English Alumna Katie Hobbs (BA '16) was recently awarded the College of Arts and Science Distinguished Recent Alumni Award. She recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a PhD in English. She will be starting the J.D. program at Harvard Law School in the fall.

Q: Why did you decide to get a BA in English and what felt particularly impactful about the degree?

I started college as a Music major but found myself wanting more time for reading and writing. I couldn’t stay away from nineteenth-century literature and history, so I think that switching my majors to English and History was inevitable.

The best part of getting an English degree at MU was learning from so many smart and talented professors. Frances Dickey helped me through my first experience of academic publication and has been a wonderful mentor for the past decade. I’ll also never forget my classes with Bill Kerwin, Anne Myers, Elizabeth Chang, and Nancy West.

Q: You went on to get a PhD in English–what made you want to continue along that educational path? 

Once I discovered research and scholarship, I couldn’t imagine not doing it. I was very grateful for the opportunity to develop my own project that could eventually turn into a book! 

Q: What did you focus on in your PhD?

I specialized in Victorian literature. My dissertation was about the many ways in which trashy gothic-inspired popular fiction intersected with discourses of mid-nineteenth-century women’s rights reform, particularly around marriage and divorce. 

Q: Your website talks about blending scholarly rigor with public accessibility–tell me more about why that feels important to you and how you accomplish that.

I get so frustrated with academic writing that is deliberately difficult or obscure. Intelligence and clarity shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. I always do my best to make sure that I’m presenting information clearly, and I also try to find the fun in writing and convey that to the reader. I like to write for magazines and websites (and not just scholarly journals) because I don’t think all scholarship should be behind a paywall. I really enjoy reading popular history and biographical nonfiction myself, and I think even people just reading for fun deserve well-researched material! 

Q: Do you have any current or upcoming projects that you’re excited about?

I am starting the J.D. program at Harvard Law School in the fall! I’m very excited to be going back to school to solidify my credentials in legal scholarship. My goal is to eventually become a law professor specializing in legal history. 

I am also working on my first book manuscript, which is based on my doctoral dissertation. It’s about marriage law reform in Britain between 1847 and 1857. 

Q: What would you tell prospective Mizzou students or parents who are interested in an English degree but are concerned about career options? 

English is so much more than learning about old literature, although that is one of the privileges! An English degree teaches you how to sort through information critically, which is a skill that shouldn’t be underestimated, especially in this new era of AI and social media. There’s no substitute for learning how to read carefully and articulate your ideas clearly. If you take your English degree seriously and put time and effort into your writing assignments, you’ll also become a versatile thinker who can quickly and accurately absorb a new topic and then apply it in your own work. This kind of adaptability is key to success in most jobs! 

Q: What are you currently reading/watching/listening to?

I’m reading pamphlets and articles about an especially messy 1852-56 divorce case (for work) and the book Strange Beasts by Susan J. Morris (for fun). I’ve also been watching Hacks on HBO Max, which is hilarious. 

Q: What can’t you get enough of?

I’m obsessed (maybe to a concerning degree?) with the podcast Old Gods of Appalachia, written by Steve Shell and Cam Collins. It blends horror, folklore, and history in really innovative ways, and it is genuinely some of the most beautiful storytelling out there. (Imagine H.P. Lovecraft and William Faulkner writing a book series together.) It also features great narration and music! 

Q: Where/what are you most likely to found doing outside of work?

I enjoy spending time with my partner, playing my violin and dulcimer, reading, and visiting as many historic house museums as possible.