Program News:
First of
all, be sure to check out the Summer and Fall course offerings (click
on “Current Offerings” at our homepage). You should note that
the special topics course, “Into and Out of Africa,” will
count towards the post-1700 British literature requirement.
Speaking of that
requirement, in December the Faculty Senate approved changing the pre-
and post-1700 British Literature dividing line to 1800. This means that
eighteenth-century courses will count towards the “pre-” requirement.
If you’re in the program now, you’ll be “grandfathered”
in—you can choose to use the 1700 or the 1800 division. If you
entered the program after January 2005, you'll have to use the new 1800
division.
The internship
program is growing each semester. We’ve placed students in writing
labs, in non-profits, in publishing, and in composition classrooms.
Soon we hope to get someone into a tech writing internship. If you’re
interested in joining the many students who have undertaken this valuable
professional training, you should start by going to “Curriculum”
on our website and clicking on ENGL 702: Internship. You should also
give serious consideration to attending our post-grad career night,
on St. Patrick's Day, at 5 pm (that will give you plenty of time for
celebrating). From the community, we'll have a publisher, a writing
center director,an English department chair (from Charleston Southern),
and a tech writer to discuss internships and careers in these fields.
If you’re
planning on taking the thesis option, the Graduate School has finally
published its new thesis guideline. It’s available from their website’s
homepage in PDF format. You can access the English department’s
own guidelines by clicking on "ENGL 701: Thesis" on our “Curriculum”
page, or by clicking on “Thesis Option” on the “Degree
Requirements” page. (In the works is a more convenient “Student
Links” page. I’ll let you know when it’s published.)
We’re in
the midst of making some changes to the American literature courses.
Most of the changes only slightly adjust the language of course descriptions,
but two are worth noting. We’re adding a new Contemporary American
Literature course (based on Susan Farrell’s seminar version
a couple of semesters ago). The old 528: American Fiction 1900 to
the Present will be changed accordingly. Look for a brand-new Contemporary
British Literature course (based on Doryjane Birrer’s recent
seminar) next Spring (2006).
The new African
American Literature Concentration is doing very well. Dr. Conseula Francis
has been appointed Coordinator of the concentration, which means that
she’s the advisor for all students in the program, and she’s
taken on the taxing role of recruitment officer. Already we’ve
got five students opting for the concentration, and we expect more this
Fall.
This is probably
the best chance I’m going to have to announce my own retirement
from the directorship of the MA program. Starting in the Fall of 2005,
we’ll have a new director. I want to let you all know how hard
it was for me to make the decision to step down. I won’t miss the
mountains of bureaucratic paperwork, nor the administrative meetings.
But I will miss you, the students. Working with you the last three years
has been my most rewarding experience at the College.
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