prominent feminist thinkers gave me a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for this class. Furthermore, I appreciated your dedication to creating a sense of virtual classroom through discussion posts and responses.” – for Intro to WGSS, Summer 2025
“All issues explored in this class will remain important to me, and I hope to keep expanding my knowledge of feminism outside of the class.” – for Intro to WGSS, Summer 2025
“As a black, and African woman, western feminism always felt very out of touch for me, as I always saw it as effective for white cis-gendered women, but ineffective for many women of color. After taking this class, I can now say I identify as a feminist, and I came to this conclusion after I became educated on intersectional feminism.” – for Intro to WGSS, Summer 2025
“Elisa Fuhrken made section a safe space for everyone to contribute and showed genuine interest in hearing all of our thoughts and opinions. Her feedback on assignments was very detailed without being too harsh. She did a great job of explaining both Taylor and English topics for those with no background.” – for Taylor Swift and Her World, Harvard University, Spring 2024
“Elisa Fuhrken made my section genuinely fun! She really encouraged participation and valued what everyone had to say. She also brought in her own expertise to our sections which gave really interesting, unique, and unexpected perspectives. As a person who normally is pretty quiet and uncomfortable in sections, this was the one of the classes I participated in section the most.” – for Taylor Swift and Her World, Harvard University, Spring 2024
“Elisa Fuhrken was AMAZING!! I am so happy I got to have section with her. She is so kind and intelligent, and I learned a lot in her section. She was great at encouraging participation and allowing us to talk about aspects of the course we wanted to really dig into. She was also super helpful for the essays when I needed extra guidance/wanted to brainstorm with.” – for Taylor Swift and Her World, Harvard University, Spring 2024
“Elisa Fuhrken was one of the best section leaders I have had in college. She was incredibly skilled at leading section in a way that opened up discussion to the group but also centered around relevant themes with useful takeaways from the hour. She was very helpful and available and brought in speakers who added to the subject matter and also dialogued with her to show intersections between different approaches.” – for Taylor Swift and Her World, Harvard University, Spring 2024
“Ms. Fuhrken was an excellent section leader—definitely one of my favorite TA’s I’ve had while in college. I hope to take another class of hers in the future!” – for Taylor Swift and Her World, Harvard University, Spring 2024
Elisa Fuhrken 