MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University assistant professor Bridget Donnelly has been awarded the 2025 Martha F. Bowden Teaching Prize, presented by the Southeastern American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. 

The award recognizes innovative approaches to teaching the 18th century. It honors Donnelly’s unique course design and her students’ collaborative work on a critical edition of “The Abbey of Clugny,” an 18th-century novel by Elizabeth Meeke.

Donnelly, who teaches in MTSU’s Department of English and is an Honors College faculty member, described the recognition as exciting and validating. 

“It was nice to hear that the committee recognized the ‘innovative’ aspect of my pedagogical decisions, which were risky but ultimately really paid off for my students,” she said.

“This award recognizes the kind of interactive and collaborative activities that we value in the Honors College,” said Honors Associate Dean Philip Phillips. 

Reimagining for today’s students

Donnelly’s award-winning course, ENGL 4230: Selected British Writers, was designed to make an often-overlooked historical period more engaging and relevant to students. 

“The 18th century can frequently be pretty alienating for students,” she explained. “They are not likely to have much experience reading the super weird and wacky types of texts that were popular in the period.”

To help bridge this gap, Donnelly led her students through a semester-long project that involved annotating, researching, and collaboratively authoring an introduction for “The Abbey of Clugny.” Each student contributed by analyzing text sections, compiling historical and literary research, and participating in a digital exhibition of artifacts related to the novel.

“Our class discussions explored not just the novel itself but also the limitations of the literary canon,” Donnelly said. “Elizabeth Meeke was one of the most prolific novelists of her time, yet even most 18th-century scholars have never heard of her. That opened discussions about forgotten authors and how digitization projects reshape literary studies.”

Students also examined the role of Minerva Press, Meeke’s publisher, in the 18th-century literary market and drew comparisons to modern platforms such as Kindle Unlimited and BookTok, sparking insightful conversations about publishing trends and literary consumption.

From classroom to publication

Donnelly’s innovative approach extended beyond the classroom. She sought and secured interest from a book series editorial team in publishing the students’ work, adding a real-world component to the project. “This gave students a sense of exigency and made it real for them,” she noted.

That effort has now culminated in a major achievement — “The Abbey of Clugny” is set for publication through Routledge’s Chawton House Library: Women’s Novels series, marking the first modern edition of the novel. The project, developed with the help of four students funded by Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity, or URECA, grants — Brittany Eidemiller, Karsen Gray, Heather Sandefur, and Brynlee Wolfe — will list all contributors as co-editors alongside Donnelly.

“I wanted to develop a project that was not a traditional academic essay but still engaged students in the types of literary research and writing used in the discipline,” Donnelly said. “This critical edition is a direct result of that effort.”

“The critical edition of ‘The Abbey of Clugny’ that she and her students have produced, and which the Southeastern American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies recently recognized with its teaching award, provides scholars with a remarkable blueprint for how we can both bring cutting-edge research into the classroom and also make our students active participants in the discovery process,” explained Stephen Severn, chair of the Department of English at MTSU. “I have never before encountered a more exciting student-focused research project.”

Connecting past with present, looking ahead

Donnelly’s commitment to engaging students through unconventional approaches was also evident in her panel at the SEASECS conference, titled “Teaching the 18th Century through Pop Culture: Jonathan Swift to Taylor Swift.” The panel explored how contemporary culture can serve as a gateway to understanding historical texts, a theme that carries over into her current MTSU course of the same name.

Beyond her teaching, Donnelly’s role on the URECA committee influenced her undergraduate research approach. 

“Being on the committee has helped me think about the kinds of projects that can incorporate undergraduate research,” she said, hoping to see more submissions from students in the College of Liberal Arts.

As she continues to develop innovative courses, Donnelly remains excited about the future. “Our students are incredible. They make me feel excited to come into class every day,” she said. “It’s inspiring knowing that they are the people who will rule our world one day.”

— Robin E. Lee (Robin.E.Lee@mtsu.edu)