Erin VanLaningham PhD
Professor of English
Chairperson of the Faculty
Credentials
MA, Northeastern University, 1999
PhD, Saint Louis University, 2004
Dr. VanLaningham teaches 19th century british literature, Irish studies, and women’s literature. Her British novel courses focus on the ways that detective fiction, the gothic, the Romance and the serial novel interact with the cultures of the period. She enjoys opportunities to put the books in context by using the special collections of the Loras library, exploring the rich collection of Victorian periodicals and first editions. Additional courses she teaches include Spiritual Memoir, World Literature and Irish Women’s Writing. During May term, Dr. VanLaningham leads the travel study course Literary London and Beyond, in which they study theater, art, and culture on-site in various British cities. Students are regularly found having tea and scones at her home as part of their classes.
Dr. VanLaningham is co-editor and contributor to Cultivating Vocation in Literary Studies (Edinburgh University Press 2022) and editor of Called Beyond Our Selves: Vocation and the Common Good (Oxford University Press 2024). She directs the NetVUE (Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education) Scholarly Resources Project, and co-hosts the podcast, Callings: conversations on college, career, and a life well-lived.
