Faculty Profile for Cassie Ann Polasek
Cassie Ann Polasek
Asst Professor of Instruction — English
Flowers Hall 223
phone: (512) 245-7657
Biography Section
Biography and Education
I am a native San Martian, and I graduated from San Marcos High School in 1998. I earned each of my three degrees here at Texas State. I have a BA with a double major in French and English and a minor in Philosophy, an MA in Literature (my master’s thesis focused on Cormac McCarthy’s border trilogy and included original research from the McCarthy Archives housed in the Wittliff Collections) and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction (secondary education). Before accepting a position with Texas State, I taught 9th - 12th grade English and was an adjunct professor for Austin Community College and Coastal Bend College. I currently teach for the English Department and serve as a clinical teaching supervisor with the College of Education’s Office of Educator Preparation.Teaching Interests
I aim to provide relevant seminars for my clinical teachers and extensive pragmatic experiences for my ENG 3389 students in an effort to prepare them to be confident and effective educators for our nation's public and private schools. Additionally, I am interested in crafting lessons that support co-req students as they develop vital literacy skills that will sustain them as they continue their academic journey.Research Interests
Through my work on the Co-Req Committee and as chair of the Reading Task Force, I have developed an interest in how best practices in curriculum and instruction are both reinforced and challenged by current research in literacy. The vertical alignment between recent changes in reading curriculum and instruction at the elementary and secondary levels alongside the Texas Education Code, intersect in fascinating ways as one considers how our current freshman here at Texas State perceive literacy and its importance in their careers and civil involvement.Selected Scholarly/Creative Work
- Polasek, C. A. (2020). “‘Each the other’s world entire’: Father and Son in The Road.” In Carrying the Fire: Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and the Apocalyptic Tradition. Volume 1: Characters, Themes and Issues.
- Polasek, C. A. (2014). “‘Books are Made out of Books’: Moby Dick and Cormac McCarthy’s Judge Holden.” In They Rode on: Blood Meridian and the Tragedy of the American West.