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The Nowning Process

~ BUFFY: How do you get to be renowned? I mean, like, do you have to be 'nowned' first?

The Nowning Process

Tag Archives: English major

English majors: a good investment

22 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by elrambo in English dept., English major, students

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

education, English major, English majors, students

Edzell Castle, Angus, Scotland. One of the sev...

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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.”

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Encouraging words for English majors

21 Monday Feb 2011

Posted by elrambo in English dept., English major, life, students, university

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Business, education, Employment, English major, English majors, students, university

Yes, English majors, there are jobs for you other than those involving teaching (which is a very good thing to do, of course, but not for everyone) or fast-food (also an important element of the economy). Be encouraged and enlightened by the exemplary story of how a graduate from our program found her first post-college job (linked by permission).

Notice how she added work-experience to her courses before graduation, and how she’s using her blog as a kind of resume—very creative. Congratulations, Sam, and thank you for sharing your valuable experience.

This is the kind of success sources like For English Majors love to hear about.

2010 in review

02 Sunday Jan 2011

Posted by elrambo in English major, literature, students, university, words

≈ Comments Off on 2010 in review

Tags

education, English major, English majors, literature, Social Networking, university, WordPress.com

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in 2010. That’s about 10 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 29 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 266 posts. There were 13 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 15mb. That’s about a picture per month.

The busiest day of the year was November 3rd with 46 views. The most popular post that day was What can you do with an English major? Go to med school!.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were jobsforenglishmajors.com, en.wordpress.com, facebook.com, twitter.com, and lomagirl.blogspot.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for english major medical school, what you can do with an english major, things you can do with an english major, things to do with an english major, and the future of literature.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

What can you do with an English major? Go to med school! January 2009
8 comments

2

Things you can do with an English major (continuing series) August 2007
5 comments

3

The future of literature? November 2007
2 comments

4

What can you do with an English major? (continuing series) January 2010

5

What can you do with an English major? (continuing series) November 2008
1 comment

 

So interesting! I have indeed noticed that those “careers for English majors” posts get a lot of traffic. I’ll be sure to add more this year. In the meantime, I direct all humanities majors to For English Majors and The Liberal Arts Advantage—for Business to find practical advice on how to put your degree to work in a variety of areas outside the stereotypical (if nonetheless valued) teaching.

Wishing everyone a happy 2011!

 

Arthurian film/TV–U R gettin it rong

22 Monday Mar 2010

Posted by elrambo in film, King Arthur, literature, medieval, movies, pop culture, TV

≈ Comments Off on Arthurian film/TV–U R gettin it rong

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Camelot, English major, King Arthur, literature, medieval, pop culture, TV

Well, you’re getting it (sort of) wrong if you’re getting it at all, anyway. Just about every year, sometimes every semester, I teach a British lit survey covering 500-1800 AD. Every year we read excerpts from Malory’s Morte Darthur, and I informally survey the class: what had you read or seen about these stories before now?

Here’s what usually comes up: two or three have actually read some version of the Arthurian legend, often a version influenced by Malory. That’s two or three out of approximately 90. A few have seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail; others, Disney’s The Sword in the Stone. Occasionally someone will mention Excalibur, Arthur (“the real story”), First Knight or Merlin (either the mini-series with Sam Neill, or the recent BBC “young Merlin” series. In the end, maybe 1/10 of the class will have had some previous awareness of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in some debased form.

So I’m always interested in any new version, though every one is another opportunity to produce an enormous swords-and-sandals fiasco like Arthur. TV critic (and English major) Myles McNutt posts at Cultural Learnings about Starz plans for a new 10-part series called Camelot, based on Malory, and general difficulties of doing this kind of thing well:

However, I think Camelot represents the perfect example of the way in which Malory is used within adaptations of the Arthurian legend. They evoke the name because it is, in fact, still considered the definitive work on the subject, which offers the adaptation a certain degree of legitimacy. The problem is that they admit that Malory is just a starting point in the same sentence, and then goes on to pretty much state that they are only using Malory for the strands of “authenticity” that they will work into a “modern” and “relatable” tale of, most likely, melodramatic investigations of adultery and heroism, a reductive translation of Malory’s story.

Television as a medium is more capable than film of capturing the qualities which make the Morte a fascinating text, capable of giving attention to the substantial range of characters and even potentially being able to bring stories considered tangential to the “main narrative” to life in ways which are impossible in the more linear model of feature filmmaking. I think if someone really sat down and decided to tackle Malory’s text as a serialized, non-linear narrative, there is the potential for a sprawling and epic investigation of the value of chivalry, honour, kinship and morality within a complex series of events which challenge those values.

