Dr. Sarah Tharp is the assistant professor of English at Northwestern College. Although she is an Iowa native, from Dubuque, she has lived in Waco, Texas, for nine years with her husband. She received her MA and PhD in English from Baylor University, and then served as a post-doctorate fellow there as well.
During her post-doctoral job search, Dr. Tharp and her husband were eager to move anywhere. Even as far as Alaska, they would like to joke. “However, a Christian liberal arts college in the Midwest had always been where I had envisioned myself teaching, so when the job posting for NW showed up, I was very hopeful that it was the right choice,” Dr. Tharp said.
Dr. Tharp felt an immediate sense of welcome since she stepped foot on campus. “The clarity and consistency of mission and vision statements, the welcoming atmosphere created by all of the staff, faculty and students I interacted with, and the types of courses I would teach all made me feel like it was a good fit for me, and I was ecstatic to learn that NW thought I would be a good fit too,” she said.
All changes, such as moving and starting a new job, come with adjustments. “We are still figuring out what life in Orange City looks like for us, but my husband, Alex, and I love visiting museums, trying new foods, and spending time outdoors now that we are out of the Texas heat,” Dr. Tharp said. “We have two cats, Artemisia and Ada, who keep us regularly entertained with their antics and cuddles.”
While working at NW, Dr. Tharp got into this routine. “After devotions and coffee with my husband, I head to work and spend most of the normal workday in my office, preparing for classes, attending meetings and then, of course, teaching,” Dr. Tharp said. “Besides hearing students’ perspectives on the texts we are reading, my other favorite part of being a literature professor is the research into cultural and historical contexts that help us as a class read the texts charitably and thoughtfully.”
Dr. Tharp loves the students. “NW students are wonderful,” Dr. Tharp exclaimed. “I appreciate that when I say, ‘this is a challenging task, but let’s give it a try,’ students give it their best and hit upon some interesting insights — questions and comments that usually align pretty well with the sorts of questions literary scholars explore too. Curiosity, creativity, and willingness to try go a long way in the literature classroom, and NW students stand out in their efforts to exhibit those traits.”
This past Wednesday, Nov. 6, Dr. Tharp helped with a “hype fest” for NW theatre’s upcoming production of “Sense and Sensibility,” and she was happy to help as a Jane Austen fan. “Dr. Hubbard was one of the people who helped me move into my apartment and asked me if I liked Jane Austen. I do,” she said. “Since then, theatre has invited me to be involved and work with students on some Jane Austen-related things.”
Dr. Tharp welcomes all to her office, especially if you want to talk about literature. “I mostly read older books, 19th century, especially, but I am excited to hear about what books people love or cannot stop thinking about or even really do not like, even if it s not something I have read,” Tharp said.
