Dr. Julia Stern

Biography

Julia Stern is the Henry Sanborn Noyes Professor of Literature and Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University. Her research interests include American narratives and novels, focusing on emotional theories and literary modes such as melodrama, gothic, and sentimental forms. Stern's books include "Plight of Feeling: Sympathy and Dissent in the Early American Novel" (1997), which was a finalist for the MLA's Book Prize, as well as "Mary Chesnut's Civil War Epic" (2010), a full-length literary study of Chesnut's narrative. Her most recent work, "Bette Davis Black and White" (2021), explores the actress’s collaborations with Black actors and community leaders during WWII, examining themes of anti-racism and occasional racism in her work. Stern offers courses in 18th- to 20th-century American literature, with a focus on women's and African American writing. Throughout her career at Northwestern, she has received numerous teaching awards, including recognition from the Associated Student Government and the Weinberg College's Distinguished Teaching Award. Her specializations include African American Literature, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Film & Film Theory, American Literature from 1900, Critical Race Studies, and Psychoanalytic Theory.

Research Interests