05 Thursday Jan 2012
Posted in English major, students
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,400 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
(And to start 2012, this is my 300th post! I resolve to make the next 300 more various, entertaining, and educational.)
22 Thursday Sep 2011
Posted in English dept., English major, students
Image via Wikipedia
Synchronicity! Yesterday we held our second annual English majors orientation, a time to gather them all together, introduce them to each other, and remind them that in addition to reading Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice, they need some practical skills. Not that reading isn’t practical!
Today, the New York Daily News points out that “A liberal arts degree is a good investment.” As we told our majors, it’s partly a matter of emphasizing the abilities inherent in the liberal arts, and partly a matter of bolstering those skills with practical experience. From the NYDN article:
Connie Thanasoulis, a career coach and co-founder of the New Yorkconsultancy Six Figure Start, agrees that liberal arts graduates bring all sorts of strengths that employers desire: communication, problem solving, attention to detail and teamwork.”Look at the interpretation skills an English lit major has from interpreting literature,” she says. …One example is a research analyst, who studies and writes a complete story about a particular stock. It’s a good job that pays well, says Thanasoulis. The head of research at an investment firm once told her, “Stop sending me only finance majors; I was a Russian lit major. I want someone who thinks outside the box, who can tell me a story and who has good writing skills.
The article goes on to acknowledge that liberal arts majors may indeed start at lower salaries, but that doesn’t mean they won’t move up, or that they won’t find satisfaction in their jobs.
The practical advice for job-seeking English majors (and other liberal arts majors in the NYDN article is much the same as the advice we gave our Campbell U English majors yesterday:
Take courses in business, technology and marketing to bank some diverse experience and valuable contacts. Consider having a double major. And be sure to get some good job or volunteer experience while in school or in the summers between classes. …Even if you volunteer for a nonprofit, at least you can show a future employer that you’ve had exposure to the workings of an organization.
So if you’re an English major, or you know an English major, the next time someone asks, “What are you going to do with that?” remember the answer is, “You’ll be surprised.”
17 Saturday Sep 2011
Posted in students, university
≈ Comments Off on Teaching with grace
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Any teacher loves to point to his or her students’ successes and achievements of varioius kinds, both in the classroom and after graduation. One of the pleasures of Facebook (alongside its manifest irksome qualities) has been reconnecting with past students and learning the ups and downs of their lives since we last saw one another, whether that was at a commencement or in a classroom.
Today I’ve added former student Renee’s Quiet Anthem to my blogroll. She’s now a writer & English teacher, with a family, so she’s got plenty to keep her busy! I especially want to highlight her latest post about some particular frustrations and triumphs faced in the classroom. This is her experience, but I think many college teachers can empathize.
What can push a teacher to the breaking point? How to deal with academic dishonesty both justly and with grace? Perils of technology and social networking–all these figure in her recent experience. Admire.
06 Tuesday Sep 2011
Posted in English dept., English major, students, Uncategorized
≈ Comments Off on Post-Labor Day job-hunting English Majors?
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In a few weeks, we’ll hold our annual English majors orientation, including some suggestions for ways our students can be preparing to parlay their degrees into real-world work experience while they’re in college, and, eventually, a post-college career. We’ll invite some alumni who’ve found their ways into some of those careers–or at least jobs that don’t involve fast food.
On the day after we celebrate all working people, a few more job-hunting tips for recent graduates in any field, from Thoughts on Teaching.
17 Wednesday Aug 2011
Posted in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon, London, pop culture, students, TV, university
Tags
Buffy rewatch, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, cats, education, Firefly, Joss Whedon, London, Murpjy's Law, pop culture, students, teaching, TV
Since returning from London–which seems years away, somehow, not just a little over a month–I’ve had lots to catch up on, including unexpected appliance repairs/replacements, course syllabi, and an essay on Joss Whedon’s Firefly that I hope will see publication sometime next year. Not to mention medical checkups for me and one of the cats, many last minute revisions to the course syllabi, faculty and student orientation activities, all mixed in with the inevitable operations of Murphy’s Law: Whatever can go wrong, will.
