Associate Provost for Faculty Development since Fall 2010, Dr. Elrod is a Professor of English. Her scholarly interests focus on religion, race, and gender in early American literature, with a particular focus on contested notions of American identity and autobiographical writing. Her scholarly work includes refereed journal articles, book chapters, and a 2008 book, Piety and Dissent: Race, Gender, and Biblical Rhetoric in Early American Autobiography, (University of Massachusetts), which explores the complex work of religion in early American lifewriting. Eileen teaches early and nineteenth-century American literature, contemporary multicultural literature, women’s studies, and first-year composition. A dedicated teacher (honored with the Brutocao Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2007), Eileen is committed to a range of pedagogical styles in pursuit of the Jesuit ideal of cura personalis with Santa Clara’s diverse faculty and student community. Eileen has been a member of the SCU faculty since 1992, with service/leadership experience that includes the College of Arts and Sciences Rank and Tenure Committee, Faculty Affairs, the Ignatian Faculty Forum, Women Faculty Group, the LEAD program, WGST Program Council, and English Department Associate Chair.