Lisa Koch

Lisa Koch

Lisa Koch

Professor

Literature: Teen/Young Adult Literature; Gender and Sexuality Studies; Multi-Ethnic American Literature; African American Literature; Women Writers; Harry Potter

Areas of Expertise: Teen/Young Adult Literature; Gender and Sexuality Studies; Multi-Ethnic American Literature; African American Literature; Women Writers; Harry Potter


Lisa Koch teaches literature, research & writing, and humanities courses, including 21st-Century Young Adult Novels, Teen Culture, Documentaries across Disciplines, and College to Career. She developed and directs the Harry Potter Summer Study Abroad Program through GMU's Global Education Office. Dr. Koch leads students in an immersive experience in Scotland and England, where they examine Harry Potter through a multidisciplinary lens. Summer 2023 Harry Potter Study Abroad

An interdisciplinary expert, Professor Koch has co-taught courses with faculty from History, Sociology, Film Studies, and Career Services; she has taught courses for the Honors College, Women and Gender Studies, the Individualized Study Program, and Living/Learning Communities.

Dr. Koch is a GMU Teaching Excellence Award winner. She was featured on Philadelphia’s WURD to discuss racial representations, casting controversies, and pedagogical approaches to The Hunger Games novels and films. Professor Koch was interviewed in response to the Me Too Movement about representations of women in film and fiction for Voice of America Television. She is co-founder of the Mid-Atlantic Society for the Study of American Women Writers.

Education

Dr. Koch earned her Ph.D. from University of Maryland, College Park and her BA from Washington University in St. Louis.