Dr. Joyce Boss
Franklin I. and Irene List Saemann Chair in World Communities
(319) 352-8223
More about Dr. Joyce Boss
Franklin I. and Irene List Saemann Endowed Chair in World Communities
Dr. Joyce E. Boss joined the faculty of the Department of English & Modern Languages at Wartburg College in 1995. She teaches courses in world literature and cinema, myth and folklore, environmental literature, and intercultural communication, as well as May Term travel courses to Japan and Greece. She also advises students in the Intercultural Studies minor program.
Her current research interests include the intersections between folklore and sacred geographies, focusing on Japan’s traditional pilgrimage sites. She has also published and presented broadly on Godzilla and Japanese popular culture.
Boss currently serves as Coordinator for Wartburg’s Diversity Across the Curriculum program. She served as Director of Wartburg’s Study Abroad Programs from 2006 to 2018 and as Chair of the English & Modern Languages Department from 2010 to 2018. She was the recipient of Wartburg’s Spirit of Student Life Award for Campus Leadership & Service (2015) and the Spirit of Student Life Award for Faculty Achievement (2011).
Boss graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English from San Diego State University and completed her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Comparative Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles, specializing in postcolonial African literature and cinema. She also served as a secondary school instructor with the U.S. Peace Corps in Kenya. The Franklin I. and Irene List Saemann Chair in World Communities was established in 1989 to reflect the Saemanns’ involvement in international business and interest in expanding opportunities for student global experiences. The work of the Saemann Chair is integral as Wartburg seeks to educate and prepare students to be culturally competent citizens in an increasingly global society.
Dr. Joyce E. Boss joined the faculty of the Department of English & Modern Languages at Wartburg College in 1995. She teaches courses in world literature and cinema, myth and folklore, environmental literature, and intercultural communication, as well as May Term travel courses to Japan and Greece. She also advises students in the Intercultural Studies minor program.
Her current research interests include the intersections between folklore and sacred geographies, focusing on Japan’s traditional pilgrimage sites. She has also published and presented broadly on Godzilla and Japanese popular culture.
Boss currently serves as Coordinator for Wartburg’s Diversity Across the Curriculum program. She served as Director of Wartburg’s Study Abroad Programs from 2006 to 2018 and as Chair of the English & Modern Languages Department from 2010 to 2018. She was the recipient of Wartburg’s Spirit of Student Life Award for Campus Leadership & Service (2015) and the Spirit of Student Life Award for Faculty Achievement (2011).
Boss graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English from San Diego State University and completed her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Comparative Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles, specializing in postcolonial African literature and cinema. She also served as a secondary school instructor with the U.S. Peace Corps in Kenya. The Franklin I. and Irene List Saemann Chair in World Communities was established in 1989 to reflect the Saemanns’ involvement in international business and interest in expanding opportunities for student global experiences. The work of the Saemann Chair is integral as Wartburg seeks to educate and prepare students to be culturally competent citizens in an increasingly global society.