February 25th, 2018 §
The English Department is pleased to offer, for the first time this Spring 2018, ENG 3384 Empires of Asia: Writing and Resistance, taught by Professor Kimberly Segall.
This course will focus on the Nobel prize winning authors Kazuo Ishiguro and Gao Xingjian and other famous writers like Murakami. The class question is: after war/violence/empire how do societies remember and heal from the past? How does literature show these patterns of remembrance and forgetting? We will also watch films: anime, film clips of history, and modern Asian films. Also we end with the novel Silence about Christian missionaries in Japan, and then we will see the film version.
It should be interesting and fun!
February 10th, 2018 §
Madison Pack—class of 2016—recently checked in with what she has been up to since earning her English degree from SPU.
Since graduation, I was doing a little of this and that trying to decide where I wanted to commit myself. I found myself in the advertising technology industry, managing campaigns, being a digital account manager, and running and developing creative tags. It was actually at the end of last year where I decided I wasn’t feeling fulfilled where I was and didn’t see a future for myself in this line of work. I missed writing and editing, and while I had originally been pursuing opportunities in this field, I had resorted to taking the job in ad tech for money more than passion. In early December I took a leap of faith and quit. It was a difficult decision, especially because I didn’t have any concrete prospects, but I was hopeful my hard work and drive would force some good outcome. I am happy to report I just completed my first full week at my new job! I am now a marking coordinator for a consulting firm in Seattle. I am learning how to build websites, run social media platforms, organize and orchestrate company-wide events, and I’m even getting to write and edit copy which is dream come true! I am finally feeling happy and dedicated to my work and feel this is a stepping stone in the path of my career goals.
January 25th, 2018 §
The English department is thrilled to offer English 3335: Celtic Lit. and Culture, led by Professor Christine Chaney.
This Study Abroad program runs from August 24 through September 15, 2018, and gives students the chance to explore the sacred, beautiful Celtic landscapes of Ireland and Scotland. We will visit everything from ancient holy sites to spectacular coastal beaches to thriving urban neighborhoods, studying Celtic literature, history, culture, and faith in the context of peacemaking.
We will anchor ourselves in the great capital cities of Edinburgh and Dublin and explore from there, discovering both ancient high crosses and modern challenges. There will be opportunities for learning with Christian reconciliation organizations working through the dark legacy of sectarianism, as well as opportunities to discover the joy of stories, music, and art, too — everything from ancient Celtic myths to Harry Potter. There will be time for faith and reflection as well as excursions to epic sites of history and culture.
Before departure, students will also be expected to participate in several spring quarter orientation sessions and some summer reading by way of preparation.
Applications due to the Study Abroad office before March 1, 2018.
For more information, contact the Study Abroad office.
Destinations and attractions:
Dublin, Edinburgh, Belfast, The Highlands, Stirling Castle, Silver Strand Beach, Newgrange Monument, Celtic High Crosses, Wicklow Mountains, “Harry Potter Train” to Mallaig, Scotland, Ferry across the Irish Sea — and more!
January 15th, 2018 §
The Board of Student Media is seeking an editor for Lingua for next year. This is a financially compensated position through ASSP. If interested please contact either the current editor, Lauren Olson, at olson16@spu.edu or Doug Thorpe, faculty advisor, at dthorpe@spu.edu.
The Board of Student Media is also seeking a board chair to fill in the remainder of the current academic year. Duties include sending out agendas and running the meetings, which occur roughly twice a month for an hour. There is no stipend but the chair is traditionally compensated financially at the end of the year. This is a great opportunity to work with student leaders in media and with faculty, staff and administrators. Build your resume! Network!
If interested please contact Doug Thorpe, faculty advisor to Lingua, at dthorpe@spu.edu, or Chuck Strawn, Dean of Students for Community Life, at cstrawn@spu.edu.
January 3rd, 2018 §
Just before Thanksgiving, I got a job offer. Starting next week, I’ll be the publishing assistant at Simon and Schuster. I’ll be working most of the time for the publisher, Jonathan Karp, and the rest for a senior editor, Sean Manning. I had such a great experience interviewing there (part of their process is to have you compile a list of contemporary books you wish you’d had a part in publishing) and was largely chosen based off my list. I attached it, in case you’d be interested to see what I came up with.
I’m very excited for the position. Simon and Schuster publishes a mix of fiction and nonfiction (they’re the original publisher of Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451, but more recently Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, and Hillary Clinton’s What Happened), but I was chosen for my interest in fiction.
It’s been an interesting first few weeks with the holidays, not to mention HRC and her staff paid a visit to the office last week. Books were signed! Retired secret service crowded the halls! I even gave a book recommendation to Huma Abedin (apparently she’s quite the reader).
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