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Melissa Rauterkus is an Associate Professor at USC Dornsife specializing in African American literature and literary history. A Southern California native, she has made significant contributions to the study of race and realism in literature, focusing particularly on the period of racial nadir from 1877-1919. Her book, 'Afro-Realisms: Romances of Race in the African American Novel' (LSU Press, 2020), received the SAMLA Studies Book Award and an Honorable Mention for the MLA's William Sanders Scarborough Prize. Rauterkus has served on the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is actively involved in curriculum development for subjects such as Afro-American poetry and American literature. Rauterkus is committed to fostering a deeper understanding of race in literary contexts and has contributed scholarly articles and chapters to several prominent publications. As an engaged academic, she is a member of the Dornsife Faculty Council and has participated in various university service roles.
University of Alabama at Birmingham • Birmingham, AL
Taught courses in English and African American literature.
GRE is NOT required for Master's applicants for 2025-2026.