Dr. Erick Sierra

Home // Dr. Erick Sierra

Professor of English & Writing Center Director

Education

Ph.D., Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2010
M.A., Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 2006
Teaching Licensure, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, 2000
B.A., University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1996

Associated Academic Programs

Literature and Languages

“I want my students to see that the study of literature goes beyond analysis—it’s a way of bearing witness, of holding tension, of reaching toward the sacred in others. Whether we’re reading Shakespeare or a testimony from someone on the margins, my goal is always the same: to help them hear what’s too often silenced, and to speak with the kind of clarity and compassion that can actually heal the world.”

Erick Sierra is Professor of English and Director of the Writing Center at Trinity Christian College. His teaching explores the intersections of faith, language, and society—both in academic settings and in broader civic discourse. He regularly writes on topics related to education, identity, and Christian thought as it intersects with contemporary cultural issues. His essays have been featured on Medium and published in outlets such as The Chronicle of Higher Education. He has also been invited as a guest speaker at universities ranging from Pepperdine in California to Columbia in New York City.

Dr. Sierra also enjoys the relational side of academic life, as seen in this behind-the-scenes glimpse of a typical day in his world here.

You can find more of his writing at:
🔗 https://www.ericksierra.com

Courses

Transatlantic Twentieth-Century Literature
Contemporary Literature and Spirituality
Postcolonial Literature
Introduction to Narrative: American Fiction
Teaching in the Writing Center

Introduction to Literature
Expository Writing
Composition

Papers Published and/or Presented

“Threshold of Revelation:  Tony Kushner’s Angels in America.” “Post-Otherness in Literature, Culture, and Language: New Strategies for the Validation of Identity.”  University of Oradea, Romania.  Session Chair.  Zoom.  24 March 2023.

“The Epistemology of ‘The One’: The Tower of Babel and Pentecost.”  “Literature as Vocation”: Western Conference on Christianity and Literature. Azuza Pacific University, Azusa, CA.  17 March 2023.

“Confessions of a ‘90s Christian Culture Warrior.”  Post-45 Contemporaries: “W(h)ither the Christian Right?”  12 September 2022.

“Threshold of Revelation”: The Invisible Face of the Other in Contemporary American Culture.” Keynote address at the annual Seaver College Graduate Colloquium and Dinner. Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA. 20 Oct 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVWPfDMVew4&feature=youtu.be

“‘Threshold of Revelation’: Don DeLillo, Tony Kushner, and an Epistemics of the Encounter.” Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction 57.1 (2016): n. pag. Web. 30 December 2015. http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/riP9zxTIdQF8szesjUNT/full

“Visioning the Body Mosaic: Enchanted Transracial Selfhood in Postsecular American Literature.” European Journal of American Studies 10.2 (2015): n. pag. Web. 14 August 2015. http://ejas.revues.org/11082

Review of Rhetorics of Religion in American Fiction: Faith, Fundamentalism, and Fanaticism in the Age of Terror, by Liliana M. Naydan. Religion & Literature 48.1 (Spring 2017). https://religionandlit.nd.edu

“The End of Reason: Approaching the Unthinkable Thought of God.” Patheos. “Public Square” series, “Is Faith Rational, Irrational, or Arational?” Web. 13 July, 2016. http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Faith-and-Reason/Approaching-the-Unthinkable-Thought-of-God-Erick-Sierra

“How a Google Spreadsheet Saved My Literature Class,” The Chronicle Review, the magazine of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Print and web. 15 April 2016. http://media.wix.com/ugd/b3220f_d5d10f2d8d24473a84c9458c079424ae.pdf

“The ‘Story Behind the Story’: Making Lit Matter.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. Web. 9 April 2015. http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2015/04/09/the-story-behind-the-story-making-lit-matter/

“The Certain Problem With Worldview: A dialogue on truth and love.” Trinity Christian College. Palos Heights, IL, 24 April 2013. Co-authored and co-delivered with Tiffany Kriner of Wheaton College.

“‘More Life’: Suffering and Epistemology in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America,” 2012 Southwest Conference on Christianity and Literature: “Theatrum Mundi: Faith, Representation, and Multiculturalism.” Oklahoma Christian University, Oklahoma City, OK. 5-6 October 2012.

“Killing to Live: Violence and Belief in Don DeLillo’s White Noise,” 2012 Western Regional Meeting of the Conference on Christianity and Literature: “Belief and Unbelief in Postmodern Literature.” Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA. 24 May, 2012.

“Love Conquers All: In a Brooklyn barrio, one Puerto Rican grandmother was a force of nature.” Saveur Magazine, May 2009: 36. http://media.wix.com/ugd/b3220f_12748bf6eac643c1bf82a9b6109cc4c4.pdf

“Confessions: My Two Months Driving Lyft in Chicago.” Cult of Americana magazine. http://cultofamericana.com/city-life/lyft-confessions/

“With Eyes to See: Toward a Multi-Culture/Multi-Intelligence Classroom.” Faculty lecture and workshop. Teacher’s College of Columbia University (Masters Program in Education). New York, NY. 3 April 2008.

