Paul Wright, PhD

Paul Wright, PhD

English and History

Dr. Paul Wright earned his B.A. from Northwestern University and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in Comparative Literature. He is a cultural historian by training and a lifelong student of narrative in all its incarnations. Dr. Wright is especially interested in how historical and social contexts shape our understanding of the world, as well as the stories we tell about ourselves and our communities. He has taught at Princeton University, Osaka University in Japan, and Villanova University, among others. Dr. Wright has extensive experience in international education, and he has presented at conferences and in classrooms around the world on subjects ranging from Renaissance studies to media studies and the role of play in historical understanding. He is currently completing a book on Machiavelli as historian, as well as an article on the surprising intersections and dissonances between Augustine, Shakespeare, and Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Dr. Wright also offers occasional evening courses in film and media at the nearby Bryn Mawr Film Institute, and among his many passions is continuing work on two educational games focused on Machiavelli’s Florentine republic and the tumultuous crises throughout Italy during his lifetime.