Senior Cat is not amused
Today was the first day of classes, and since some of the first-year comp students had been primed to ask me about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I’m reminded to check in with the ongoing year-long Great Buffy Re-Watch, now well into Season Five. I’ll be posting some thoughts in a few weeks when we get to Season Six.
For now, there’s a lot of reading to do before Monday.
27 Wednesday Jul 2011
Very belatedly, I wrap up the saga of the CUSA London tour. We really had only two major outings scheduled for the final week. First, Kensington Palace,
the "Enchanted" Kensington Palace
which was a bit different this summer from what might be the expected “royal palace” tour. It is undergoing some major renovations, so only the upper floors were open to the public, and they were all done up as a sort of postmodern exhibition entitled “The Enchanted Palace“:
taking inspiration from … the princesses who once lived there – Mary, Anne, Caroline, Charlotte, Victoria, Margaret and Diana.
The complex and mysterious world of the royal court is opened up through spectacular light installations, interactive theatre, intimate storytelling, soundscapes, haunting film projections and a series of intriguing clues hidden throughout the historic rooms, revealing tales of love and hate, surprise and sadness, secrets and jealousy.
If one took the time, it was still possible to see a good deal of the antique foundation, and to learn some significant history, but otherwise, it was more of an entertainment. We followed that adventure with cream tea (late lunch) at the Orangery. The Orangery was in no way responsible for the unfortunate event which transpired, and which I shall not recount here. Overall, a lovely afternoon.
On Tuesday, a tour of the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Prof. C and I had worshiped on Sunday. They discourage
Image via Wikipedia
random photography in the cathedral, but you can find many official photographs online. None of them can possibly replicate the experience of being there. The more intrepid members of the group climbed to the highest viewpoint of the dome for an awe-inspiring view of the city. Those who had a basis for comparison said it was better than the view from the London Eye. Maybe next time I’ll try one or both views.
Wednesday & Thursday were devoted to wrapping up academic things and making sure we got in any missing touristy things or souvenir shopping. We can’t be all high-minded and serious all the time! Hope everyone likes their prezzies. Wish I could have taken you all with me.
04 Monday Jul 2011
Posted in dorothy dunnett, English major, King Arthur, literature, medieval, students
June 30-July 2: The students taking English courses and I headed to Scotland on Thursday. As has frequently been the case, we got a slightly later start than hoped for in the morning, spent four and a half hours on the train, and arrived about 1:30pm. (One lesson I’ve learned is that if there’s a desired departure time, it will be best to announce it as half an hour earlier, because students will tend to turn up at the very last minute, stretching the departure time another 10-15 minutes at least. Sometimes this is OK, sometimes, no.) After getting ourselves more or less settled, we just had time to visit the National Gallery of Scotland, which fortunately holds late opening hours on Thursdays. In this photo, the National Gallery is one of the two classical buildings in the foreground. The spire in the background is the (Sir Walter) Scott Monument:
We had a full day Friday, starting with the Writers Museum:
The Museum itself, filling a historic home, is devoted to Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. The close has been dedicated as “Makars [poets/writers] Court” with stones set into the pavement memorializing other Scots writers, from medieval Henryson & Dunbar to Muriel Spark and Dorothy Dunnett:
Having met with one of my former students, Fr. Micah Snell, who’s now working on a Ph.D. at St. Andrews, we visited St. Giles Cathedral and had lunch in their very good cafe. Afterwards, Fr. Micah talked with the CU students about his research on Shakespeare and Christianity.
The afternoon was devoted to Edinburgh Castle, where we were joined by Fr. Micah’s family. His wife Jennifer was also a student at Biola when I taught there, an English major, so it was great to see her again.
After dinner at The Elephant House, famed for being the place (or at least one of the places) where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, most of us were ready to collapse, but two of the guys went out and climbed Arthur’s Seat!
Saturday, we split up to see a few sights we were particularly interested in, and to do some shopping, than it was back on the train to London. All agreed we’d like to spend more time and explore beyond Edinburgh next time!
