Faculty Lecturer Dr. Kevin Plunkett

Associate Professor of English, Dr. Kevin Plunkett, is celebrating his 30th year teaching at Merrimack College. He specializes in Film Studies, although that area has not always been his first choice. Dr. Plunkett’s original concentration was 19th century American authors, such as Hawthorne and Poe. When asked the reason for the switch, he explained how he acquired an interest in Film Studies because academia has shifted towards it, possibly due to the growth in technology.

Last year, Kevin Plunkett took a sabbatical to conduct research. During this time, he visited intellectually stimulating places for research with the goal to develop a course in world cinema. Plunkett studied in Iceland, Copenhagen, and Paris to get a firm understanding about world cinema, which will be an English course at Merrimack next semester (Spring of 2016).

Dr. Plunkett’s passion for film has been developed into the creation of a Film Concentration at the college, which was recently approved. He says, “I am really gratified over this. I have been teaching it and I’m glad to see film become a part of the curriculum.”

As the speaker for the Honors Program’s Faculty Lecture this year on November 6, Dr. Plunkett says he is very excited for it, as he will be able to base the lecture on his own journeys and discoveries while he was away on sabbatical. Plunkett will incorporate clips from his journey followed by a discussion. He also will be giving a lecture on film, “In Search of Nordic Noir,” on November 6 at 3 pm in the Writers House, which the Honors Program is co-sponsoring with the English department. He will be discussing his exciting journey and his plans to expand the Merrimack curriculum.