Jack Knipe

Dr. John “Jack” Knipe is an Assistant Professor of Leadership at Converse University, where he teaches graduate courses related to cultural studies, qualitative research, and leadership.

Dr. Knipe received his PhD in International Education and Linguistics at George Mason University, where he explored the language ideologies of Gaelic Medium Education teachers in Scotland with regard to second language acquisition and translingualism. He also holds an M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College, an M.Ed. in Integrated Curriculum and Instruction from Covenant College, a B.A. in Spanish from Bob Jones University, a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Cambridge and certificates in Gender and Intersectionality and Intercultural Competency in Education from Háskóli Íslands (University of Iceland).

Before coming to Converse, Dr. Knipe served as an Assistant Professor of English and Spanish and the International Student Support Coordinator at Limestone University. Before Limestone, Dr. Knipe taught bilingual education, Latin, Spanish, Language Arts, and World Studies/Geography in k12 settings, ESL to adults both domestically and abroad, and teacher education in Iraq. He has also worked as a translator and an administrator for a finance firm. Dr. Knipe has formerly served on the board of directors for An Comunn Gàidhealach Ameireaganach (The American Scottish Gaelic Society) and currently serves on the board of directors for Upstate International and as the Communication Chair for the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Language Issues SIG.

When he is not teaching or conducting research, Dr. Knipe enjoys visiting family in New Jersey, Scotland, England, Iceland, and South Africa. When he is not eating healthy and working out, he can be found eating Krispy Kreme donuts, Crunchie candy bars, Hraun bitar, or Long John Silver’s Fish and Chips.

Scholarly & Research Activity

Dr. Knipe’s research focuses on the intersection of language, culture, education, and power. He has presented and published on culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy, second language acquisition, translanguaging, and the use of endangered (e.g., Scottish Gaelic, Ixil, Māori), minority (e.g., Scots, Spanish), and other non-dominant (e.g., African American Language, Spanglish) languages in education. His research has led him to live, teach, and conduct research in a dozen countries.

Selected Publications & Presentations

Critical language pedagogy in Scotland: The case of Gaelic Medium education. Knipe, J. (2021). “Critical language pedagogy in Scotland: The case of Gaelic Medium education.” In T. Okamura & M. Kai (Eds.) Indigenous Language Acquisition, Maintenance, and Loss and Current Language Policies. IGI Global: Hershey, PA.

Guatemalan Ixil community teacher perspectives of language revitalization and mother tongue education. Dalton, K., Hinshaw, S., & Knipe, J. (2019). “Guatemalan Ixil community teacher perspectives of language revitalization and mother tongue education”. FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education 5(3), 84-104.

Language attitudes toward English, Spanish, African American Vernacular English, and Spanglish in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. Knipe, J. & Lucey, K. (2014). “Language attitudes toward English, Spanish, African American Vernacular English, and Spanglish in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC.” Language and Communication in Washington, DC (LCDC) Project, Washington, DC.