PhD, University of Waterloo
MA, University of Waterloo
B. Ed, Western University
BA, University of Waterloo
Email: jvandekemp@uwaterloo.ca
Biography
Dr. Jessica Van de Kemp (aka Dr. V) is a multi-award winning English teacher at the University of Waterloo known for her commitment to teaching excellence, leadership, and mentoring. She is also a celebrated poet and playwright. In 2015, her poem “Slant of the Girl” was shortlisted for the Montreal International Poetry Prize, and published in the Global Poetry Anthology (Véhicule Press). In 2017, her play Hatching in a Cage was a finalist at the National Play Festival. For her doctoral dissertation, Dr. V drew on theories of adaptation and intertextuality to examine portrayals of gender, sexuality, and violence in drama TV series, and called for better representation of women on screen as experts and leaders in their fields. In 2020, she completed an online professional development (non-credit) certificate program from Cornell University in the psychology of leadership.
Selected Presentations and Publications
Rise Up with Words: Poetry Slam, University of Waterloo, 2023. Spoken word performance and event host (in collaboration with the WUSA Women’s Centre).
“Alternative Assessments: Kindness in the First-Year Classroom.” Teaching and Learning Conference, University of Waterloo, 2023. Panel discussion.
“‘The Snowball Effect’: Toxic Masculinity and Sexual Violence in Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why.” Comic and Tragic Films (Cinematic Codes Review 5.1), edited by Dr. Anna Faktorovich, Anaphora Literary Press, 2020, pp. 64–72. Book chapter.
“‘I Intend to Make My Own Way in the World’: Queer Female Artistry and the Noble Nature of Gerwig’s Little Women.” Comic and Tragic Films (Cinematic Codes Review 5.1), edited by Dr. Anna Faktorovich, Anaphora Literary Press, 2020, pp. 59–63. Book chapter.
“Resilience Education: Spoken Word Poetry as a Tool for Restorative and Healing Justice.” Tri-University Symposium, University of Waterloo, 2019. Conference paper presentation.
Fellowships and Awards
- Independent Graduate Instructor Award for Excellence in Teaching (2018)
- President’s Graduate Scholarship (2016–2019)
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2016–2019)
- Teaching Assistant Award for Excellence in Teaching (2015; 2016)
Current Work
Dr. V currently teaches undergraduate courses on academic writing, professional communication, rhetorical theory, and more. Her research focuses on media portrayals of gender, sexuality, and violence. She is also at work on a full-length poetry manuscript, a new play, and many other creative projects, often performing spoken word poetry to advocate for gender equality.
Research and Teaching Areas
- Adaptation Studies
- Creative Writing
- Media and Gender
- Modernist Literature
- Rhetorical Theory
- Teaching and Learning
Courses Taught
ENGL 101B: Introduction to Rhetorical Studies
ENGL 108D: Digital Lives
ENGL 109: Introduction to Academic Writing
ENGL 119: Communications in Mathematics and Computer Science
ENGL 193: Communication in the Sciences
ENGL 200B: English Literatures II
ENGL 210C: Genres of Creative Writing