Dear Graduate Students,

We hope your semesters are going well and that you are enjoying the cooler temperatures of autumn.  This message contains some announcements about program deadlines, English department events, and some other opportunities.

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS

Graduation

If you plan to graduate this semester, please apply graduation by November 1. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to graduate until the Spring and will have to pay a $250 dollar fee to do it. 

Pre-Registration

Pre-registration will begin next week on October 25. We’ll send out course descriptions and instructions for this on Monday. You’ll also be able to pre-register for summer classes.

We will offer the following classes this summer:

Summer Session I (June/ 4-week)

• English 719/ Medieval Literature (On Violence in Medieval Literature), Edward Currie, online asynchronous
• English 781/ Special Seminar (On Visions of Tragedy in American Drama), Rhoda Sirlin, MTWTh 6:45 pm to 8:25 pm, online synchronous

Summer Session II (July/ 6-week)

• English 721, 17^th Century Literature (Milton), Richard Marotta, MW 600 to 805 pm, hybrid
• English 728, Late 19^th/ Early 20^th Century American Lit (19^th C. American Poetry), James Richie, TTh 600-805 pm, online synchronous

New: Accelerated BA/ MA Advising

If you are an accelerated BA/MA student who is still an undergraduate, we’re asking that you schedule a short meeting with Hillary or me before registering for any Spring graduate courses. These are really to check in, see how things are going, and to make sure that you are clear about how the program functions. (If you don’t plan to register for graduate classes in the Spring, you don’t need to schedule a meeting with us).  

On-Line Classes

We’ve had a few instructors mention that some students don’t turn on their cameras for online graduate seminars. While we can’t compel you to turn on cameras, there is an expectation of greater participation in graduate seminars, which are much smaller than undergraduate classes. Please try to turn on your cameras as often as possible, and, if you can’t, communicate this to the instructor and figure out what other ways you can contribute to the class discussion.

MA Advising Worksheet

Attached to this message is an MA advising worksheet for your reference. You can use this to track your progress through the degree.  It’s also available on the English department website. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

PhD Open House: The English Ph.D. program at the CUNY Graduate is holding a virtual open house for prospective graduate students. Whether or not you plan to apply to the Grad Center’s program, this is a good event for becoming better informed about the Ph.D. application process. The Open House is online this Friday, October 20 at 4 pm. Register for the Open House at this link:  tinyurl.com/yhm2ubjj

Creative Nonfiction Now: Tonight, October 18, at 7 pm, there will be a roundtable discussion about creative nonfiction, featuring the writers Bridgett Davis, Carina del Valle Schorske, and Cutter Wood and moderated by QC’s own Francesca Hyatt.  It will take place in person at the Godwin Ternbach Museum and virtually.  To register for the virtual meeting, follow this link.

Workshop: What is Mental Health? A Workshop on Student Un/Wellness? 12-1:30 pm on Thursday, October 19 in the Student Union First Floor (Faculty and Staff Club), with Dr. Mimi Khuc.  Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-is-mental-health-a-workshop-on-student-unwellness-tickets-732908829037

OPPORTUNITIES

CUNY Ethics and Morality Essay Contest is now accepting submissions, the deadline is set for Monday, October 30, 2023. More info and updated form and poster can be found at https://aaari.info/2023ethics/ .  Sponsored by the Asian American/ Asian Research Initiative. There are three categories, with the top prize in each being $1000.

Chamberlain Award for Writing Women’s Lives: A $3000 grant to fund research on a woman writer during the 2024 calendar year.  The award is open to MA students and is well suited for someone who is planning to write about a woman writer for their thesis project.  More information at: https://womenwritingwomenslives.org/2023-2024-call-for-applications-closed/

We will be in touch soon with information about pre-registration. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach to Hillary or me at MAEnglish@qc.cuny.edu.

Best,

Bill