English Doctoral Students Receive Dissertation Research Awards

John Plavcan and Abigail Ross, two doctoral candidates with the Graduate Program in English, have received Dissertation Research Awards for 2026 from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

The grants, each for $8,000, are annually presented to Ph.D. students who have been nominated by their departments and selected by the college. Plavcan and Ross will use their awards to travel for the purpose of researching their respective dissertation projects.

Plavcan's dissertation will focus on the ways in which medieval architecture is recreated and preserved in digital media for modern consumers to interact with and learn from. A lot of his focus will be placed on the video game Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, which recreates in detail the art and architecture of medieval Bohemia. 

With the grant's funding, Plavcan will be able to travel to Czechia to document all of the cities and historical sites recreated in the game.

"Considering how extensively the game and its relation with history is discussed," Plavcan said, "it is surprising how little direct comparison there is between the in-game assets and the real-life environments recreated and referenced."

Plavcan will have the opportunity to gather a great deal of material "not only for [him]self, but for public dissemination."

Ross' dissertation, to be titled Monstrous Protest Literature: Southern and Indigenous Gothic Archetypes (1930-2020), will examine how Gothic literature uses monstrous figures to critique systems of oppression. Focusing on both Southern Gothic and Indigenous Gothic texts, she will explore how representations of gender, race and colonialism shape literary depictions of the monstrous.

Ross noted, "The project pays particular attention to the role of women and marginalized communities, arguing that Gothic literature often functions as a form of protest against social, political and cultural injustices."

The funding from the award will provide Ross with an important opportunity to conduct archival research in both Oxford, Mississippi, and New Haven, Connecticut, that will deepen her understanding of the literary and historical contexts surrounding Southern and Indigenous Gothic texts.

"Access to these materials will be invaluable as I complete my dissertation," Ross said.

Find more information about the achievements of the graduate students in English.