T. Madison Peschock, M.A.

Information:   

English Instructor - Indiana University of PA -  

Courses Taught:  College Writing, Research Writing, Humanities Literature

IUP - Ph.D. Doctoral Student in Literature & Criticism Program.  Current Status:  ABD--All But Dissertation

e-mail:  tvkm@iup.edu

Office:  114 Keith Hall

Office phone:  724-357-1355

Office hours:  M/W/F 8:30-9:00, 12:15-2:00 and by appt.

Postal Address
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Department of English
Leonard Hall, Room 110
421 North Walk
Indiana, PA 15705-1094

Favorite Quotes: 

"More tears are shed over ANSWERED prayers than UNANSWERED ones." Truman Capote

"Our Greatest Glory Consists not in NEVER falling, but in Rising Every time we fall!" Joe McGinniss's Blind Faith

"Even a brick wants to be something more than it is" Louis I. Kahn

"Never Trust anyone who doesn't love a dog!" Unknown

Professional Background:

Before coming to IUP, Madison studied and received both her B.A. in English and her M.A. in English at California University of Pennsylvania, where her primary area of interests included Modern American Literature and authors Eugene O'Neill and Edith Wharton.  Her Master's Thesis was on Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence under the direction of her mentor/friend, Dr. Madeline Smith.   Directly after graduating with her Master's Degree, Madison worked as a Corporate Trainer for a Fortune 500 company--Teletech.  She was both a project trainer and liaison for several corporate accounts, including J.C. Penney, GMAC and Time Warner Cable, and she became the site's co-chair of the Training Department.  Also, she did technical writing, and held grammar workshops and writing exercises for the entire site, and she served as a board member on the hiring committee for the Training Department.  It was as a corporate trainer that she found a passion/love for teaching, and found it rewarding to see results in her employees.  Before coming to IUP, Madison taught at Fairmont State University, West Virginia University, California University of Pennsylvania and Westmoreland County Community College.  Her love/enthusiasm for training transferred into the classrooms in academia when teaching writing.  She incorporates both her love of teaching and training to help students succeed, and she prides herself in her students' work.  Madison "trains" her students to use the process approach while encouraging them to find their own unique voice as a writer. When teaching, she takes a rhetorical modes approach to teaching composition, and she believes in a process based pedagogy, focusing on both content and grammar issues.  Her classes use the process approach and work in a workshop type fashion on occasion.  Also, she is a supporter of Peter Elbow's Free Writing technique.

Currently, Madison is a full-time temporary Instructor of English, and she is finishing her Ph.D. in Literature at IUP where her primary areas of interest include: Modern American Drama, the American Short Story, Crime Literature and Southern Literature.  Among her favorite writers are:  Edith Wharton, Henry James, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill, Edward Albee, Flannery O'Connor, and her all time favorites--Truman Capote and Nelle Harper Lee.  (Her favorite novels include:  The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, The Great Gatsby,  In Cold Blood, We Were the Mulvaneys, and Blind Faith). (Her favorite plays include:  The Glass Menagerie, Streetcar Named Desire, Amadeus, Equus, Long Day's Journey into Night, Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and A Raisin in the Sun). While working in the Doctoral program, Madison has taken courses in:  Modern Critical Theory, Postmodern Drama, The History of Drama:  Greeks -Postmodern Drama, Shakespeare, Modern American Novel, and Letters as Genre.  Besides studying drama and southern literature, Madison's primary area of interest in theory is Autobiographical Theory and Letter Theory, particularly the idea of telling lies in autobiography.  One of her favorite autobiographical theorists is Timothy Dow Adams.

Literary Specialty Areas: 

Professional Experience:

Besides teaching at IUP, Madison has previously taught at California University of Pennsylvania, Alderson & Broaddus College, Fairmont State Community & Technical College, Fairmont State University, West Virginia University, and Westmoreland County Community College where she has taught:  composition 1 (College Writing), composition II (Research Writing), Business Writing, Technical Writing, Intro to Literature:  Prose Narrative, Humanities Literature and Intro to Drama.. She has given papers on Eugene O'Neill, Edith Wharton and Tennessee Williams at the IUP/EGO Graduate Conferences at IUP, and she has given papers on Shakespeare and Truman Capote at the PCEA conferences.  Last year she gave a paper on Nelle Harper Lee at the EAPSU conference.  Also, in 2008, she won a $500.00 research grant from IUP and traveled to the New York Public Library to retrieve all of Capote's and Harper Lee's original notes on In Cold Blood for her doctoral dissertation research.  Her dissertation will focus on Capote and will be under the direction of her mentor/friend, Dr. Ron Emerick. 

Currently, Madison is busy preparing two papers on Truman Capote and Harper Lee for publication as well as a paper on John Patrick Shanley's play Doubt for a conference.  . 

Hobbies:

When not studying and reading, Madison enjoys spending time with her miniature schnauzer, Wyatt.  (She was devastated last year when her Scottish Terrier, Murphy, died unexpectedly.  Now, she is always on the hunt for that new special rescue dog).  She is an avid supporter of canine causes, and is a supporter of the Indiana County Humane Society.  Besides her passion and love for animals, Madison loves watching /collecting movies, and old nostalgia television.  Among her favorite shows are:  "The Big Bang Theory", "Growing Pains", "Dallas", "ER", "Sunday Night football", "Survivor", "Roseanne", "Coach", "Evening Shade", "Who's the Boss" and Donald Trump's "The Apprentice".  Also, she loves collecting and receiving Hoops & Yoyo cards/gifts, and she is an avid NFL football fan.  Among her favorite NFL teams are The Pittsburgh Steelers and The Dallas Cowboys.  Other hobbies include:  reading, attending plays (both Broadway productions and Pittsburgh Public Theater productions), and movies, antiquing, playing the piano, playing tennis, photography, shopping, furthering the rights of animals and spending time with friends/family.  She is an avid film fanatic and she enjoys movies of every genre, but her favorite movies are psychological thrillers.  Besides film, Madison also is an avid music lover; she has taken seven years of piano lessons and has played piano for various public functions.  Among her favorite musicians are:  Billy Joel, Elton John, Sting, Alexa Ray Joel (Billy Joel's daughter), Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, and Fleetwood Mac.  Madison's new hobby is playing her Wii.  She has become a bowling junkie.

Web Resources and Favorite Pages:

 

http://www.autoplates.com/sports/NFLproducts.htmLet's Go Steelers!!!

 

Dallas Cowboys Glitter LogoHow About Them Cowboys!!!

 

 

            

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Sheldon and his superhero shirts Rule!

 

 

 

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Have a Wonderful, Exhilarating and Intellectually Stimulating Semester!

Indiana University of Pennsylvania