Dr. Trousdale’s undergraduate and masters degree work were in English at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College and Tulane University. She taught on the high school, middle school, and elementary levels for seven years before earning the Ed.D. in Language Education at The University of Georgia. Since joining the LSU faculty in 1990, she has taught courses in children’s literature, language arts and storytelling.
Dr. Trousdale entered the Masters of Divinity program at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology in 1999, receiving highest honors in 2005. She is an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church.
Dr. Trousdale’s research has included studies in reader response to literature, socio-cultural analysis of children’s literature, the oral interpretation of literature, and, most recently, using literature to support children’s spiritual lives and religious understanding. She has authored and co-authored 19 journal articles, 12 book chapters, and was co-editor of a best-selling book on storytelling. She has made 46 research presentations at national and international conferences. She is on the advisory board of the ChildSpirit Institute and the Administrative Board of the Association for Children’s Spirituality.
Trousdale, Ann (2011). “Honoring the Questions: Shifts in the Treatment of Religion in Children’s Literature,” International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Vol 16, No. 3, 221-234.
Trousdale, Ann M. (2011). “Nurturing the Spirit Through Literature,” in Educating from the Heart, Aostre Johnson and Marilyn Neagley, R & L Education.
Trousdale, A., Bach, J. and Willis, E. (December 2010). “One Question Leads to Another: The Value of Talk in the Choral Reading of Poetry,” Voices from the Middle, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 46-54.
Ann M. Trousdale, Jacqueline Bach, Elizabeth Willis (2010). “Freedom, Physicality, Friendship and Feelings: Aspects of Children’ Spirituality Expressed Through the Choral Reading of Poetry, International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 317-329.
Ann M. Trousdale (2009). “Peak Experiences Explored Through Literature,” International Handbook of Education for Spirituality, Care and Wellbeing, Marian deSouza, Leslie Francis, James O’Higgins-Norman, and Daniel Scott, Eds. Springer. Academic Publishers, pp. 491-506.
Ann M. Trousdale (2008). “An Endangered Relationship,” Journal of Children’s Literature, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 37-44.
Ann M. Trousdale (2006). “The Role of Narrative in Spiritual Development,” Encyclopedia of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence, Elizabeth M. Downing and W. George Scarlett, Eds. Sage Publications, pp. 311-313.
Trousdale, Ann M. (2006) “Black and White Fire: The Interplay of Stories, Imagination and Children’s Spirituality,” Religious Education in Early Childhood: A Reader. Jan Grajczonek and Maurice Ryan, Eds. Brisbane: Lumino Press, pp. 84-94.
Trousdale, Ann M. (2006) “The Role of Literature in Children’s Spiritual Development,” International Handbook of the Religious, Spiritual, and Moral Dimensions of Education, Marian DeSouza, Gloria Durka, Kathleen Engebretson, Robert Jackson and Andrew McGrady, Eds. Eds., Springer, pp. 1225-1235.
Selected Presentations
“Speaking My Thoughts to the World”: Middle Schoolers Express Spirituality through the Choral Reading of Poetry,” International Conference on Children’s Spirituality, Richmond, VA, August 2011.
“Choral Reading,” 17th Annual Conference, NCTE Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning, Estes Park, CO, June 2011.
“Speaking My Thoughts to the World”: Middle Schoolers Express Spirituality through the Choral Reading of Poetry,” American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA, April 2011.
“Children’s Spirituality,” Keynote Address, The Association for Spiritual, Ethical, Religious Values in Counseling, American Counseling Association Conference, New Orleans, LA, March 25, 2011.
“A Qualitative Study of the Role Choral Reading Plays in Supporting Children’s Spirituality,” American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO, May 3, 2010. Co-presenter, Dr. Jacqueline Bach.
“Enhancing the Interpretation of Poetry with Spiritual Themes: A Qualitative Study,” Ninth International Conference on Children’s Spirituality, Canterbury, England, July 19, 2009. Co-authors: Dr. Jacqueline Bach, Dr. Elizabeth Willis.
“Honoring the Questions: The Treatment of Religion in Contemporary Children’s Literature,” Ninth International Conference on Children’s Spirituality, Canterbury, England, July 18, 2009.
“Supporting Children’s Spiritual Lives Through the Choral Reading of Poetry: A Workshop,” Ninth International Conference on Children’s Spirituality, Canterbury, England, July 16, 2009.
“Pedagogical Practices Which Incorporate Children’s Spiritual Formation: Choral Reading,” Third Triennial Conference on Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Chicago, IL, June 17, 2009. Co-presenter: Dr. Jacqueline Bach.
“A Natural Fit: Theoretical Perspectives on Narrative, Spirituality, and Religion,” Third Triennial Conference on Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Chicago, IL, June 15, 2009.
“Honoring the Questions: Analysis of Shifts in the Treatment of Religion in Children’s Literature,” Third Triennial Conference on Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Chicago, IL, June 15, 2009.
“Theory into Practice: Using Narrative to Support Children’s Spiritual Lives,” Third Triennial Conference on Children’s Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Chicago, IL, June 14, 2009
“How Am I To Believe? Allusions to Religion in Contemporary Children’s Literature,” The Oxford Round Table, Oxford, England, March 17, 2009.
Selected Grants/Funded Projects
“A Children’s Biography of Clarence Jordan,” 2008. The Ford Foundation, $67,000. Not funded.
“A Children’s Biography of Clarence Jordan,” 2008. John Templeton Fund, $67,000. Not funded.
“A Children’s Biography of Clarence Jordan,” 2008. The Lilly Foundation, $67,000. Not funded.
Faculty Travel Grants, Office of Research and Economic Development: $1000 for international travel: 2011, 2009, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003; $750 for domestic travel: 2010, 2008, 2007, 2003
College of Education Faculty Travel Grant: $1000 for international travel 2009; $1500 for domestic travel, 2009.