I am a PhD candidate in Comparative Literature and a Graduate Teaching Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a comparatist, I analyze texts from diverse linguistic literary traditions, including English, Italian, French, Spanish, ancient Greek, Latin, Old English, and Irish. My research interests include Renaissance literature, theatre studies, the history of medicine, classical receptions, translation studies, writing center studies, and pedagogy.
My dissertation “Deceptive Medicine and (Dis)Trust in Renaissance Drama” examines interactions between patients and medical practitioners in English, Italian, and French Renaissance comedies. The project illuminates how deceptive and theatrical medical practices informed patient trust and influenced patient health during the medieval and early modern periods.
My cross-disciplinary teaching experience has included Italian language courses, theatre history courses, process-based composition courses, and literature survey courses. In my role as a tutor at the UNC Writing Center, I have shared personalized writing feedback with more than 1000 unique students.
When not teaching, writing, or conducting research, I like to travel the world, to sing in a local community chorus, and to play board games.

Michael J. Clark
PhD Candidate and Teaching Fellow
English and Comparative Literature
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill