Directory Profile

Bio

Josh Pittman came to Bluefield in 2020, just after completing a Ph.D. in medieval literature, specifically in Baylor University’s religion and literature track. In addition to Bluefield, he has lived in Texas, North Carolina, and Turkey. He has also traveled broadly and enjoys experiencing distinct cultures—a very good reason to read literature!

Because he reads literature as a gateway into other ways of seeing the world, he enjoys teaching all sorts of literature. His goal for all students is to help them come to responsible conclusions about their own and others’ worldviews, a skill that he hopes will encourage students to participate respectfully and with courage in their environments.

Dr. Pittman’s dissertation studies Layamon’s Brut, a medieval history of England that includes the first English version of the story of King Arthur. In it, he uses a variety of religious and philosophical perspectives—especially Emmanuel Levinas and Jean-Luc Marion—to understand the function of violence. He hopes, one day, to be able to use the same perspectives to understand love and forgiveness in medieval literature.

In addition to his dissertation, which he is currently revising for publication, Dr. Pittman has published and presented on the Brut, the Pearl-poet, and Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur. In all this work, he hopes to enable modern readers to better understand the medieval world and to engage in critical self-reflection in light of that world.