Dear Graduate Students, Spring 2021 officially begins this *Friday, January 29*, which means most of you have your first classes next week. We will still be dealing with the challenges of remote/online learning, but our hope is that we continue to find fruitful ways to learn and be in community together virtually. As always, Hillary and I are here to support you as best we can, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need advising. Please read carefully through these important beginning-of-the-semester announcements (attached and pasted below). FYI, for info and policies specific to the English MA program, please see our most recent handbook, attached here. For info regarding QC's general academic policies and procedures, please consult the Handbook for Graduate Students <https://www.qc.cuny.edu/Academics/GradStudies/Documents/Graduate-Handbook.pdf>. For student resources/services and tips for studying remotely, please check out the Provost's website <https://provost.qc.cuny.edu/>. Hope you and yours are staying safe and taking care, and wishing you a wonderful spring semester, all things considered! Best, Caroline & Hillary, your Directors of Graduate Studies in English -- Dr. Caroline Kyungah Hong Associate Professor of English Director of Graduate Studies (English MA) Queens College, CUNY *she/her/hers* * Please note that I am off email on weekends and will respond to your email during business hours, Monday–Friday 9am–5pm, generally within 1–2 business days. -- *QC English MA Program* *Spring 2021 Announcements* *CALENDAR* The Spring 2021 semester begins on *Friday, January 29*. You can find the QC academic calendar with important dates and deadlines at https://www.qc.cuny.edu/pages/calendar.aspx. The last day to DROP classes for a 100% tuition refund is *Thursday, January 28*. The last day to ADD classes is *Thursday, February 4*. Other important dates to keep in mind: § There are no classes on *Friday, February 12* (Lunar New Year), and *Monday, February 15* (President’s Day). § There are no classes during *Spring Recess*, *March 27­­–April 4*. § The last day of classes is *Monday, May 17*, and the spring semester officially ends on May 25. *SPRING 2021 ADVISING* Because campus remains closed due to the pandemic, we will primarily be advising via email. If you have any questions or need help, please email both of us to ensure that you get the quickest possible response. Prof. Caroline Hong, Director of Graduate Studies (English MA) Email: caroline.hong@qc.cuny.edu (or carolinehong.qc@gmail.com) Prof. Hillary Miller, Assistant Director of Graduate Studies Email: hillary.miller@qc.cuny.edu Email is the easiest and fastest way to reach us, but if you would like to request a virtual appointment (via Google Meet or Zoom), please email us with your availability and we will do our best to accommodate you. Please be sure to check your QC email regularly (or set up forwarding to your primary email), as the College and your professors may be communicating with you that way. For routine inquiries (e.g., for faculty contact info), please consult the English Department website at http://english.qc.cuny.edu/ or contact the English Department Office ( english@qc.cuny.edu). *CHECK (AND DOUBLE-CHECK) YOUR SCHEDULE* Before the semester begins, please take a moment to log-in to your CUNYfirst account and check that you’re registered for your courses. If for some reason your registration has been canceled by the Bursar, or if you’re registered for the wrong courses, it’s much easier to sort out any issues if they’re caught before the semester begins. All QC English courses will be taught online/remotely in Spring 2021. If, by the first day of the spring semester, you haven’t yet heard from your professors about how to join and access their classes online, you can email them to ask for this information. Faculty contact info can be found on the department website at http://english.qc.cuny.edu/people/. *ADDING A COURSE / REQUESTING AN OVERTALLY* If you’re looking to add a spring course, there are still a few with open seats, including ENGL 703: Composition Theory and Literacy Studies (class code 44869), ENGL 720: Studies in Renaissance Literature (code 44871), and ENGL 742 on “Undertaking Shakespeare/Shakespeare’s Undertakers” (code 50979). Course descriptions are available on the English Department website at http://english.qc.cuny.edu/graduate-programs/current-graduate-courses/. Please confirm current availability by checking the Schedule of Classes on CUNYfirst. If you wish to overtally into a class that is already closed, please email the professor and ask for their permission to overtally and/or to be placed on the course waiting list. Please keep in mind that instructors have no obligation to overtally you into classes once they’re full and that all instructor decisions are final. *QC HUB* The QC Hub is a centralized location where you can get answers to questions or resolve any issues related to financial aid, registration, student records, and other bureaucratic matters. Since the QC Hub is currently operating virtually, you can reach them via email at QCHub@qc.cuny.edu or live-chat with them by clicking on the “Live Support!” link at https://www.qc.cuny.edu/registrar/Pages/Welcome.aspx. *QCARD* If you don’t yet have a QCard (the QC student ID), you’ll need to request a barcode so that you can remotely access the library’s research databases and other resources. Once you’ve activated your QC/CAMS account, use your official QC email account to email your request for a barcode to qcard@qc.cuny.edu.