About Cord

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of English and Creative Writing at Wellesley. I teach and lecture internationally on a wide variety of medieval and modern subjects such as Chaucer, the medieval history of romance, the development of race, Black and African American medievalism, white supremacy, Black Lives Matter, and the alt- and far-right movements.

In my fifteen-year career as a professor, I have made the representation and experience of Black people central to the study of medieval Europe and its modern afterlives globally. I have been credited as a founder in the booming field of Premodern Critical Race Studies (PCRS). I have shepherded the development of early career researchers from the undergraduate through assistant professor ranks. My work has been integral to the founding of new research organizations and scholarly collectives as well as pipeline programs to increase the representation of Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in the majority-White fields of medieval and early modern studies. I also use my expertise in the histories of race, racial trauma, coaching, and healing techniques to influence individual experiences and organizational dynamics.