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Biography - Mary Olea

Hello. I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Mary Olea and I am looking forward to getting to know the APUS community and students. As a graduate of the University of Michigan and Stanford I have moved from the DC area to Portsmouth, NH, where I taught English Composition and Research at the University of New Hampshire. Previous teaching experience includes the American Community School in England, Costa Rica Academy, San Jose, Costa Rica, Heritage High School in Loudoun, VA, the Institute for International Studies and Technology at Albert Einstein High School, Kensington, MD, Pescadero High School (CA) and Skyline Community College, San Bruno, California, in the areas of English, History, Economics and Administration of Justice.

As a W. K. Kellogg Fellow I have had the fortunate experience of planning and participating in a four-year travel study program which allowed me to visit over thirty countries and regions, including Antarctica, China, Russia, Indonesia and many others. I have received Fulbright grants to Egypt, Guatemala and Mexico, plus three NEH grants.


I consider myself an Arthurian scholar, a Dickensian, a sports nut and a news junkie. My writing includes political analysis, travel commentaries and attempts at humor. My current research includes how Russians gain their information about Americans and the United States of America.
Other institutions at which I have studied include Cambridge, San Francisco State University, UC Davis and Georgetown, where I continue to actively participate in the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. I am credentialed to teach English and history in California, New Hampshire, Maryland and Virginia, and I continue my world travels with an emphasis on Eastern Europe and the Middle East. I am beginning a study of the Russian media during Putin's current election campaign.
In my local community I have been elected as a member of the school board.
The classes I teach at AMU/APUS are LITR360 Russian Literature, where my favorite authors are Tolstoy and Gogol, Literature 220, American Literature Before the Civil War, Literature 221, American Literature After the Civil War, COLL300, The Research Paper, MUSI200, Introduction to Music, ENGL101, Proficiency in Writing and ENGL102, Effectiveness in Writing, ARTH200, ARTH220, ARTH 221, and LITR201, World Literature through the Renaissance. I welcome you to the class of your choice.