Arts and Sciences Professor Leads 2016 MainStreet Stride

The 11th annual MainStreet Stride, which celebrates the appeal of being a UC student, features Grand Marshal Gary Vaughn and the theme “Bring Your Spirit to MainStreet.” Vaughn, a McMicken College of Arts & Sciences English professor, has examined and written about the appeal of frightening books, shows and movies.

Vaughn, who has been tenured at UC since 1992, made news last fall when he presented “One of Us: American Horror Story: Freak Show” at the Midwest Popular Culture Association/Midwest American Culture Association conference.

“It turns out, if you watch the whole show, you will notice that the people who identify as ‘freaks’ are actually very loyal people and they all have their own sense of justice,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn wasn’t always a scholar of the macabre. He has written extensively about making English composition classes accessible to a diverse range of students and using computers to break barriers in learning. He even wrote an article about how sometimes students can make amusing “errors” that might actually be profound realizations and, thus, might serve as playful explorations of language. 

A common thread in Vaughn’s work, though, is using innovative tools to help students become better writers. Using real-world examples, like popular television series and films, turns out to be a successful technique.

Shows like The Walking Dead and American Horror Story: Freakshow have sparked Vaughn’s interest in horror fiction. He has published a series of related articles, including the piece published in Crooked/Shift Magazine titled “Interview with a Zombie, a Survivor of World War Z Speaks Out.” The story is about an interview that Vaughn has with a zombie from World War Z and his point of view on the War. 

“World War Z is a marvelous vehicle for a lot of satire—satire about how we screw up the environment, satire about jobs and economy and even religion,” he said. 

Vaughn believes that MainStreet Stride will help promote not only student organizations but also colleges, departments and programs. As a result, he believes that this will be a great event and an opportunity for people to showcase their UC spirit.

“It will be a lot of fun,” he said. “If nothing else it’s always cool to watch a parade and listen to the UC band.”