Laura Decker

M.F.A., Ph.D.

Department of Humanities

Laura.Decker@nevadastate.edu

My mother always told me I should grow up to be an English professor, so obviously, I majored in just about every discipline except English for as long as could before I realized that, in fact, I was meant to teach English. I hold a BA in English Literature, an MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University, and a Ph.D. in Literacy Education from University of Nevada - Las Vegas. Previous to Nevada State, I worked on college access and equity in a TRiO Student Support Services program at the College of Southern Nevada, where I was inspired by students who were first in their families to attend college. Their stories further shaped my teaching philosophy and continue to inform my teaching semester after semester.

At Nevada State, I teach first year composition, writing studies, and other literacy-focused courses. While my favorite courses to teach are composition courses, other favorites include Writing About the Environment, Writing About Health and Medicine, Cultural Rhetorics, and Indigenous Literature. My research mostly focuses on the teaching of writing, including the development of disciplinary identity, writing pedagogy, and writing program administration.

Although I’m a native Texas, I’ve come to love Nevada’s wild spaces and hike and camp as much as I can with my family. I’ve also published creative nonfiction about the people who work and live on the Las Vegas Strip.