Areas of Interest: American Literature, Autobiography, Popular Fiction, and Film
Kenneth Huntress Baldwin, Associate Professor Emeritus, came to UMBC in 1971. At that time the campus consisted of a farmhouse and the Multi-Purpose Building, the first example of the university´s characteristic red brick buildings. Previously, he was Assistant Professor at California State University, Northridge, his first position after receiving a Ph.D. in English at The Johns Hopkins University.
Over the years, Professor Baldwin´s original research and teaching concentration in Nineteenth Century American Literature broadened into a general interest in popular culture, including espionage and detective literature and various aspects of film and culture.Professor Baldwin was co-editor of Individual and Community: Variations on a Theme in American Fiction (Duke, 1975) and Poetry at the Angel (Bloomery Books, 1978) and editor of Enchanted Enclosure (Government Printing Office, 1976). Articles on Edgar Allan Poe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Emily Dickinson and others have appeared in books and journals. His most recent publication was the extended entry for the Literature of Maryland in The Companion to Southern Literature (Louisiana State University Press, 2001).
A significant portion of Professor Baldwin´s career has been devoted to service and administration. He has served as Chair of the English Department three times, for a total of thirteen years. Additionally, he spent several years as Acting Director of Faculty Development at UMBC and established the present Center; was involved with the Council of University System Faculty, including a term as Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee and election to the Executive Committee. Professor Baldwin is also one of the founding faculty for UMBC´s Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Culture.