Jessica Becker

PhD Title: Body, Mind and Soul: Charles I’s Performance of Domestic Masculinity and the Cult of St Joseph in Caroline Court Art, Drama, and Letters, 1628 – 1648

Inspired from the gaps in the historical narrative I found working on my undergraduate dissertation, ‘Elizabeth the Forgotten’: The Life of Princess Elizabeth Stuart (1635–1650), my doctoral dissertation applies multiple critical theoretical frameworks including typology, deconstruction, new historicism, fictionality, diaspora studies, reformation studies, Judith Butler's Gender Performativity and Bruno Latour's Actor Network Theory to analyse Caroline Court Art, Drama, and Letters connected to Charles I (1600 - 1649) in his domestic role of father to understand how he performed domestic masculinity from the ‘Halcyon Days’ of his Personal Rule through the ‘Pandemonium’ of the civil war in context with the Baroque Counter Reformation.

Jessica's research interests are grounded in early modern history and literature, with a focus on seventeenth century politics, gender, religion and culture - particularly in Early Stuart England.

PUBLICATIONS

‘A Glance at The Queen’s Closet Opened (1658)’ Picture This, Canterbury Cathedral, August 2022

"Elizabeth the Forgotten: The Life of Princess Elizabeth Stuart (1635-1650),”
Women on the Edge in Early Modern Europe, Ed. Lisa Hopkins and Aidan Norrie, Amsterdam UP (2019)

PRESENTATIONS

“Your Loving Father: Charles I’S Masculine Domestic Identity and the Cult of St Joseph”
Cambridge Workshop for the Early Modern Period, Cambridge University, November 2024

“Of Kings, Emblems and Novelty” Keeping the Faith: Religion, Politics and the Church in Stuart Britain Symposium honouring Professor Kenneth Fincham, The Kings School, September 2024

“Bittersweet: The Quiet Mourning of Restoration England”
War and Memory Symposium, University of Kent, February 2024

“Hung: Displays of Masculine Domestic Power in Royal Stuart Family Portraits from 1628 – 1649”
MEMSFEST IX, University of Kent, June 2023

“All, Some, or none? A Reconsideration of How to Read Charles I’s Correspondence”
European Society for Textual Scholarship Conference, University of Kent, April 2023

‘“Quandering Quarles: The Question of Historical Context and Emblem Poetry”
Oxford International Conference, Oxford University, July 2019

“No Small Parts: Launcelot’s Ambassadorial Duties”
Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference, Baldwin Wallace University, October 2017

“Elizabeth the Forgotten”
Medieval and Renaissance Graduate Student Association, Ohio State University, October 2016

“’In like a Lion, out like a Lamb’: Charles I and the End of English Renaissance”
Renaissance Symposium, University of South Carolina, April 2016  

Teaching Experience:

2019 – Present Humanities Professor (Adjunct) Central State University
• I design and teach hybrid and virtual courses for English Composition, Research and Argument Writing, Global History before 1500 ce, Global History since 1500 ce, African American History, Intro to Historiography, Intro to Interdisciplinary Studies, Intro to Humanities, and Intro to Lit Theory.
• On two occasions I was chosen by honours students to mentor and grade them on their Honours Research Projects in relation to my Global History since 1500 and Historiography modules.

2019 – 2022 Humanities Professor (Adjunct) Wilberforce University
• I designed and taught a hybrid module on Intro to Lit Studies that used Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers (1844) as the shared text for literary analysis and research writing to emphasis interdisciplinary methods of critical thinking.
• I designed and taught a hybrid module on Nineteenth Century British Literature.
• I designed and taught a virtual module on Intro to Communication that used freely available digital textbook.

2019 – 2021 Humanities Instructor (Adjunct); Sinclair Community College
Taught: Composition I

2019 – 2020 Humanities Professor (Adjunct); Urbana University
Taught: Composition I

2016 – 2018 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Wright State University
Taught: Composition I

Civic and Volunteer Experience:

2022 – Present English Heritage Volunteer at St Augustine's Abbey

2022 – 2025 Kent Student Union Student Representative

2024 – 2025 Elected Post Grad Network Chair

2025 – 2025 Postgrad Research Student Advisory Board Member Kent Student Union

2023 – 2025 Wellbeing Advisory Board Member Kent Student Union

2023 – 2025 Founder and President of the Early Modern Medieval Alliance (EMMA)

2021 – 2024 Mature Student Society Secretary

2021 – 2023 History Outreach Ambassador University of Kent

2021 – 2021 MEMSFest 2021 Committee Member

2016 – 2018 English Graduate Organization (Treasurer) Wright State University

2016 – 2016 Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference Volunteer Wright State University

2012 – 2012 Pride and Prejudice Bicentennial Event Volunteer Wright State University

Professional Development Activities:

2025 MEMSFEST XI Panel Chair University of Kent

2025 Student Representative in University Senate Meetings University of Kent

2025 Student Representative on the Standing Committee on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech University of Kent

2025 Student Representative on University Ethics Committee Meeting University of Kent

2023 MEMSFEST IX Panel Chair University of Kent

2022 MEMSFEST VIII Panel Chair University of Kent

2022 Online Teaching Certification Certificate Central State University

2022 APPQMR Statewide Systems Certification: Level 3 Quality Matters

2022 APPQMR Statewide Systems Certification: Level 2 Quality Matters

2022 APPQMR Statewide Systems Certification: Level 1 Quality Matters

2022 Power and Patriarchy ‘Creative Interventions’ Panel Chair University of Leeds (26 January 2022)

2021 MEMSFEST VII PANEL CHAIR University of Kent

Awards and Honours

2025 Paul Dyer Fund for Historical Research, University of Kent

2023 Kent Union Student Rep of the Month Oct 2023

2021 UKRI Travel Grant, University of Kent

2019 ‘Grace Hill Scholarship, Columbia University

2016 – 2018 Teaching Assistantship, Wright State University

2014 Honors Ambassador Scholarship, Wright State University

2014 International Travel Assist Scholarship, Wright State University  

Supervised by Professor Kenneth Fincham.

• ETA SIGMA PHI
• Gold Key International Honor Society
• PHI ALPHA THETA
• PHI KAPPA PHI
• SIGMA ALPHA PI
• SIGMA TAU DELTA
• Canterbury Medieval and Early Modern Society