Dr. Joseph Little

Biography

Dr. Little is an Associate Professor of English at Niagara, where he teaches undergraduate courses in writing and directs the university’s writing program. He also serves as lead guide on the California Wonder Walk.

His most recent publications include “Rhetoric and Mathematics in the Saturnian Account of Atomic Spectra,” published in Arguing with Numbers (Penn State University Press, 2021) and Letters from the Other Side of Silence (Homebound Publications, 2017). He is currently at work on a new media alphabet project and a reception study of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs while revising his pedagogy in light of generative AI.

Teaching

In Dr. Little’s seminar-style classes, students regularly lead discussion, present their work in draft and final form, and thoughtfully respond to the work of their peers. In doing so, they engage not only the course material but also one another’s ideas in development, emphasizing the classroom’s value as a site of authentic learning and community. Students also encounter contemplative practices such as meditation and free writing in his classes, especially in English 343, Writing and Well-Being.

He regularly teaches the following courses:

• Writing 100, Writing and Rhetoric
• English 231, Business Communication
• English 343, Writing and Well-Being
• English 348, Ethnography and Travel Writing
• English 350, Style

Education

Dr. Little received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota and his doctorate from the University of California, Santa Barbara. After gaining industry experience at IBM’s Silicon Valley Lab and the Toronto Transit Commission, he joined Niagara’s English faculty in 2005, earning tenure in 2011.