Yes, I’d like to see that show, too, but also fear that it’s unlikely to happen any time soon. Why? McNutt goes on with a very insightful analysis of what holds Malory’s Morte together, and what most adaptations have largely left aside:

Therein lies the problem in studying adaptations of Malory’s work: inevitably, all of them are not actually adaptations of Le Morte Darthur. They all take creative licenses, and it is expected that they may not even resemble Malory’s text by the end of it. The real question, however, is why this is an inevitability; Malory’s themes and characters are not foreign to modern society, and the Arthurian Legend has certainly remained relevant. However, what D.S. Brewer has identified is that the central theme of honour is not something common within modern society.

All about Arthurian film and TV adaptations: Kevin J. Harty’s online Arthurian film bibliography.

What can you do with an English major? (continuing series)

10 Sunday Jan 2010

Posted by elrambo in English major, literature, students, university

≈ Comments Off on What can you do with an English major? (continuing series)

Tags

education, English major, English majors, literature, students, university

Posts in the “what can you do with an English major?” series continue to be popular, so as the spring semester begins, it seems like time for an update. The good news is: English majors can still do ANYTHING they want to do—with the judicious application of some initiative to find internships or acquire any “practical” job skills they can, savvy self-marketing, and taking advantage of any opportunities to learn the latest technical skills.

S.L, a senior English major, just posted a link to an article on the advantages of being an English major, both for students and for career-seekers. Margaret Garcia-Couoh points out it’s cheaper to major in English to begin with, because the textbooks are less expensive and frequently available used. There are other advantages:

While in college, you tend to be less depressed as an English or World Lit major—saving you valuable cash money that could otherwise be squandered on therapy. You get to read Crime and Punishment, so you don’t need therapy. Dostoevsky spells it out for you….

After college, says Garcia-Cuouh, you’re better prepared for the real world:

Heads up on the Surreal. Let’s face it. Life after college becomes this weird surreal madness of social networking, begging for work, allegiances that might go nowhere and the randomness of landing a job because you sat next to the right person on a plane even though you know next to nothing about the job the nice man in the suit wants to give you. Only great literature prepares you for the absurd.

(Actually, that’s much like what I tell the general curriculum intro. to lit. and lit. survey classes when they get that “Why do we have to be reading poetry when we could be taking [statistics/biology/marketing/physics]?” look.)

Some of our recent English major graduates have gotten jobs in human resources, technical editing and working for the state department of health and human services, as well as teaching, law, and graduate school. Another area English majors might consider: Business analysis. Follow the link to learn more about the field and why English majors might do well in it.

Advice from the big-league humanities programs regarding graduate school is “just don’t go.”

Most undergraduates don’t realize that there is a shrinking percentage of positions in the humanities that offer job security, benefits, and a livable salary (though it is generally much lower than salaries in other fields requiring as many years of training). They don’t know that you probably will have to accept living almost anywhere, and that you must also go through a six-year probationary period at the end of which you may be fired for any number of reasons and find yourself exiled from the profession. They seem to think becoming a humanities professor is a reliable prospect — a more responsible and secure choice than, say, attempting to make it as a freelance writer, or an actor, or a professional athlete — and, as a result, they don’t make any fallback plans until it is too late.

“Don’t go” may be overstating things a bit, but Benton is right, at least, that if English majors do get into graduate school, they should be realistic about their expectations and have “fallback plans”—even M.A.s and Ph.D.s can find “real world” jobs. And in a previous column, Benton argues for the value of graduate humanities education that is viewed as a good in itself, rather than narrowly focused on preparation for a certain kind of university teaching career:

What if, instead, you had pursued a Ph.D. simply out of a desire to learn, and with the expectation that you would have to develop an independent career path—instead of twisting yourself into some version of what the ever-changing academic job market seems to want? What if graduate students were not entirely dependent on a system of hierarchical publications, institutions, and professorial sponsors? How would things change if students were suddenly empowered to demand support for opportunities that really exist and for ideas that are currently not offered a space in the established academic system?

A generation of graduate students with no aspirations to become professors might finally bring about changes that have been needed since the profession ran off the cliff at full speed back in the early 70s.

That day may never come, but undergraduate English (and even history) majors still have the option of approaching their studies in this way, demanding support for internships that will help them make connections with future employers, and taking electives in technologies or business skills that will also give them a broader base.

In which I brag on my nephew*

20 Friday Nov 2009

Posted by elrambo in life

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

English major, family

This is my nephew Erich, a senior midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy.

US Naval Academy Selection for Marine Aviation!

This week the seniors were notified what “warfare area” of the service they would be training in following graduation. Erich is very pleased to have been chosen for Marine Aviation, and his entire family—especially his Marine aviator dad and Naval veteran grandfathers—are very proud of him. I may have mentioned that Erich will be graduating as an English major. (His father is also one of the best writers I know.)

I look forward to attending Erich’s graduation next year!

*I actually have three nephews, a niece, and a goddaughter, all praiseworthy, but I’ll have to brag on the others later.

