This month words fail us as we commemorate our mentor, colleague, friend.
If you wish to share your memory of Emma, let me know and we’ll keep adding them.
Emma Harris has always been there for as long as I can remember. I attended her (legendary and somewhat dreaded) History of England lectures. I participated in the summer seminar she organized for PhD students at the University of Glasgow, and she was the first person to read my chapters. As Director of the Institute of English Studies, she hired me and then she was the best boss, mentor, and eventually colleague I could imagine. I cannot count the wonderful discussions we had over the years. I treasured our weekly meetings at the Institute – her History of England followed my Introduction to Culture Studies in the same lecture hall. I am heartbroken to do both courses myself this year. Some time ago, Emma gave me a pair of shoes she had bought for herself and decided they were a bit too loose (they luckily fit me) – I can only hope that someday I will (metaphorically) fill in her shoes as a teacher.
– Dorota Babilas
Like many of us, I first met Professor Emma Harris as a first-year student at her lectures on the history of England, almost four decades ago. As the long-standing director of the Institute of English Studies, she did everything she could to further the Institute’s development – something that was always close to her heart. This is where, for example, the Institute’s PhD programme originated (I was in the first cohort of PhD students – she sent all of us to Scotland to carry out research).
A good boss, mentor, colleague, and – perhaps most importantly – a kind-hearted person.
Today was the first Monday of the new academic year. For several years now, on Mondays, Emma and I would often meet in the department room and, whilst waiting for our classes to start, we would chat away at our desks about all sorts of things: the Institute, students, teaching, past events, conference trips and holidays, even more personal matters… Today, the desk opposite was empty…– Paweł Rutkowski
Surprisingly, it has been nearly half a century since I first met Emma Harris. She was my teacher at the Institute of English Studies and later in life, thanks to her support, I was able to attend the summer school at Exeter College in Oxford, my first ever visit to the UK. Over the course of years I became an art historian and when she was Director of the Institute she said yes to my offer to teach courses on British art to the students of English. This opened an important chapter in my life and I will always think of Emma with gratitude.
– Edyta Barucka
My husband, Piotrek, and I knew Emma Harris as the Director of the Institute of English Studies from the perspective of students. It’s largely thanks to her energy and persuasion that we had the chance to spend so much quality time together studying in England, Italy and Scotland. Both of us became academics, and we stayed together: we always thought of her as the godmother of our happy marriage… Dear Emma, thank you, and God bless you.
– Eliza Borkowska
I met Professor Harris as an awed first year student attending her lecture on History of England and even though it was certainly not my best subject, I attended loyally, filling my notebook with notes that opened up the world of facts, connections and processes I was not aware of. My first impression of Professor Harris was that of a true authority on the subject, and I never expected I would ever get a chance to share an office with her and to simply converse about teaching. During our last meeting, we talked about the students, about how to best adjust classes, how to engage them, how to make them feel safe and interested, and that’s the memory of Emma Harris I will never forget – of an extremely wise, impressive academic who never stopped thinking kindly about her students and their needs.
– Maria Safrańska-Chmielarz
Hearing “you are as stubborn as Emma” was a compliment – one that wasn’t easy to earn. For she was stubborn, as well as sympathetic, caring and wise. She insisted on doing everything herself but, on top of everything, she was always modest. She was a gracious hostess and a wonderful guest. I will miss her stubbornness, sarcasm, sense of humour, and sensibility.
– Lucyna Krawczyk-Żywko
