BRESCIA FACULTY PROFILES WITH THE BUZZ November EDITION: DR. Monika Lee

Monika Lee grew up in rural West Flamborough village, a town she describes as having ‘more cows than people’. She was raised by two English-loving parents – an English professor and an English high-school teacher. She grew up loving and understanding books, so literature has always been a part of her. 

After high school, she went to the University of Toronto to study a combined honours in English and French, taking her third year abroad to France. She then went on to Western University to do her Masters and Ph.D. in English. After her Ph.D., she took a post-doctoral study to a higher level at Cornell University as a fellow. 

Lee eventually came to Brescia, choosing their ‘family-friendly’ atmosphere and community over other options. When asked why she chose Brescia, Lee talked specifically about the Ursuline sisters, who made her feel especially welcome. When talking about Brescia, Lee said that even now ‘we still have a lot of community.” She taught at Brescia part-time until her children were in school, and now she teaches full-time for Brescia’s English department.

When asked to describe English, Monika described literature as ‘the only art we teach at Brescia.’ English literature is an art, and art is made to please us. So, studying English is studying a type of art, an art that can give us pleasure. The English language itself is beautiful, and Lee holds that some of the greatest human achievements are literary. 

She also highly commends the English program at Brescia, saying, ‘for a small program, we offer everything.’ In fact, the Brescia English department is one of the many reasons she chose Brescia – Lee says that she can teach ‘anything under the sun’, and research what she wants as well. The Brescia English department cycles through course offerings so English students can learn anything and everything. This is just one of many ways the department prepares students not just for Ph.D. programs but for professional programs like law school, business school, library science, and teacher’s college. 

Lee highly recommends choosing an English degree for two reasons. First, the small classes make you stand out with your prof, who you’ll more than likely have more than once. Secondly, Lee posits that our world is severely lacking in literacy skills and having a degree that teaches that will make you succeed in the post-academic world, especially in a world where fewer people are choosing degrees in the humanities. 

Monika Lee’s life is not just about school, though. She hikes all around London and finds a special hobby in mountain climbing. She specifically mentioned having climbed Mount Snowdon this past year ‘in honour of Wordsworth’. She swims and cycles, and she even calls herself an outdoor adventurer. In fact, she says that if she had a second life, she would be an outdoor adventurer permanently. 

In addition to her outdoor pursuits, Monika also cooks, gardens, does yoga, plays the piano, dances, and even meditates!

As for professional hobbies, Lee is currently studying Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘The Cenci’ and the effect that art history has on the play. She also enjoys creative writing, especially poems.

If you’d like to visit Monika, her office is in Ursuline Hall. Or you can buy one of her books through Amazon.