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Jennifer Kwon Dobbs’s teaching interests include creative writing, poetry, Asian American literature, and critical ethnic studies. Since 1998, she has taught students at the University of Pittsburgh, University of Southern California, Universität Bielefeld, Loyola Marymount University, LaGuardia Community College, St. Olaf College, and elsewhere.
In Fall 2008, Jennifer joined St. Olaf College’s English Department and co-founded its creative writing major emphasizing breadth across genres and depth at the 200- and 300-levels in creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry writing. Her repertoire of courses includes creative writing workshops; cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary, and genre-based approaches to reading literature; and interdisciplinary seminars on critical ethnic studies.
Focused on innovative, student-centered teaching, Jennifer is a founding member of the Creative Learning Community and a frequent collaborator with the Digital Scholarship Center at St. Olaf (DiSCO) on high-impact, digital curriculum. In 2016, the college’s Trio/Student Support Services recognized her with an “Above and Beyond Award” for “playing an important role in shaping students’ lives and expanding their minds in ways they hadn’t realized.” The St. Olaf senior class of 2018 honored Jennifer by selecting her to deliver their last lecture, and the St. Olaf faculty chose her to present the 2018 fall Mellby lecture.
With Dr. Nancy Thompson, she is a founding program director for the Department of Race, Ethnic, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, which will launch in Fall 2022.
In community, Jennifer has led writing workshops in New York, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Minneapolis; supported curriculum development for Nodutdol’s Korean Education and Exposure Program; and served as a teaching artist in poetry for the 2017-18 Loft Mentor Series.