Michigan State University

The Department of English at Michigan State University provides students with an excellent education in the liberal arts—one that strikes an ideal balance between creativity and critical inquiry. Undergraduate and graduate students, whether planning to enter professional or academic job markets after graduation, leave with skills allowing them to communicate, collaborate, and problem solve in a cultural landscape growing increasingly global.

Student–faculty interaction is at the center of our department. At present, more than 40 faculty members dedicate themselves to teaching excellence and outstanding scholarship. Faculty areas of specialization are wide-ranging and encompass literary periods and genres, language studies, critical theory, new media studies, cultural studies, and creative writing.

Our students develop exceptional writing skills. And, because they are exposed to a variety of learning experiences and faculty members who offer disparate perspectives, they acquire the know-how to confront large-scale issues and effect change around the world.


Faculty News

 

Congratulations to the following faculty on their recent book-length publications:

Jennifer Fay and Justus Nieland: Film Noir: Hard-Boiled Modernity and the Cultures of Globalization (Routledge)

Patrick O'Donnell: The American Novel Now: Reading Contemporary American Fiction Since 1980 (Wiley-Blackwell)

Lloyd Pratt: Archives of American Time Literature and Modernity in the Nineteenth Century (U of Pennsylvania P)

James Seaton: (editor) The Genteel Tradition in American Philosophy and Character and Opinion in the United States (Yale)

Edward Watts: (editor) The Indian Hater and Other Stories (Kent State)

Marcia Aldrich has been awarded an Endowed Chair in creative wrting at Scripps College, spring semester, 2010. Dr. Aldrich will share her particular expertise and experience with a group of top-notch students both at Scripps College and the Claremont community.

Lloyd Pratt is the recipient of a Lilly Teaching Fellow for 2009-2010. He was also the recipient of an NEH Fellowship in fall 2009 to conduct research at the American Antiquarian Society.

 

 

Home Page Content

Upcoming Events:

Spring, 2010 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH SPEAKER SERIES:

 

All talks will take place in 213 Morrill Hall at 3pm

Feb 26: Justus Nieland, Assoc Prof, "David Lynch: Interior Designer"

Mar 19: Lister Matheson, Professor, "Script and Print to Print and Script: The Tangled Transimission of Late Medieval/Early Modern Texts"

Apr 2: Ian Baucom, Prof and Dir of the Franklin Humanities Inst, Dept of English, Duke U, "Reading a Letter: Republicanism, Empire and the Archives of the Atlantic"

Apr 16: Cathy Bowman, Ruth Lilly Prof of Poetry, Indiana U, poetry reading

ALSO MARK YOUR CALENDARS
for the "MSU FILM WORKSHOPS" generously sponsored by The College of Arts and Letters. Lectures and screenings, Wednesdays, 7pm, B102 Wells Hall

 

Feb 3: Kirsten Johnson, Cinematographer

Mar 3: Armond White, Film Critic for New York Press, President of New York Film Critics Circle

Mar 31: So Yong Kim, Director/Screenwriter/Producer

ANOTHER EVENT TO ADD TO YOUR CALENDARS:

April 15, 5pm 213 Morrill COMIC BOOKS COME OF AGE: THE POPULAR ART OF A NEW MEDIUM. Terrence Wandtke, Assoc Professor of Literatrue and Media, Judson University.

 

PAST EVENTS:

Past Events:

Jan 29 : Zoltan Simon, Asst Prof, Dept of English, U of Debrecen, "The Technological Sublime in American Literature and Culture"

December 4, 2009: Lectures by grad students: Amrita Sen, “Contingent Publics and the Question of India in Early Modern England” and Aryn Bartley: "Going Undercover (Again): Reinscriptions of the Citizen-Witness in U.S. Literary Journalism” in 213 Morrill Hall.

 

College of Arts and Letters

Year of Arts and Culture

Spotlight

 

New Curriculum!

 

The Department of English will launch a new curriculum in Fall 2010, but current majors can complete their program using the requirements in force when they declared their English major. Starting in January, we are offering special group advising sessions to help students figure out what courses will meet their current major requirements.  If you attend one of these sessions, you will be able to sign up for priority advising should you need further consultation about your schedule for the next year.

The schedule is as follows:

Jan 26 5:30 (Tues), 011 Olds Hall, for General literary studies in English majors
Feb. 2 5:30 (Tues), 011 Olds Hall, Honors English majors
Feb. 3 6pm (Weds), 117 Berkey Hall, Creative Writing Concentrators
Feb 10 6pm (Weds), 117 Berkey Hall, General literary studies in English majors
Feb. 16 5:30pm, (Tues), 011 Olds Hall, English Secondary Education Feb. 17 6pm, (Weds), 117 Berkey Hall, English Film Studies Concentrators

 

New Film Studies web site!

 

With new initiatives in a Film Studies minor and a Fiction Film Specialization, we decided it was a good time to develop a web site dedicated to Film Studies at MSU. Cllick here to be directed to this new web site where you'll find information about Film Studies programs, current and future film screenings, and careers in the film industry.

 

Newsletter!

 

Alumni, students, and friends of the English Department. Take a few minutes, please, to send us your contact information. We would like to keep you updated on what we're doing. Click here.

Previous editions of The Tattler:

The Tattler (PDF) (2009)

The Tattler (PDF) (2008)

The Tattler (PDF) (2007)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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