Faculty Shout-out by Steve Rachman
Ben was part of a cohort of students in my pop culture class that is now graduating. He took the one class from me and for one reason or another he ended up taking two more classes—a Jewish literature class and another literature and medicine. In every class, he was outstanding, always intelligent in his comments and papers, and great participant in discussion and group presentations. He made a great podcast with his roommate about reading and books and I felt lucky as an instructor to have him in class. He will be missed, and I hope things go well for him in the changing landscape of publishing. Congratulations!
How would you describe your time as an English or Film Studies major at MSU?
It’s interesting, looking back I think I could put it simply as enjoyable. I don’t say that to downplay my time at MSU, quite the opposite. For many, myself included, college can be a stressful and challenging time. However, pursuing the major that I did, and having the classes and professors that I did, allowed me to take a step back in the moments when I found myself under the weight of my work and really appreciate the time that had and was having. I have always loved English and pursuing it at MSU has only increased that love.
Which classes, instructors, or experiences particularly stand out for you and why? How did they prepare you for the next phase of your life?
I really enjoyed my Shakespeare course that I took in my second year, with Professor Singh. I have always loved theatre, and especially Shakespeare and this class was a way for me to examine the plays that I had loved for years on a level that I hadn’t before. Stephen Rachman is a professor that comes to mind when thinking about my time at MSU. I coincidentally had him as a professor for something like four semesters in a row and I think we got to know each other fairly well for a professor-student relationship. The passion he had for each class he taught was palpable, and only increased my own and my classmates enthusiasm for each lesson. Not to mention the wonderful baked goods he would bring us for the earlier classes. At MSU, I was a member of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society, and that was a group I quite liked being apart of. We didn’t meet all too often but when we did it was great being apart of like minded individuals who could talk about literature, complain about classes, and worry about the future together.
What advice would you give future English or Film Studies majors, based on your experiences in the department?
Don’t be afraid of your major. There can be a lot of stigma surrounding the English major, and I think for many it can scare them away from it. If you genuinely don’t want to pursue it, that’s fine. But please don’t let the odd stares and passive aggressive comments push you away from it. If you truly love English and literature as much as I do, please pursue it at MSU. I promise you that you won’t regret it. If you take the right steps, there is no reason you won’t have opportunities post-grad.
What coursework-related projects were/are you working on this year, and what interests or excites you about them? (capstone courses, honors thesis, independent studies, etc.)
My last semester, I was on the editorial staff at MSU’s literary magazine, The Red Cedar Review. I can say with confidence that this is by far the most rewarding experience that I ever had at MSU. In doing this capstone, I was able to edit and scrutinize real people’s work that they had sent in in hopes to be published. Editing has always been one of my favorite facets of English and RCR was the perfect way to get my feet wet in that arena. Apart from this, just getting an inside (albeit minuscule) view into the publishing world was so interesting to me. So if that kind of thing is interesting to you, I would encourage you to try and take the course.
What are your hopes and aspirations, post-graduation?
My aspirations have shifted throughout my entire time at MSU, and that is still the case post-grad. I initially wanted to pursue publishing, and did very briefly. But in recent weeks, I have found myself being drawn to teaching. I am planning on applying to Teach for America this fall and getting my Secondary Education Teaching Certificate. I can still very much see publishing in my future, but seeing the impact teachers and professors can have on a student has motivated me to that field, and I couldn’t be more excited.