Kelli Knox

I first fell in love with Carleton as a Grade 9 student participating in the Mini Enrichment Courses Program, and in the years since my undergraduate enrollment, Carleton has become another home to me! These days, I still haunt the CU tunnels while working as a Teaching Assistant and conducting my PhD research. I am currently investigating representations within Canadian literature of human and non-human animal relationships situated in rural spaces / agricultural milieus. My wider research interests include animal studies and animal narratives; biological and genetic science; kinship; intersubjectivity; haptic communication; material ecocriticism; posthumanism; biopolitics; identity and labour in rural and agricultural spaces.

During my undergraduate degree, I completed a Combined Honours in Biology and English, which allowed me to pursue both my love of science and literature. I did not enter Carleton knowing about the option of being a double major and was initially pursuing only a minor in English. After becoming a double major, everything fell into place, and I have always been grateful for the ability to not have to limit myself, especially when the two fields naturally complement each other so well! My English professors and instructors were so supportive as I made the transition from popping up here and there in electives to suddenly being a full-fledged English major. One of my most vivid memories from that time is of a professor taking me aside and telling me about a previous student of hers who had been a dual Biology and English student. She expressed her excitement to have me in her class and told me what that student was up to since his graduation, still using both his areas of study and further developing his education in a way that was just right for him. At a time when I felt a little bit adrift due to worries about my double major, her words and enthusiasm made me feel seen, hopeful, and excited to forge ahead.

There is a very clear line from my Carleton English degree to where I am now; of course I would not be pursuing my PhD if not for my first degree, but equally important are the experiences and skills I gained while working towards my degree. More than just providing me with the qualifications to consider grad school, my undergrad experience (especially my final year, where I was taking my English courses as an English major for the first time) gave me a greater appreciation for the rigours of humanities research and brought up questions about literature that I wanted to work to find the answers to myself. My professors and instructors provided me with careful guidance and shared the passion they had for their own specialities and research, but they also showed me the joy that pursuing that same kind of investigation myself could bring. During my degree I never missed a Munro Beattie lecture (and went to many other guest lectures); was in seminar classes where award-winning authors came in to come chat and answer questions; attended classes and special functions in galleries, archives, and pubs; rubbed elbows with artists and publishing professionals; examined books that are over 400 years old; and, most rewardingly, was always encouraged to make my studies as interdisciplinary as I wanted. As a life-long lover of all things literary, I have been able to constantly find new ways to approach both texts and learning – I have my time at Carleton to thank for that.