Deanne Sparks

Born and raised in Southern California surrounded by teachers, Deanne Sparks earned her BS in Social Studies and state teaching credentials from Pacific Union College. In-between teaching and administrative assignments, she received an MA in American History from Rutgers University, an MA in English from La Sierra University, and a PhD in English from the University of North Dakota.

Her time in high school classrooms has included both ELA and History assignments that spanned Advanced Placement, Running Start, co-teaching, and general core. In addition to traditional secondary schools, she spent three years working in boarding schools. Influenced by these experiences, her M.A. thesis analyzed government administered Native American boarding schools in the Dakotas between 1890-1920. After teaching in Norway and small US colleges who prioritized undergraduate pre-med/pre-health pathways, her research and teaching expanded to include medical / health humanities and how literature functions within biomedical education as well as the clinical experience.

Teaching and Research Interests

• English Education
• Place-Based Learning
• Indigenous Literatures
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Literatures
• Medical / Health Humanities
• Gender and Sexuality Studies
• Food Studies
• Crime Fiction