Rate My Professor Michael Hill

A scholar of African-American culture, literature, and history, Hill's research centers on post-World War II African American literature and popular culture, with particular attention to how Black individuals pursue excellence within predominantly white institutions. Over more than two decades in academia, he has lectured widely on African American authors during and since the Civil Rights Movement era. His publications include two books—The Ethics of Swagger: Prizewinning African American Narratives, 1967-1990s (2013) and the co-edited Invisible Hawkeyes: African Americans at the University of Iowa during the Long Civil Rights Era (2016)—as well as the edited volume African American Literature in Transition, 1940-1950 (2022), numerous chapters, and articles. At Washington and Lee, Hill leads the interdisciplinary Africana Studies minor, which examines cultures and experiences of African people and the African Diaspora through literature, history, sociology, economics, politics, art, and music. As Director of the DeLaney Center, he advances research, events, and initiatives on Southern Black history and related topics.