27 Monday Jun 2011
Posted in King Arthur, literature, medieval, students
≈ Comments Off on Travels in the Southwest 2: Bath & Winchester
Thursday June 23: By train to Bath (AKA Bath Spa). We’re reading Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, which is largely set in Bath, so had hoped to see something of the late-18th/early19th century city represented in her books. Due to an oversight on my part, we discovered after arriving that the free Austen-themed walking tours of the city are only offered on weekends. The (not free) Jane Austen center is informative, but a bit on the fannish side with an emphasis on film & TV series costumes (the one authentic Regency-era dress was displayed in full-filtered sunlight and had faded shockingly, if the photograph of its original state was anything to go by), and elevation of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.
Everyone found the Roman baths fascinating, however. The archaeology and displays for these have been substantially expanded since the last time I visited, which I think may have been in 1976! The link goes to an online “walkthrough.”
Friday June 24: We wanted to see the spurious Round Table at Winchester, probably created in the 12th c., rehabbed and painted by Henry VIII, all part of recurring efforts to use the legend of Arthur to bolster contemporary political ambitions:
Outside the Great Hall the houses the Table, we found a representation of it in pavement, so the students formed their own chivalric order:
Winchester Cathedral holds Jane Austen’s grave–more impressive than the gaudy memorial to her authorship, in my opinion:
The cathedral & its library were also hosting a special exhibition celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible, including the remarkable Winchester Bible. Images can’t do it justice.
26 Sunday Jun 2011
Posted in life, literature, medieval, students
≈ Comments Off on Travels in the Southwest 1
…the southwest of England, of course. Wednesday-Friday of last week had originally been planned as a continuous excursion through Wiltshire & Somerset, but in the end we decided that if we had BritRail passes it would be simpler to do it in a series of day-trips. This was more or less the case. It was handy to be able to check on rail schedules daily from Vandon House, and if anyone felt unwell, he or she could stay behind without incurring unexpected charges. At the same time, the extra train trip at the end of the day could be tiring.
The original plan had been to visit Salisbury, which has, of course, a magnificent cathedral, and is a very ancient city with connections to George Herbert. Since we ended up not actually reading any Herbert, and will see several other cathedrals (not that each one isn’t uniquely wonderful), we took a guided tour of Oxford & the Cotswolds. Both aesthetically entertaining and instructive, as the guide told us all about the British university system (among other things, of course). Cannot recommend London Walks highly enough for this kind of thing, or for short afternoon & evening tours of London itself.
Wednesday 6/22: Village of Minster Lovell
Ruined manor:
Random swan:
Burford village church of St John the Baptist, tower & pulpit:
Oxford University, New College cloisters:
Fun fact: New College, we learned, is actually one of the oldest colleges, founded in the Middle Ages.
22 Wednesday Jun 2011
Posted in Chaucer, literature, medieval, students
Tags
British Library, Canterbury, Chaucer, Cotswolds, CUSA, London
I’d like to catch up to what we’re doing this week, so this post will more or less wrap up last week. Also, I have fewer photographs from most of these days.
June 16: Canterbury. The train we took more or less follows the pilgrims’ route to the city, an unplanned plus, as there’s a faster train to the other station now (added since the last time I visited) that goes another way. We had the cheesy/spooky, yet still instructive “Canterbury Tales” tableaux to ourselves, then went through the cathedral, which I won’t try to describe.
June 17: Books and manuscripts day. Morning at the British Library in the “Treasures” collection, which includes manuscripts of many great medieval literary, religious, and political texts; a whole room is devoted to one of the surviving MS of the Magna Carta. While we were there, we also wandered through the current special exhibition on science fiction–which was relevant if you consider that early examples of scifi were written in the ancient world and the Renaissance (Thomas More’s Utopia, e.g.). Found this in the “time travel” section:
If you can’t read the note hanging on the door, it says, “Be back in a minute.”
After lunch, we found our way to the University of London’s Senate House Library, which currently has a selection of Chaucer manuscripts and editions on display, including a facsimile of the Ellesmere MS.
ETA: I meant to wrap this post up with a photo or two from my Saturday in the Cotswolds, courtesy of my esteemed colleague in Dorothy Dunnett & Joss Whedon appreciation, Simon Hedges. Village street:
Snowshill Manor garden:
The manor itself & it’s contents are the real curiosity, however–literally crammed with collections that define “eclectic”–from farm implements and prams to samurai armor & everything between.
