St Mary’s Academic gains Publishing Deal and PhD

Academic at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, Dr Melissa Jogie, has been formally awarded a PhD from the Australian National University, and within the same week contracted to produce her first book in 2018. 

Melissa’s book, English Texts for Contemporary Learners: Unravelling the Secrets of Power, Pedagogy & Postcolonial Struggles, will reflect on the challenges of selecting and teaching English literary texts to students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Her work explores the cross-sectional issues that arise across curriculum, pedagogy, text resources and responses from secondary students on how their identities are represented through English texts used in secondary classrooms.

As a lecturer on St Mary’s Education and Social Science programme, Melissa’s research is based on comparative international education systems, including; postcolonial theory in education, English education (secondary level), pedagogical practices for contemporary learners, investigating policy and learning gaps between higher and lower performing students, student engagement and motivation, and the use of technology in education.

Melissa’s book, which will be available in print in 2018, will, through literary texts, explore how culture can become a conduit via which students can make connections, and relate to common values and ideals. 

Melissa commented: “Negotiating through their common values as part of literary analysis can help engage students to develop new perspectives that will help reinforce their learning.

“Today, what could be seen as an idealised practice isn’t manifested within the majority of Western secondary education systems, I hope my latest work will shine a light on the need to take a fresh look at inspiring the next generation to engage with literature by empowering the voices of educators and students.

Dr Victoria Armstrong, the Programme Director for Education and Social Sciences at St Mary’s added:

“St Mary’s is proud that Melissa has been awarded her doctoral thesis on the selection and teaching of literary texts in secondary classrooms to contemporary students from diverse cultural backgrounds. We are also delighted she has since been offered a book deal from Routledge, on the same topic. 

"Her research will in turn enhance the learning experience of our students here at St Mary’s and encourage them to explore the practical benefits their academic study could bring.”

Melissa Reshma Jogie (PhD, MA Hons, Grad Dip Ed, BA Hons) is an Australian-Trinidadian who completed her PhD at the Australian National University in 2017.

Her initially undergraduate degree was undertaken in her homeland Trinidad and Tobago where she completed a BA in Literatures in English at the University of the West Indies.

In 2007, she left Trinidad to pursue a Master of Arts in English Literature at the Australian National University, which was awarded with Honours in 2009.

During her time in Australia she also undertook a Graduate Diploma in Education at the University of New South Wales, specialising in teaching English and English as a Second Language (Secondary level).