When people think about literature classes, they tend not to immediately jump to an image of climbing up cliffs to read poems written about the view that they see from it. That is one of the many things that inspired Robert Doggett's English career at Geneseo.
Department Chair and professor of English Robert Doggett focuses on Irish literature, and thus far, has dedicated much of his time to this area.
"When I was in college, I focused a lot on American poetry, and that's the area I thought I was going to go into," Doggett said via a Zoom interview. "But my background is Irish on my father's side ... and I knew Yeats [a prominent Irish poet] and really liked Yeats as a poet."
The ways in which Irish history, culture and literature can influence American perspectives on diversity and stereotyping is one intriguing facet of teaching this subject.
"A lot of people have Irish ancestry … and they have a lot of assumptions about Ireland and the course," Doggett said. "I think [the course] challenges some of those assumptions. It gets at complexity about the world."
Within Irish literature, Doggett gravitates toward the genre of poetry. The concentrated nature of this subject, especially when designated to a specific area of origin or poet, allows for intensive expansion and discovery.
Doggett comments on his love for spending an entire class period on just one poem; he enjoys analyzing, talking about and unraveling language use.
Doggett also focuses on the poetry of William Butler Yeats, an Irish poet of the 20th century. He previously edited a collection of Yeats’ poetry, drama and fairytales. In addition, he currently serves as the general editor of the Journal of International Yeats' Studies, which he says continues to influence his perspective and understanding of Yeats significantly.
"I'm continually getting articles from people all over the world who are interested in Yeats, and that kind of dialogue among lots of different people with different backgrounds and different cultures is really exciting for me," Doggett said. "It keeps me energized and it's always bringing new things to think about with Yeats."
Doggett's passion for Yeats' poetry continues to transform, and it influenced the focus of his career, too, at Geneseo. Doggett coordinates the Yeats' Summer School in Ireland study abroad program, in which students have the opportunity to explore Sligo and learn more about Yeats and other aspects of Irish culture and history. Students go to museums, participate in traditional dancing, visit historical sites like Victorian prisons and often venture into other cities like Dublin and Galway.
"It's great as a study abroad trip because we're not traveling all over the place ... you get to get to know Sligo a bit, and it's a small, manageable place," Doggett said. "We get to live as part of the community, and I know students have loved it."
Students who participate in this program have the opportunity to engage in Yeats' poetry on a much deeper level because of their physical presence in Sligo. "Yeats spent a lot of his childhood [in Sligo] and a lot of his early poetry is written about the landscape in Sligo," Doggett said. "It's pretty amazing to go to places that are featured in the poetry ... around Sligo."
Outside of Yeats and Irish literature, Doggett recollects his most enjoyable teaching seminar about James Joyce in which students learned about and focused on Ulysses.
"Ulysses is tough, but ... if we take it slow and move through it methodically, students really get on board with it and are excited about it,” Doggett said. “I can see them growing in confidence as literary critics and feeling a sense of connection with the book. So that class is super rewarding."
This rewarding aspect is one that Doggett claims to feel as a result of his teaching experience.
"I think teaching at a public university is important to me and it means a responsibility to the community," Doggett said.
He also contributes to the Livingston community as the President of the board of directors for the Genesee Valley Council in the Arts, in which he coordinates programs and services for local artists. Doggett finds additional ways to serve and appreciate his community, spending much of his free time walking with his dog, Stanley.