Dr. Jocelyn Holland

Biography

Jocelyn Holland is a Professor of Comparative Literature at Caltech, where her research intersecting literary, philosophical, and scientific thinking within the context of 18th and 19th-century European culture is well-recognized. She completed her B.A. at Harvard-Radcliffe College in 1995, followed by an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 1998 and a Ph.D. in 2003. Since joining Caltech as a Visiting Associate in 2016-17, she has grown into her role as a full professor in 2017. Her work includes a significant focus on German Intellectual History, particularly the dynamics of Eighteenth and Nineteenth-century European Literature, Romanticism, Naturphilosophie, and the Philosophical History of Technology. Holland has received notable awards including an NEH Grant for her project 'Keeping Time,' which investigates the relationship between scientific theory and cultural practice as seen in the history of technology. Her latest publication, 'Theory's Practice: Reflections on Technology in Germany 1800,' released by Brill, signifies her ongoing contributions to the field. In her classes, Holland engages with compelling themes such as the portrayal of animal intelligence in literature from the 16th to 18th centuries.

Research Interests

Experience