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Thomas Dean has over 25 years of teaching experience.  With a Ph.D. in English, he has taught in English, writing, and interdisciplinary humanities departments at a wide variety of higher education institutions:  Northern Illinois University, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Cardinal Stritch College (now University), Michigan State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and The University of Iowa. He has taught the entire range of students - developmental, undergraduate, honors, and graduate.

After eight years as a full-time college and university professor, Dean now serves, in addition to his position as Special Assistant to the President at The University of Iowa, in an adjunct professorial position with the UI Interdisciplinary Studies Division (Leisure Studies and Literature, Science, and the Arts Programs) and the College Success Initiatives Program of University College. For Interdisciplinary Studies, he regularly teaches “Introduction to Place Studies” (a course he created) and “The Good Society” (the UI’s oldest course still on the books).  For College Success Initiatives, he teaches “The College Transition” and “The Transfer Transition,” courses for new students that introduce them to the college experience through an understanding of the academic world, study skills, campus resources, and personal management.

Dean is a highly experienced writing teacher. In addition to teaching dozens of first-year writing courses over the years, he has also taught developmental composition, intermediate composition, business writing, expressive writing, speechwriting, the personal essay and memoir writing, and advanced grammar.  He also wrote a course module in developmental writing for a program in management for adults.

Dean has also taught a very wide range of literature courses, including introductory literature, American literature surveys, world literature surveys, American ethnic literatures, American autobiography, Midwestern literature, literature and gender, science fiction, classical forms (tragedy, comedy, epic), contemporary literature, and literary criticism and theory.

Thomas Dean is a strong and ardent believer in continuing and community education.  Since 2005, he has taught memoir and personal essay writing focused on place and nature with the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. He also has taught similar courses with the Iowa City Senior Center, and he has taught “Literature, Opera, Film: La Traviata and Camille” and “Images of Iowa” with the University of Iowa Senior College. Dean also served on the Executive Committee of Fargo/Moorhead Communiversity, and he taught “Becoming Native to this Place” for that program.  In addition, Dean has presented numerous general public lectures and readings, and he has served as a library book discussion leader through Humanities Iowa.