“The Ecstatic Limits of the Psychoanalytic Subject,” American Comparative Literature Association 2005 Annual Conference: “The Human and Its Others.” Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. 25 March 2006.

+ Expertise

Erick Sierra is Professor of English and Director of the Writing Center at Trinity Christian College. His teaching explores the intersections of faith, language, and society—both in academic settings and in broader civic discourse. He regularly writes on topics related to education, identity, and Christian thought as it intersects with contemporary cultural issues. His essays have been featured on Medium and published in outlets such as The Chronicle of Higher Education. He has also been invited as a guest speaker at universities ranging from Pepperdine in California to Columbia in New York City.

Dr. Sierra also enjoys the relational side of academic life, as seen in this behind-the-scenes glimpse of a typical day in his world here.

You can find more of his writing at:
🔗 https://www.ericksierra.com

+ Courses, Publications & Research

Courses

Transatlantic Twentieth-Century Literature
Contemporary Literature and Spirituality
Postcolonial Literature
Introduction to Narrative: American Fiction
Teaching in the Writing Center

Introduction to Literature
Expository Writing
Composition

Papers Published and/or Presented

“Threshold of Revelation:  Tony Kushner’s Angels in America.” “Post-Otherness in Literature, Culture, and Language: New Strategies for the Validation of Identity.”  University of Oradea, Romania.  Session Chair.  Zoom.  24 March 2023.

“The Epistemology of ‘The One’: The Tower of Babel and Pentecost.”  “Literature as Vocation”: Western Conference on Christianity and Literature. Azuza Pacific University, Azusa, CA.  17 March 2023.

“Confessions of a ‘90s Christian Culture Warrior.”  Post-45 Contemporaries: “W(h)ither the Christian Right?”  12 September 2022.

“Threshold of Revelation”: The Invisible Face of the Other in Contemporary American Culture.” Keynote address at the annual Seaver College Graduate Colloquium and Dinner. Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA. 20 Oct 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVWPfDMVew4&feature=youtu.be

“‘Threshold of Revelation’: Don DeLillo, Tony Kushner, and an Epistemics of the Encounter.” Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction 57.1 (2016): n. pag. Web. 30 December 2015. http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/riP9zxTIdQF8szesjUNT/full

“Visioning the Body Mosaic: Enchanted Transracial Selfhood in Postsecular American Literature.” European Journal of American Studies 10.2 (2015): n. pag. Web. 14 August 2015. http://ejas.revues.org/11082

Review of Rhetorics of Religion in American Fiction: Faith, Fundamentalism, and Fanaticism in the Age of Terror, by Liliana M. Naydan. Religion & Literature 48.1 (Spring 2017). https://religionandlit.nd.edu

“The End of Reason: Approaching the Unthinkable Thought of God.” Patheos. “Public Square” series, “Is Faith Rational, Irrational, or Arational?” Web. 13 July, 2016. http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Faith-and-Reason/Approaching-the-Unthinkable-Thought-of-God-Erick-Sierra

“How a Google Spreadsheet Saved My Literature Class,” The Chronicle Review, the magazine of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Print and web. 15 April 2016. http://media.wix.com/ugd/b3220f_d5d10f2d8d24473a84c9458c079424ae.pdf

“The ‘Story Behind the Story’: Making Lit Matter.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. Web. 9 April 2015. http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2015/04/09/the-story-behind-the-story-making-lit-matter/

“The Certain Problem With Worldview: A dialogue on truth and love.” Trinity Christian College. Palos Heights, IL, 24 April 2013. Co-authored and co-delivered with Tiffany Kriner of Wheaton College.

“‘More Life’: Suffering and Epistemology in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America,” 2012 Southwest Conference on Christianity and Literature: “Theatrum Mundi: Faith, Representation, and Multiculturalism.” Oklahoma Christian University, Oklahoma City, OK. 5-6 October 2012.

“Killing to Live: Violence and Belief in Don DeLillo’s White Noise,” 2012 Western Regional Meeting of the Conference on Christianity and Literature: “Belief and Unbelief in Postmodern Literature.” Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA. 24 May, 2012.

“Love Conquers All: In a Brooklyn barrio, one Puerto Rican grandmother was a force of nature.” Saveur Magazine, May 2009: 36. http://media.wix.com/ugd/b3220f_12748bf6eac643c1bf82a9b6109cc4c4.pdf

“Confessions: My Two Months Driving Lyft in Chicago.” Cult of Americana magazine. http://cultofamericana.com/city-life/lyft-confessions/

“With Eyes to See: Toward a Multi-Culture/Multi-Intelligence Classroom.” Faculty lecture and workshop. Teacher’s College of Columbia University (Masters Program in Education). New York, NY. 3 April 2008.

“The Ecstatic Limits of the Psychoanalytic Subject,” American Comparative Literature Association 2005 Annual Conference: “The Human and Its Others.” Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. 25 March 2006.