Andrew N. Tolhurst

Andy Tolhurst has been a lifelong educator with twenty-four years experience teaching in the secondary and university classroom. His passions and love of art and literature have taken him around the globe as a writer, avid surfer, skater and fisherman. His writing on these topics and more have appeared in local, regional, national and international publications. Currently, he and his family reside in Wilmington, NC along the Cape Fear River near Carolina Beach.

Education

B.A. in English Literature and Cultural Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington
M.A. in English Literature and Cultural Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington

Specialization in Teaching

He continues to teach and write about education and English literature, particularly modern American literature, drama and film, which, in addition to composition, is the bulk of his current course offerings.

Research Interests

Professor Tolhurst's early research looked at the student resistance movements of North, South and Central America and his current research looks at the intersections of tourism and surf culture. Professor Tolhurst's research led him to develop and teach several iterations of a course on surfing literature and culture across multiple departments, making UNCW one of only a dozen eastern coastal universities offering such a course. He has written for local and regional surf publications, scholarly anthologies, conference publications, and occasionally publishes the odd short story or poem.

Professional Service

Professor Tolhurst has served on the Ad-Hoc Composition Textbook Committee for text review, development, and adoption; participated in new faculty search and hiring for Composition and Literature including logistics (transportation), job talks, and feedback; participates in the Wentworth Travel Fellowship Committee. In addition, he has participated in Information Literacy CANVAS module review for ENG103/ENG201 in coordination with Information Literacy Librarian, Brittany O’niell; participated with in “The Big Read”, incorporating selected text into ENG110 and provided data and feedback on events and assignments in coordination with Humanities Librarian, Eva Sclippa; served on FlashLit Committee for work selection and publication in 2024 publication The End in coordination with CHSSA and Humanities Librarian, Eva Sclippa. Professor Tolhurst continues to devote his professional service towards the programs and opportunities that showcase the university, the English department, and CHSSA.

Community Engagement

In coordination with the Southeastern North Carolina Archives and the Randall Library, Professor Tolhurst recently participated in community campus program "Shades of Blue: Interdisciplinary Explorations of Identity through Water", potential OLLI course offerings, and other cross sections with his research and teaching specialties.