Jesse Jack

Jesse's Affiliations: Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies

Jesse Jack (she/they) serves as a Teaching Assistant Professor in LGBTQIA+ Literature and Culture. Since her arrival at the University of Pittsburgh, she has taught courses related to the representation of adolescents and young adults, social justice movements throughout the American 20th and 21st Centuries, and the representation of queer and transgender (trans*) culture and literature. Jesse previously taught literature and composition courses at Duquesne University, which is where she earned her Ph.D. and a certificate to teach in woman, gender, and sexuality studies. At Pitt, she has served as a member (and co-chair) of the English Department’s Committee for Diversity and has facilitated faculty workshops regarding the impacts of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation on student populations. At Duquesne, Jesse participated in several task forces regarding the inclusivity of the curriculum, and she worked with the Center for Counseling and Wellbeing to help found and co-facilitate Duquesne’s first LGBTQIA+ support group for graduate and undergraduate students. Jesse’s recent book, “Mapping Multi-Genre Literary Frameworks for Trans* Studies: Without Permanence” (Lexington Books 2024) explores emergent counter-narrative practices that represent and support trans* folks who navigate archival constraints, biopolitical regulations, diagnostic rubrics, migration restrictions, and more. Through their courses and research, Jesse considers the ways in which counterstories can address the empirical needs and realities of diverse trans* communities today. In her spare time, Jesse enjoys blending herbal teas, painting, and being with family.

Courses Taught

ENGLIT 0300: Introduction to Literature

ENGLIT 0506: Literary Field Studies

ENGLIT 0630: Sexuality and Representation

ENGLIT 0647: Harry Potter: Blood, Power, Culture

ENGLIT 0655: Representing Adolescence

ENGLIT 0670: Queer/Transgender Literature