There are a great number of professors who have different interests and skills. So, the Exponent wanted to learn and share these aspects with the rest of campus and decided first to interview Dr. David Gillota, professor of English, humanities department chair and advisor to Exponent and Film Club.
You have worked at UW-Platteville for a long time. Why did you pick UW-Platteville?
I applied all over the country after graduating from Miami and ended up at Platteville working part-time. I then became a lecturer before getting hired as an assistant professor, then a full professor and now chair of the department.
What is your favorite part of working here?
My favorite part is the students—seeing and interacting with them, but also the career flexibility. I was hired to teach primarily American ethnic literature, but now I am teaching film classes and lots of other fun courses.
You are one of the editors of Studies of American Humor; how do you get involved with the journal? How does that influence your teaching on campus?
I published a few articles in the journal before joining in 2013 as a book review editor and before becoming assistant editor and later editor.
How does being an editor of Studies of American Humor influence your teaching on campus?
Working on the journal has been helpful as a writing professor because as an editor, I help professionals with their writing and fine-tune my skills to help students and be sympathetic to their struggles.
You have written two academic books. What is your writing process?
I do the layout for each of the chapters and start with the chapters I feel most confident about. I write about a page a day for six days per week. In the beginning, I type what I am thinking and then go back and edit it later.
How do you handle writer’s block?
I tend not to get writer’s block for academic writing because I don’t start writing until I’ve read so much and watched so much that I feel like I can add something to the conversation.
You have recently written a book called Dead Funny: The Humor of American Horror. Why did you write about horror?
I’ve always loved horror movies and wanted to try something new. “Get Out” was a big influence personally. People overlooked the humor in the movie and as someone who has read and written about humor theory, I wanted to write more about it. I published “I Told You Not To Go Into That House,” and article about “Get Out,” and realized I had more to say, so I wrote more.
You have also recently become the advisor for the Exponent. Why did you become the advisor?
After Dr. Pip Gordon left, Natalie Downie asked if I was interested in helping and I agreed.
What is your favorite part of working with the Exponent?
My favorite part is working with students. The staff is so engaged with what is going on around campus, in the community, the state and the nation. I love reading the drafts of the articles and seeing the process and work that the students do, and I am so lucky to be here and work with them.
