BA, Goddard College
MA, PhD, University of Connecticut
John P. Sexton is a medievalist lurking in an English department. He works primarily on Old Norse literature and culture, but will happily geek out about just about anything medieval. He teaches a variety of courses at BSU, with Sagas of the Icelanders (ENGL306), History of the English Language (ENGL305), British Literature to 1800 (ENGL223), Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (ENGL320), and Medieval British Literature (ENGL314) in heavy rotation.
Dr. Sexton's primary academic outlet is his podcast Saga Thing, which he has been co-hosting with Dr. Andrew M. Pfrenger since 2013. The podcast is an ongoing study session of the entire corpus of saga literature conducted by two former grad-school friends who wanted a way to continue the beer-and-pizza nights of study that fueled their love of Old Norse language, literature, and history.
His publications include work on the Icelandic sagas, medieval disability studies, The Canterbury Tales, Anglo-Saxon sanctuary laws, and onomastics. He is the co-founder of The Lone Medievalist professional association with Dr. Kisha G. Tracy, and co-editor of The Ballad of the Lone Medievalist.
When he's not buried somewhere under a stack of books or papers, Dr. Sexton can usually be found either at home or out in nature with some combination of his spouse, two kids, and three dogs.
Sagas of the Icelanders
Old Norse Literature and Culture
Medieval Disability Studies
Medieval Literature of Western Europe
Anglo-Scandinavian Literature and Culture