Dr. Katharine Ings earned her MA in Medieval and Renaissance literature and her PhD in American literature from Indiana University, Bloomington. She teaches a wide variety of literature classes, including American literature survey classes, World Literature, Literary Passport, Topics in Literature (Gothic lit), and Introduction to Literary Studies.

She also teaches classes on journalism and editing. She has over 25 years’ experience as a copyeditor, having worked both in-house and freelance for W. W. Norton, copy editing various Norton anthologies, composition books, and Norton Critical Editions, including works by William Faulkner and Virginia Woolf. As a journalist, she writes about fashion for Selvedge, the London textile and style magazine, which complements her class, “Fashion and Cultural Identity.”

For her publication record in journalism, editorial work, and traditional scholarship, Professor Ings was named Manchester University’s 2015 Scholar of the Year.

Ph.D., Social Work (Gender Studies minor), Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, 2013
M.S.W., Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, 1998
B.A., Psychology (Music minor), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 1994

I came to Manchester University in 2003 and knew immediately I had found my place. I have several years of direct social work practice experience in the fields of child welfare and mental health. My areas of interest include social work practice with the LGBTQ community.

In my life outside of campus, my partner, Marsha, and I have restored a Civil War-era home that has been in my family for five generations. We were able to have it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I love to travel, too, and have spent time in many parts of the U.S. (only 3 states to go!) plus Paraguay, Argentina, Poland, Germany, Mexico, Jamaica, The Netherlands, Wales, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and the Isle of Man. My next international journeys will be to Italy and Scandinavia. Spending time outside is important to me, so I go camping several times a year, bicycle and swim often, and work long hours in my yard. I am an animal lover, too. We have two dogs, two cats, and two horses.