He earned a B.A. at Grinnell College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he specialized in 18th and 19th century literature, gender studies, and theories of genre. Before arriving at CSS, James taught at the University of Michigan, Albion College, and Loyola University Chicago. His research interests include early American literature, nineteenth-century literature, and transatlantic studies. At CSS, he teaches courses in literature and writing in additional to serving as Prelaw Advisor. James has published essays on early American literature and on transatlantic Romanticism. He is at work on a book about seafarers in American and British literature.