My English Teachers—part 4

02 Monday Nov 2009

Posted by elrambo in English major, literature, TCK

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Tags

English major, English teachers, literature, teaching

The last time I posted in this irregular series was in January, marking the passing of my grad school Middle English professor, George Kane. Before that, I wrote about my boarding-school teachers. In between, I completely skipped high school and college, but not because I didn’t have important and memorable teachers.

Actually, all my high school teachers were quite impressive, given that many of them were conscientious objectors who had chosen to teach at an American school in central Africa as an alternative to serving in the military in the late 1960s. High standards, concern for the community and the world, and a sense of adventure and possibility—they demonstrated all these values along with the subjects they taught.

My senior year, Mrs. Wiebe also supervised the school newspaper and yearbook, and I worked on both. These enterprises took on great importance in our small pond. The only professional work on either was the printing. The photography, layout, writing, art, and editing was all done by students. Compared to today’s glossy computer-generated productions, they look quite amateurish—but amateur in the original sense of work done for love. Along with a bit of competition and desire to snap the administration’s suspenders. I also wrote reams of bad poetry which seems to have been admired by some at the time.

A friend from those days reminded me recently that she and I wrote a play together. She sent it to me, but I’m afraid to re-read it. Maybe later.

Wrapping this post up, I think I’ve figured out why I  haven’t done more of this recently. I started the draft at about 2:30; was interrupted three or four times; it’s now almost 4:30. If I’m going to keep this up, must either write shorter posts, or find uninterrupted time.

What can you do with an English major? (continuing series)

14 Friday Aug 2009

Posted by elrambo in English dept., English major, students

≈ Comments Off on What can you do with an English major? (continuing series)

Tags

English major, students, writing

As we embark on another school year, English majors who are juniors and seniors (or their parents) are asking this question with greater urgency, while incoming students may be questioning their choices.

Just a moment to point out (again) the encouraging guidance of For English Majors, whose most recent post notes one of the human elements in business productivity and leadership that a literary education may provide:

Fortunately for all of us who claim to be human beings, motivation is more complicated than that and can’t be cranked into high gear for groups of people using formulas provided by “experts.”  The secrets to fathoming motivation live many places.  One of them is within the pages of great books.   So if you’re reading some, consider that you may, indeed, be preparing yourself to be in business leadership.

Add the additional detailed advice of Jobs for English Majors. A recent post focuses on new directions in editorial careers:

Gone are the former staples of story meetings at which editors debated only amongst themselves which stories to include in the magazine. These days, research using services like Google Trends — which provides insights into what users are searching for and thus, which stories are likely to capture the attention of Web surfers — fill up an increasing amount of every editor’s day.

An English major thinking about a future in professional writing/editing will have to add technical skills beyond word-processing to his or her resume.

Grammar is not trivial

20 Monday Jul 2009

Posted by elrambo in English major, grammar, life, students, words

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

education, English major, grammar, medieval, students, writing

The medieval trivium consisted of grammar, logic, and rhetoric—the foundation of all higher learning, including the quadrivium: geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music. Now “trivial” means inconsequential, frivolous, scarcely necessary. But clearly its etymology is—beyond the basic “three”—the idea of something that is, well, basic. And it’s easy to ignore the basics, until you don’t have them. Milk, for example. I never think about it, until I pour a cup of coffee or a bowl of cereal and discover there’s NOTHING to put in it. Inevitably this disaster occurs early in the morning, too.

So heed the wisdom of my former student Abigail, pondering grammar to the glory of God.

As Christians in this time, we are compelled to set ourselves apart as fellow sufferers for the gospel–and if the gospel permeates us, it envelopes everything in our lives and causes us to yearn to glorify God in all things. Thus, we must hold on to the knowledge that we know to be true, and realize that through it we might glorify the Lord as we “set the believers an example in SPEECH, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

Nothing in our lives and work is too “trivial” to be offered to God, as Brother Lawrence learned:

“Nor is it needful that we should have great things to do. . . We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God.”

“Pick up a straw,” or correct a comma-splice—the motivation is what makes it worthwhile—for the love and greater glory of God.

New MLA style

11 Wednesday Mar 2009

Posted by elrambo in English dept., English major, students, university

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

English major, MLA style, teaching, university, writing

It’s here!  Well, actually, it arrived last year with the 3rd ed. of the MLA Style Manual, but now the 7th ed. of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, used by many high school and college students, is available and the revisions are also appearing in many, if not all, college rhetorics and handbooks.

The new system is much the same as before in terms of using parenthetical references. The big change is in designating the form of sources as “Print” or “Web”—and all online sources require only the “Web” indicator. Much simpler, if less specific.

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“Nowning?”

BUFFY: How do you get to be renowned? I mean, like, do you have to be ‘nowned’ first? WILLOW: Yes, first there’s the painful ‘nowning’ process. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4.1 “The Freshman”)

Or Renowning?

And evermo, eternally,
They songe of Fame, as tho herde I: --
`Heried be thou and thy name,
Goddesse of renoun and of fame!' (Geoffrey Chaucer, The House of Fame 1403-6)

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